STUDENT CLUB PROFILE

Kylei Klein and Bonnie, a Holstein calf from Klein's family farm.

PURDUE ANSC CLUBS STAY CONNECTED WHILE NOT ON CAMPUS By Hannah Walker

As winter transitions into spring, campus usually comes to life with activities. End-of-the-year banquets, final club meetings, Ag Week and Spring Fest fill the calendars of students and faculty. However, this year looked quite different as the campus transitioned to remote learning due to COVID-19.

Campus organizations and clubs needed to get creative when it came to our favorite spring activities. Purdue Animal Sciences clubs were no exception and our department’s faculty, staff and students worked tirelessly to make the best of the situation. Technology played a key role in helping our organizations remain connected this spring.

The officer team of the Purdue Dairy Club utilized the mobile app, GroupMe, to stay in contact with members. The club held officer elections virtually with interviews via Zoom and members voted virtually for the slate of officers. One of the club’s goals is to reach Purdue students and others outside of their group to engage in a conversation around the importance of dairy and dairy producers. When campus closed, they turned to their already established social media platforms to continue this effort.

On Milk Monday, the kick-off for Purdue College of Agriculture’s Virtual Ag Week in April, the club shared dairy facts across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Kylei Klein, a member of the Purdue Dairy Club and the Ag Week planning committee, created a video sharing information and fun facts about the dairy industry. The video featured Klein and two-week-old Bonnie, a Holstein calf from Klein’s family farm.

“Even though we aren’t on campus, we didn’t want that to stop us from sharing our love and passion for the cows, the farming families, and dairy as a whole,” says Klein, a senior from Cambridge City, Indiana majoring in agricultural education.

The Purdue Unhurried Club, a faith-based animal science networking club, also took strides to continue club activities while learning virtually. Their April meeting, held on Zoom, featured guest speaker Mike Banks, a poultry specialist at Ridley Inc.

Banks shared a message titled “Finding Peace in Times of Uncertainty” to inspire club members. In his message, Banks shared his personal background as well as an uplifting message encouraging club members to remain strong and courageous during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Having to meet for our Unhurried discussions through Zoom was definitely a different experience, but regardless of how we met, I am very thankful to have industry professionals who are so willing to speak with us, both on personal and professional levels, even throughout these circumstances,” says Unhurried Club member Mallory Minnick, a junior from Logansport, Indiana majoring in animal sciences with a concentration in animal agribusiness.

Despite the transition to remote learning and the cancellation of in-person events, Purdue Animal Sciences clubs and organizations demonstrated their resilience and dedication to their organizations. While not able to gather in-person, the Purdue community continues to gather virtually to share ideas, encouragement and the Boilermaker spirit.

“We all wish that we could be back on campus,” Klein says, “but as Boilermakers, we all have enough grit and innovation to make anything happen from anywhere!”