By: Erica Lampert ~Staff Writer~
Xavier’s Office of Student Involvement has been busy this year as several new clubs were formed, several new activities were proposed and several new students came to make their mark.
This year various clubs on campus had large numbers of students involved in their major activities and events. Well-known clubs and groups such as Student Activities Council (SAC) as well as clubs such as Home-X, seemed to have components that sparked mass student involvement.
“African American Association has had a banner year this year, with strong attendance at events along with a very strong presence on campus,” Associate Director of Student Involvement, Dustin Lewis said. “American Marketing Association and Accounting Society have also done well with drawing students to their activities.”
Several major events received good attendance. Colleges Against Cancer had numerous participants in its Relay for Life event. Dance Marathon also had a large turnout for its Muskie-Thon program which was relocated to the Gallagher Student Center this year.
Criminal Justice Society (CJUS) also made a rise due to its work with the Ohio Innocence Project (OIP). Its culminating event was held earlier this week and included speakers from the OIP who were wrongfully convicted and released recently. CJUS also ventured to the Ohio Reformatory for Women earlier this year.
Numerous clubs have sprouted and grown as the year comes to a close.
“Her Campus Xavier has spent this year growing their followers and fan base on social media by producing original content geared toward the women here on campus,” Lewis said. “Home-X is also a brand new cooking club that started this year on campus. They’ve partnered with Hoff Dining and SAC on a couple events and have drawn a lot of interest in their DIY approach to cooking and learning to make meals as a student on campus.”
Xavier’s Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team also had its first official year as a club sport. The club team was able to attend three tournaments in the fall and planned to attend four this spring. However, the team placed third in its conference and ended up traveling to Oberlin, Ohio, for regionals instead of the previously planned tournaments.
“Going to regionals is awesome because it shows that we have not only grown quickly— the amount of rookies we have are almost equal to the number of our returning players—but we have also improved quickly too,” sophomore team member Sara Kula said.
Information Systems Club hosted its first Tech Week at Xavier this year in April, and Muslim Student Association offered a number of complex identity events that explored and shared Muslim culture with others while also increasing awareness about Syrian refugees. Psi Chi has also added several students majoring in psychology to the group through its career panels and graduate school preparation events.
SAC, one of the largest organizations on campus, has also had a large amount of student involvement this year.
“Student Activities Council hosted a number of new programs this year, including the Mystery Bus series, the Powerful Women Lecture series and a number of trips off campus to exciting concerts,” Lewis said.
SAC’s culminating event, XavierFest, will be held on Friday from 4-10 p.m.
Lewis believes that involvement in these organizations will set students apart after graduation.
“The power of involvement and learning that takes place outside of the classroom is growing monumentally important as students interview in competitive markets for jobs after college,” Lewis said.
“The ability to tell future employers that you have experience with delegation, budget management, working with diverse groups of people, supervising peers and having conversation around accountability are all some of the most desirable traits to be hired in a work place” Lewis said.