On Mar 15, 2020, COVID-19 hit Meredith College. Most clubs, if not all, were forced to postpone or cancel events. However, the Resident Housing Association (RHA) did not let this virus get in the way of one of their most beloved socials: Meredith and a Movie. Meredith and a Movie is a night that consists of snacks, drinks and door prizes, as well as a film that everyone votes to see. Blair Starling, the RHA chair advisor, says that all of this is provided by RHA funding. This is an RHA tradition that has been going on for the past 11 years and is usually held in the Kresge auditorium with attendance ranging from 35 to 50 guests.
However, COVID-19 has been an enormous barrier for this year's Meredith and a Movie. Both of the RHA advisors, Heather Harrison (Residence Director of Faircloth) and Savannah Smith (Residence Director of Poteat), have worked diligently to find a creative solution to this issue. Blair mentions that Heather and Savannah came up with the idea of setting up the Netflix Party as a way to still have Meredith and a Movie. When Blair heard this she immediately said, “Let's do it!” She continues, “Heather and Savannah were in charge of creating the link as well as the set up for the event, while Katie Thompson, the RHA Publicity Chair, was in charge of publicizing the event on social media.” They had around 15 attendees with this online version, and Blair states that the main goal of this social was for RHA to help support the community during these uncertain times.
Though many clubs had to cancel their events, clubs like RHA are finding new creative ways to interact with the Meredith community.
By Sofia Gomez, Podcasting Director