What do you do for students who haven’t seen the inside of a classroom for 3 months, who can’t go home, who can’t go to work and who can’t go out with their friends? And what do you do when these students come from all parts of the world?
If you’re with the International Center, you come up with a plan. And thus was born Quarantine Buddies.
“We knew many of our students were feeling removed from their community, isolated and depressed,” said Jaclyn Logsdon, program coordinator of the International Center. She and former program assistant Pera Tran devised a virtual buddy system, created an application form, and plugged their plan through social media and emailed newsletters. Guided by the submitted applications, which contained name, where from, level at school, major, email address, any special request and a fun fact, they paired people randomly while paying attention to special requests.
Students received word of their pairing through email, and now connect on their own schedules. The buddies know they have someone safe to talk to who is going through the same experiences.
Jaclyn said that Quarantine Buddies is open to all WSU students, just like the IC based in the lower level of the CUB. The center is like a campus family room where students and friends gather to socialize, relax, and study. It features a kitchenette where the coffee and tea are always on (and cookies are frequently available), as well as computers, free printing, TV, and rooms for conversations and tutoring. It also hosts social events, such as bowling, ice skating, and field trips, through the year.
Although it’s been hard to think of the center shuttered and silent, “Setting up Quarantine Buddies was the best way we could think of to keep the heart of the IC alive until we could come together again,” Jaclyn said.
