Quick Advice for Getting Involved on Campus
SaveThis article will guide students toward becoming more invested in their campus.
By Xavier Royer
Everybody's got their thing; some people make millions, other people make memes — J. Cole
Student engagement is among the most undervalued aspects of university campuses. A Gallup study in 2018 showed that "engaged students are 2.5 times more likely to say that they get excellent grades and do well in school, and they are 4.5 times more likely to be hopeful about the future than their actively disengaged peers." Not only are engaged students remarkably better performers, but they also appear to be much more confident when their time on campus has ended. With the importance of being involved established, the remainder of this article will guide students toward becoming more invested in their campus.
Some questions need answers before diving into all the opportunities campus has to offer. The first of which is availability and commitment. For example, are the hours consistent and predictable if a student has a job, or do they need to be flexible to accommodate their work? This will determine the type of activities a student can join. Campus activities and organizations vary wildly in the time commitment they will ask for, and understanding their current obligations will help students find something that works with their schedule.
I should note that, at least in my opinion, campus engagement does not have to be super formal, and students should not limit themselves to necessarily "joining" anything. Students should keep an open mind. Can't commit to joining an intramural team but have time for the occasional pickup basketball game? That's engagement! Can't consistently make the book club but can attend the special events at the library? Still engagement. Anything that gets students on campus and interacting with students outside of class will connect that student to the campus in a meaningful way. This also includes on-campus employment. On campus jobs are great, not only because the schedules accommodate students' but because they are plugged into everything else going on around campus.
Where should students look for these on-campus activities (and jobs!)? Most campuses offer an event during the first week that allows all the organizations and employers to come out and advertise. Even non-freshmen should at least stop by these events as new student organizations start every year. After the first week, things can get a bit trickier. Most campuses will have poster boards in common areas (dining halls, student centers, rec facilities, dorms, etc.) where organizations look to recruit members and advertise their upcoming events. In 2022, online is also a great place to look. Most universities will have a running list of all student organizations and an HR page with all student worker positions. This can be a great starting point. Poking around the department can also yield some interesting opportunities and has the added benefit of potentially further connecting students to the faculty they will be working with the most.
One mistake many students make is belonging to a student organization such as an honors or other academic program, scholarship program, or fraternity/sorority, but only do the bare minimum within these organizations. These students miss big opportunities. The experience of students who make an effort to become a familiar face in those organizations often have much more fulfilling experiences than those who do not.
Students can also integrate some aspects of their non-academic life into their campus life and find engagement that way. Looking for something inexpensive to do with friends for an evening? Check out if any campus sports compete in town that night or if the campus theater department is putting anything on. One-off events on campus are designed to be accessible to students and can often be a blast. Particularly if the event is not often well attended, the students participating will likely be grateful for the support.
Campus engagement can come in all shapes and sizes. Students should not put themselves into a box when it comes to what engagement looks like. What is important is that students find ways to enjoy themselves on campus. Enjoyment allows students to "buy-in" to campus culture and receive the benefits articulated by Gallup. This article enables those students unsure about getting involved on campus to go out and embrace their identity as a student. The college experience is about more than just attaining a high GPA. Campus involvement is a way for students to enable those formative moments to build a robust campus experience.
Xavier Royer
I am currently a full time instructor at a William Penn University, a small private university in Iowa. I am the lone political science faculty member there. In my time teaching, I have already connected with an incredible cohort of students in ways I could never have expected. Partnering with SAGE will allow me the opportunity to help even more students across the globe navigate those tricky questions.Articles & Advice
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