The campus community needs to put a greater focus on becoming more unified.
During Star Summit, the half-day leadership training event April 7, students expressed concerns about campus unity.
See HERE for more information about Star Summit.
These concerns included “the need for unity between organizations” and “more opportunity for organizations to have combined events.”
Many organizations have a history of combined events. University Counseling Services and Kappa Sigma fraternity partnered in 2017 to host Power Hour, a stress-relief event on the quad.
OCU Stripped and Out of the Box partnered in 2016 for Miscast Cabaret to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Many religious organizations partner in the spring at the World Religions Expo.
These kinds of events are good, but they should happen more often. Reaching out to other organizations takes effort, but it means double the people available to plan and attend the event.
Find what common interests or philanthropic efforts your organization has with others and work together to create something great.
Students also called for “more interactions between different schools.”
When we arrive at OCU as freshmen, students of all different majors are integrated as one body during orientation week. We touch the gold star and play silly games in Abe Lemons Arena, but then we go our separate ways.
Many students take all of their classes in a couple buildings and never see what happens on the other side of campus. Even at graduation, students are separated by school.
This issue falls on administration. Administrators need to stop seeing other schools as competition, but instead as companions and work together to make students’ academic lives as enriching as possible. Students and faculty in different schools could learn so much from each other. Breaking down those walls would be beneficial to everyone.
Another student suggestion was “more student support for the variety of organizations and athletics we have.”
At “Over Committed University,” we often get so focused in our own lives and busy schedules that it’s easy to forget about supporting our colleagues in what is most important to them. Taking a couple of hours out of your day to see a classmate in a play or attend a friend’s baseball game is not a huge time commitment. Many of us spend that much time on social media. Doing so supports your friend’s passion to which they’ve probably dedicated years of hard work.
College is all about experiencing new things. Supporting organizations is a great way to do this. If you’re an exercise science major, go see an improv show or an orchestra concert. If you’re a music major, go watch a wrestling match or a softball game.
Becoming a more unified campus doesn’t require huge change, but it does take commitment and a bit of effort. Challenge yourself to make connections with people outside your major and attend different organizations’ events.
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