Winter 2020· Torch: U.S. · FALL PLANNING MEETING
The original plan was to catch some California sun and host the annual Fall Planning Meeting (FPM) at San Diego State University, the location of NJCL’s 2021 national convention. (Fingers crossed that the only way people get COVID-19 at that point is by buying its GIANTmicrobes plush.) However, following recent trends, the NJCL Executive Board decided to hold FPM virtually from the comfort and safety of home. Even though not much else could match the excitement of physically being in the future home of NJCL Convention, the Executive Board nonetheless worked with what they had and made the best of it.
The meeting started with a virtual tour of SDSU. The charming beauty and authenticity of the campus was enthralling—check out the pictures beside this article to see for yourself! After the tour, the officers and committee members got right into meetings, combing through the convention schedule and giving officer reports, among other things. The following day, the officers met to decide spirit themes, dance themes, and recreational activities.
The officers and committee members made plans under the assumption that 2021’s national convention would be an in-person one, though no one could deny the tense uncertainty that suffused FPM. However, what motivated everyone was an equally-palpable optimism and the moments of levity that were interspersed with periods of work. The officers teased each other’s antics, munched on snacks, compared notes on pop culture, and gave each other witty nicknames for their shirts. Both days ended with a social hour, in which the officers and committee members played rousing rounds of Among Us against each other. The camaraderie and laughter that was shared made the two eight-hour-long Zoom calls far less grueling than they could have been.
No matter how 2021 plays out—whether it turns out to be just as chaotic and devastating as this year has been, or whether things begin to turn out for the better—one thing remains clear: the members of the NJCL Executive Board could not be more excited for the 2021 NJCL Convention!
FALL PLANNING MEETING REPORT
BY IRENE CALDERON
2020-21
NJCL EDITOR
"No matter how 2021 plays out—whether it turns out to be just as chaotic and devastating as this year has been or whether things begin to turn out for the better—one thing remains clear: the members of the NJCL Executive Board could not be more excited for the 2021 NJCL Convention!"
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