Student Leadership Involvement

Student Leadership Involvement brings together hundreds of clubs to enhance the college experience for students to expand on their co-curriculum agenda, according to Damoni Wright, the executive director of student leadership and involvement. The organization’s ultimate goal is to aide students in finding the entity in which they are most interested in by outreaching all over campus.

“We’re trying to connect you to all the people around campus who provide opportunities,” Wright said. “The thing that we focus on, and that we always keep in mind, are the students, like no matter what, we are focused on students and what they can gain from this experience.”

According to Dante Holloway, coordinator for clubs and organizations, through active engagement, clubs and organizations can help students gain leadership and learn outside the classroom to increase previous knowledge.

“It’s such an amazing environment for learning,” Holloway said. “A student organization, specifically is really a living laboratory in a way. You take what you’re learning in the classroom and try to actually apply it to what you’re doing with the club or vice-versa.”

According to Wright, extracurriculars can help students get a sense of who they are and help discover new interests to improve their college experience.

“They get the curricular piece that they gain from the classes. We’re trying to look at everything that both supplements and adds to the experience, but also provides even more learning,” Wright said. “We’re looking at transformative learning.”

Intramural Teams and Sports Clubs

The Department of Recreational Sports gives students the opportunity to engage in recreational activities with friends, as well as create new relationships in an energetic atmosphere, according to Sam Rodenberg, coordinator for sports programs, said.

Located within Dixon Recreation Center, the Sports Program Office is home to nearly 40 recreational sports that students can participate in through intramural teams and sports clubs, according to Rodenberg. Sports offered range from soccer, to table tennis, to water polo and numerous others. Teams and clubs also allow students different league options depending on personal skill level. “A” leagues are for seasoned veterans, while “B” leagues are for those new to sports or looking for a more relaxed atmosphere, Rodenberg added.

“They may not be participating at the D1 level, but we’re able to offer them something to be competitive at, and have fun and still participate in sports,” Rodenberg said.

Sports clubs offer more of a competitive edge and give participating students opportunities to travel with a team for tournaments and leagues, according to Rodenberg. Sports clubs teams also oftentimes practice weekly in order to heighten an individual’s skill level with coaches.

Students who want to join intramural sports teams or sports clubs are not required to sign up with a team, according to Rodenberg. A service offered by the Sports Program Office the free agent roundup, which helps place individual students with teams.

“We can bring them together. They can create a free agent team at the meeting, then go participate with a bunch of people they just met,” Rodenberg said. “You can literally just sign up for a sports club and have no skill whatsoever, and you can learn those skills.”

According to Rodenberg, the best way to engage with the Sports Programs Office is to walk in and meet with the faculty who can direct a student to new opportunities and interests. Information on what clubs and sports are available, as well as further details can be found at their online OSU website.

OSU Program Council

Oregon State University offers ways for students to take a break from academics and become active in co-curriculums, according to Student Director of OSUPC, Zack Simmons. OSU Program Council is a student-run and student-driven club dedicated to bringing high-energy and large-scale events to the community year-round.

“I think that sometimes we get so caught up in homework, midterms, finals and stuff like that, we forget to enjoy that social aspect and community aspect that OSU has to offer,” Simmons said.

OSUPC is an active organization consisting of leaders and volunteers to make each event successful, according to Simmons. They work to create and engage the student community outside the classroom and bring fun experiences.

Dam Jam is a well known event put on near the end of the academic year before the summer, which takes place in the Memorial Union Quad, according to Simmons. Other engagements hosted by OSUPC include the NW Spring Festival, Family Weekends and returning favorites, Halloween events.

“Just look around, do some searching, and just kind of put yourself out there,” Simmons said. “It can be scary at first, but once you do it, you’ll never know where it can take you.”

Associated Students of OSU

The Associated Students of Oregon State University give students the ability to engage with their student government and the student representatives.

“ASOSU is every student at Oregon State University,” Simon Brundage, the ASOSU president, said. “We’re a student government that represents the student body of the Corvallis campus.”

There are three branches of government that students can get involved with; executive, legislative and the judicial council, according to Brundage. ASOSU means to amplify the voices of the students in administrative decisions and even moderate students fees and how they are allocated across campus.

ASOSU stays connected with the OSU community by being active on campus through tabling, sponsoring programs and holding town halls that are welcome for all students to attend. The first one will be on October 5 at 5:30 p.m. in the Involvement Lounge located in the Student Experience Center.

Services set up by ASOSU include the Office of Advocacy, Student Legal Services and SafeRide, according to Brundage.

Student voices are the reason ride shares are coming in the fall. Many reasons of change begin with voices of dedicated students who want to see something new, according to Brundage. ASOSU can be a place to gain leadership and be heard.

“Administrators do hear student voices and they listen to student leaders more than anything else, because those are the people who rise up and make their voices heard the loudest, and I think that really means being a leader is both a privilege, but it’s also something you have to be held accountable to,” Brundage said.