LMU Helps Students Stay Connected While Apart

COVID-19 has dramatically upended the college experience across the country, with many students suddenly finding themselves taking online classes from their childhood bedrooms. It’s natural that many students are feeling a sense of loss at missed academic pursuits, social events, sport seasons, study abroad programs and graduation ceremonies.

The pandemic has also exacerbated the growing mental health challenges reported by America’s college students. Since the beginning of the 2019-20 academic year, SCG has been supporting Loyola Marymount University with a comprehensive communications campaign to encourage students to seek out the university’s extensive mental health and wellness resources. However, COVID-19 rendered obsolete one of the campaign’s key messages – to take a break from social media and connect with peers in-person. Under stay-at-home orders, students are nearly entirely reliant on technology to socialize.

Recognizing the “new normal,” we worked with LMU to shift gears – encouraging students to thoughtfully use virtual technology to engage with one another and get the support they need. The effort included a series of articles, such as this one, with tips on staying personally connected while social distancing. LMU also took one of the centerpieces of the year-long campaign – a weekly Wellness Wednesday campus event – and turned it into a virtual wellness series. We also created a series of coronavirus-inspired social media graphics, including the one featured in this post.

We are proud to be engaged in such an important and timely campaign. To learn more, check out their website.