College can provide students with a foundation of knowledge to use for the rest of their career, but being involved on campus is essential to getting the most out of a collegiate experience. The benefits of getting involved are nearly endless, with few reasons to keep your learning in the classroom. College is more than just classes, and with the endless involvement opportunities that UW–La Crosse offers, everyone can find something that will improve their professional abilities.

From collegiate sports, intramurals, interest clubs, hobby clubs, and Greek life, the list is infinite. It doesn’t matter if you are looking to build your resume, discover your passions, learn time management or make friends; reasons to get involved far outweigh reasons not to, such as lack of time or benefits. Getting involved on campus can serve as outlets to help students achieve their goals.

Many students at UW-L participate in some sort of extra-curricular and utilize their free time constructively, learning about themselves and their passions along the way. UW-L student and Vice President of the Campus Activities Board, Tram Tran is an advocate for student involvement, “It is imperative students get involved on campus in organizations they’re interested in.” Tran’s experience with CAB has been an unforgettable aspect of the college adventure, “CAB has completely changed my life,” Says Tran, “It has opened doors for me in terms of getting to know the ins and outs of how the entertainment business works as well as how the university as a whole operates.”

UW-L students also utilize campus involvement to learn things that can’t be taught in a classroom. Bailey Ethier is a student at UW-L as well as President of College Feminists and had this to say about her reasons for staying involved, “People who chose to be involved and take on voluntary leadership roles have so many more opportunities to be a real adult,” Ethier continues, “Learning the difference between service leadership and being the ‘boss’ is a lesson no professor can teach you.”

Other students enjoy staying involved to broaden their horizons and learn about new things. UW-L Senior, Bryce Allard, and co-president of the Buddha club appreciates involvement for the connections it has provided, “It (Buddha club) became a great way to meet and hangout with new friends in a non-traditional setting,” Allard elaborates, “It is important to get involved because you will meet people you wouldn’t otherwise. Buddha club got me out of my social circle and introduced me to countless new people.”

The benefits to campus involvement are evident, and with a little help from campus organizations you can be involved in no time. Cove Programming, formerly known as the Leadership and Involvement Center, is dedicated to engaging students in leadership, involvement, and service opportunities. Carly Juzwik is a Program Adviser at Cove Programming and elaborated on what their organization accomplishes on campus, “We assist with events such as involvement fest and put on a lot of leadership programming. Things like Strengths Quest, spring break LeaderShape retreats, and a spectrum of resources can all assist students in getting involved.”

For a list of all UW-L organizations visit https://uwlmyorgs.collegiatelink.net. To get in touch with Cove Programming give them a call at 1.608.785.6600, visit them at 2200 Student Union or email them at [email protected].