During this peculiar semester, one club has declared its mission to keep the spirits of University students high: Campus Activities Team (CAT). CAT, the official programming board of the University, has made sure to provide ample opportunities for fun activities since the pandemic began.

When students were sent home back in mid-March, CAT had to improvise. The organization never had to deal with a problem of this magnitude. CAT dealt with the situation by holding games of Nova Quizzo, Villanova’s beloved weekly trivia competition, and other community building sessions over Zoom.

Now, with students back on campus, CAT has stepped up its game even further. 

If you’ve been confused by the sight of a white gate surrounding the Riley Ellipse every Thursday, wonder no longer. The gate is for a special socially-distanced outdoor version of Nova Quizzo, which is now held outside Cafe Nova every Thursday at 9:30 p.m., rather than inside. As per usual, teams consist of four players, though answers are now submitted on a Google form instead of on paper. 

CAT has made sure to keep the event totally safe. The gate separates the ellipse from the rest of campus so that Quizzo participants all come in through one entrance. That way, CAT officers can ensure capacity and spacing limitations. CAT also provides hand sanitizer and extra masks at its events and enforces the policy “BYOC” (Bring Your Own Chair). 

“We want to establish community at Villanova and give students something to do in a safe and socially distanced way,” Jared Plattman, Director of Movies, said.

The first week of Quizzo was a Back to School theme. The second week Quizzo was unfortunately rained out at the last minute, but those who showed up received a free milkshake. The event was then held online. 

With workouts at the University’s fitness centers now requiring a reservation in advance online, it can be harder for students to find time to hit the gym. Thankfully, CAT has been offering outdoor fitness sessions as a fun way to keep students in shape. On Saturday, Aug. 22, CAT held its first session, which consisted of four workout videos played on a big screen. Participants were offered free snacks afterwards.

Movies and other showings remain a staple of CAT. On Saturday, Aug. 22, CAT showed “Avengers: Endgame,” and on Saturday, Aug. 29, it showed the 2016 NCAA championship, when the men’s basketball team defeated UNC for its first championship victory since 1985. 

Other events that CAT has held so far include virtual speed dating and bingo, which both took place over Zoom. 

More CAT events are set to take place in the near future. CAT partnered with the Student Government Association to kick off the virtual Student Involvement Fair from Monday, Aug. 31 to Sunday, Sept. 6. A weekend-long virtual scavenger hunt is set to take place from Friday, Sept. 4 to Sunday, Sept. 6 (with the prize being AirPods). As for in-person showings, the award-winning 2019 film Little Women will play at the Riley Ellipse this Friday, Sept. 4, and Villanova’s Funniest Home Videos will play on Monday, Sept. 7 at the same location. You can submit videos by using the link in the bio of Villanova CAT’s Instagram (@villanovacat) by  Sunday, Sept. 6.