At the beginning of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, all educational institutions were completely halted. Needless to say, student clubs and organizations were affected as well. However, because of technology, schools and universities were able to adapt and have resumed through the use of online classes. Of course, student organizations were able to adapt as well. For instance, La Salle Computer Society (LSCS), having its fair share of difficulties, was able to adapt and establish ways to connect to its members and keep the organization alive.

As with all other organizations, one of LSCS’s major hurdles was forming a platform to connect. Before the outbreak, organizations hosted several events to be able to connect with its members and create meaningful and memorable experiences. After the pandemic striked, however, these events were affected and were postponed or even canceled. Fortunately, Executive Vice President for Internals John Legaspi thought of a way to connect the members again—creating a Discord server for the organization.

"The nook was the usual place for interaction, but with the quarantine and all, this was the next best thing we thought of" - John Legaspi, EVP - Internals

The small, cozy room called “Nook” is what brought LSCS together. It served as a place to meet, discuss organizational matters, eat with friends, or even something as simple and plain as making small talks. This is the inspiration for creating a Discord server for LSCS. To emulate the feeling of being in a snug, little room full of carefree and cheerful people. The server brought the members together again, allowing them to discuss organization duties, study together, play online games together, and talk with each other. It gave them the platform to be together again.

Apart from the newly created methods to combat the effects of the pandemic, certain publications and projects by the organization have adapted to match the current setting. For instance, the more recent CSS Life+Style posts on the organization’s Facebook page.

“... this activity aims to encourage them to create art about the life of a CCS student” - Sharmaine Gaw, AVP - Publicty & Creatives

CSS Life+Style is an ongoing series of artworks showcasing the normal, everyday life portrayed through the creative aspect of the College of Computer Studies (CCS) students. When the outbreak started, the content spontaneously adapted—while the goals of the project remain faithful, the artworks and the sentiments that they carry were now about how these students faced the challenges of the current online class setup.

How other organizations transitioned and adapted in our current situation may go either way, however, it’s safe to say that LSCS was able to tackle and overcome this problem. This article hopes to convey to its readers some of the methods of keeping an organization alive and together, even in the midst of a modern pandemic.