The countless memories, experiences and lessons students will receive in their college career do not occur only from inside the classroom, but also from their extracurricular activities. With this in mind, hundreds of organizations and students took part in this semester’s Student Organization Expo on Wednesday Jan. 28.
Senior Coordinator for Student Programs and Activities Tiffany Brodner and Coordinator for Student Organizations and Activities Kristina Barsema stress the importance of being involved in student organizations on campus. “A lot of the good memories and experiences that Geneseo graduates have come from those outside of class, and I think student organizations fill that need,” Brodner said.
“Also, by joining an organization, you are not only bettering yourself, you are also bettering the Geneseo community,” Barsema added.
Through joining a student organization of interest, students can develop important skills in the field they are interested in and also find other students with similar passions.
“Just by being involved in something I was passionate about, I was able to meet so many different people and earn different perspectives on life and the world in general,” Barsema said. “You also learn a lot about leadership and teamwork, which are really important skills to have when you leave college and go off to the real world.”
Brodner and Barsema both emphasized that there is essentially a club out there for everyone on campus.
“Going into the spring semester, there are about 198 student organizations,” Barsema said. “Every year there are new proposals for new organizations––that number is growing and it will continue to grow.”
There are all sorts of organizations available in Geneseo including academic, advocacy, sports, cultural, Greek life, performing arts, spiritual and volunteer groups. “It is okay to feel overwhelmed at the number of clubs and organizations we have,” Brodner said. “Really take the time to see what it is you want to be a part of versus joining nine different organizations at one time.”
Barsema emphasized that if you are still unsure of what club is best for you, staff members at the Department of Student Life are more than willing to talk to students and help point them in the right direction. “We can guide you in ways such as helping you contact the president of an organization and really helping you figure out where is your niche on campus,” she said.
The Student Organization Expo held every semester can be a guiding light to lead students to the clubs best for them. “We often say that it is a one-stop shopping experience for students to see all organizations at once,” Brodner said. “That way, students are not hunting and looking all over the place for different meeting times and places.”
If you missed the Student Organization Expo, visit the Department of Student Life page at union.geneseo.edu where it lists all the available Geneseo student organizations and the contact information of staff and organizations.