My Experiences Getting Involved on Campus

I was the only one who didn’t bring a computer to the club meeting. The other members jabbered away in computer talk, which, as far as I could tell, was half English and half obscure acronyms.

“Come to the open source club meeting!” Chris Riseley, my old writing teacher, had said. “It’s for artsy people like you.”

From what I could see, the club was actually for smart computer-geek types.

Getting involved on campus is generally seen as a good idea. Teachers will tell you that extracurricular activities are great for resumes, and foster communication skills. A research project done at California State University found that students involved in extracurricular activities "achieved much higher rates of retention and graduation, maintained better GPA's, and had higher good standing rates."

I talked to some LBCC students on the subject, wondering how those statistics hold up. 80% of those I talked to felt that the extracurricular activities they'd participated in helped their grades overall. One student said, "it gave me another reason to be at school." Another said, "participating in extracurricular school activities is a really good practice for your integrity and self-discipline, and ultimately improves study habits."

I would agree with my fellow students that extracurricular activities have a positive effect on grades and life in general. However, I would like to take it a step further. I think that part of the beauty of extracurricular activities comes from trying new things I never knew I was interested in, which is why I initially took Mr. Riseley up on his offer and went to the Open Source Club meeting.

When I first arrived on campus I only got involved in things I was already interested in. Since I was into Journalism, I spent a term writing for The Commuter. I was given random topics to cover, and I covered them. I began researching and writing about events on campus I never would have attended if I'd been given the choice.

Once, for instance, I was told to do a write-up of the LBCC Psychology club. Psychology isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but I went. Interestingly enough, the club was mostly about helping college students who struggle with depression. I’m a college student, I struggle with depression, and yet under normal circumstances I never would have gone to the psychology club.

Another night I had to go to a concert given by the LBCC music faculty. The performances were magical. I was awed at the talent of the music faculty, and the loveliness of this strange little concert I would never have heard of had I not been forced to cover it.

I began to look at campus involvement in a new light. How many interesting things are there to do on campus that I'd never even considered doing?

According to the LBCC website, the college currently has 27 clubs and 13 co-curricular programs available to students, some with interesting sounding names like “Near-Space Exploration Club,” and “Spherical Cow.” I’m sure that some of the clubs and events on campus are boring and/or pointless. I’m sure that others are fascinating and delightful. We might as well try them out and see for ourselves.

Of course getting involved on campus will help you in a myriad of ways, giving you more connections on campus, personal growth, and ultimately, better grades. But I like to get involved on campus because there are so many interesting things available. College is about preparing for future careers, but how can I know exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life if I haven’t tried everything?

When Riseley dragged me to the open source club meeting, I was the odd one out. I didn’t know anything about computer programming. I knew nothing about open source culture and all great free content available to the public online. Even so, I found it fascinating. I went to the next meeting, and the next, because I had discovered an interest I never knew I had.


Get Involved!

Campus Clubs and Events:

LBCC Clubs: http://www.linnbenton.edu/student-life-and-leadership/clubs

LBCC Events: www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=linnbenton.edu_luaktm2u9o6e1ig9tbdiuqe2v8@group.calendar.google.com

LBCC Co-Curricular Programs: http://www.linnbenton.edu/student-life-and-leadership/co-curricular-programs

LBCC Online Club Manual: http://www.linnbenton.edu/student-life-and-leadership/clubs/online-club-manual

Student Life and Leadership:

Website: http://www.linnbenton.edu/student-life-and-leadership

Phone: 541-917-4457

Office: F-120 (first floor of Student Union building)