So (soon enough) you’ll have made it to campus, moved into your rooms and covered every inch of your wall with posters, and begun classes. It’s all fun and exciting, but after the first week you’ll realize you have some downtime during those weekday evenings or on the weekends, and you’ll feel a yearning to fill that time with something fulfilling. It’s probably time to get involved in a student group.
Wesleyan has, on average, about 300 student groups active on campus every year, and it’s incredibly easy for you to get involved. Keep in mind, though, the rule of seven—seven major commitments per semester—which is a good way to balance your schedule to ensure that you still have a life. A class is one commitment, so four for a typical semester. That gives you three more activities to commit yourself to, whether they be sports or student groups.
Student Group Directory
Last year, the Wesleyan Student Assembly migrated to OrgSync as its student group management platform (I may or may not be the one you should blame for this). You can easily log on using your Wesleyan credentials and browse the groups active on campus. You can use the search functions and also filter by categories to find whatever group you might be interested in.
The Internet
While the Orgsync Organization Directory is your best bet for finding active student groups on campus, but Google is also your friend. Many student groups have their own websites (I have, more often than not, googled “student group/activity name Wesleyan”). Many of them have their sites hosted on the student group server, with websites ending in .stugroup.wesleyan.edu or .group.wesleyan.edu, depending on when the site was created.
Our very own Wesleying Links page can also be a good bet to finding student group sites. If you’re a student group leader and want us to include a website you keep up to date for your group, be sure to email us at staff[at]wesleyan[dot]edu. Also check out the Social Media Directory that was recently published in this series!
Be sure to also check back to Wesleying throughout the year. Student groups submit various events and other activities to Wesleying, so Wesleying’s your best bet to stay up to date on the current happenings on campus.
Student Group Fair
The annual Student Group Fair, hosted by the Wesleyan Student Assembly, is also another great opportunity to check out the groups that will be active this year on campus. This year, the fair will be held Friday, September 12th from 2PM to 5PM, in the Huss Courtyard, which is right outside of Usdan.
Be careful though. I’m sure you’re excited to check out all that Wesleyan has to offer when it comes to student groups, and these student group leaders will be surely armed with candy or cookies, all in an effort to get you to simply sign up for their email listservs. Do this with caution. If you don’t see yourself joining the group at all or even participating in the group long-term, it’s best to avoid giving them your email and signing up. My email account still cries from freely signing up for too many things—they’ll never take you off the listserv, no matter how you beg.
Create Your Own
It’s surprisingly easy to create your own student group. Student group registration is handled by the WSA, and recognition comes from CoCo, or the Community Committee. By registering with CoCo, you get access to the student activities fund handled by the SBC, or Student Budget Committee, which comes in handy when you’re planning events or other group activities.
Get more information on student group recognition from CoCo and student activities funding from the SBC.