Lillian Hucke ’24  |   Published December 07, 2020

ASAP Brings Joy

Association for Student Activities and Programming brought smiles this fall, even during a pandemic.

MOVIE NIGHT: This regular Friday night at April Zorn Memorial Stadium was one of the new activiti... MOVIE NIGHT: This regular Friday night at April Zorn Memorial Stadium was one of the new activities that ASAP brought to campus this fall. MONMOUTH, Ill. – Despite operating in less than ideal circumstances, ASAP has brought joy to Monmouth College’s campus.

The Association for Student Activity Programming is a student organization that plans entertaining events on campus. Due to the pandemic, ASAP had to change their plans for the semester, adjusting their scheduled activities to abide by social distancing and other COVID-19 guidelines.

Katterine Rodas-Quintana ’22 of Monmouth, who serves as president of ASAP, said her organization wants to bring students fun and safe events.

“Our goal is to encourage students to enjoy their college experience despite the stress they may encounter,” she said.

Regardless of these challenging times, ASAP works to unite the campus, said Rodas-Quintana. The students in the organization know firsthand how hard the pandemic has been on students’ mental and physical health this semester, so they’ve worked tirelessly to provide some events that encourage students and give them something enjoyable to do.

“As social beings, it is essential to have interactions with peers that aren’t related to classwork or other stressors,” said Rodas-Quintana. “I encourage everyone to take a break and enjoy their time. School work is important, but you also must give yourself a chance to laugh and enjoy the moment.”

“Stress can have a negative impact on one’s physical and mental health, and I feel that ASAP events provide a great outlet for students to have fun safely. Students can hang out with their friends, meet new people and get out of their dorm room while trying new things and creating memorable experiences.” – Ryan Doyle

During the fall semester, ASAP was not able to host many of the events that it had scheduled because they involved large groups. As an alternative, it offered numerous grab-and-go events, such as handing out fresh kettle corn, making stuffed animals and designing flower pots. But Rodas-Quintana and her team were still able to put on some large events, such as virtual Homecoming, Friday night outdoor movies, and a campus-wide virtual bingo.

Assistant Director of Campus Events Ryan Doyle agrees with Rodas-Quintana about the importance of ASAP, and ASAP’s role of bringing the students some fun diversions during the pandemic.

“Stress can have a negative impact on one’s physical and mental health, and I feel that ASAP events provide a great outlet for students to have fun safely,” he said. “Students can hang out with their friends, meet new people and get out of their dorm room while trying new things and creating memorable experiences.”

ASAP succeeded in its goal of putting smiles on students’ faces during the fall semester. Calista DePue ’24 of Pekin, Illinois, said she always enjoys it when she walks to Dunlap Terrence and sees ASAP’s table set up.

“ASAP never fails to make me smile,” she said. “The little events they put on this semester showed me that they cared about us, and that always encouraged me.”

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