“Get involved!” You’ll hear that statement a lot on campus this month. Why should you get involved? Why do people keep repeating this phrase over and over? The reason is because it really is important and those people who chant “Get involved! Get involved!” know so; their frequent repetition of the same statement should not be ignored.

When I first arrived on campus, all I heard from staff members was that same chant. “Why,” I thought to myself. “Why should I get involved? Won’t it just make me busier?” The answer to those questions is that there are more benefits to joining clubs than you might think.

For example, getting involved helps you meet new friends that, cheesy as it sounds, could potentially grow into life-long friendships. To first year students, meeting new people is the scariest part, but joining groups that interest you provides opportunities to meet people that share similar interests, which makes the job a whole lot easier.

Getting involved also brings you closer to the campus that you’re living on. Clubs and organizations meet in various locations for meetings; some of those buildings and rooms are probably places you never would have ended up in if not for joining the group.

Think of the possibilities! You could find a new spot to study where no one will bother you, find out where the bathrooms are in Wimberly, where to print in Centennial Hall, etc. You could even discover we have study rooms in the basement of the library! Yeah, we have those! By getting involved, you could run into something spectacular that you didn’t know existed in the first place.

There are many great spaces here on campus to jump-start your involvement. These spaces include: The Campus Activities Board (CAB), the Pride Center, and the Student Association. You can also get involved through the My Organizations website which sports 100 plus organizations waiting to hear from you.

Most of these organizations stem from the Center for Organizations, Vision, and Engagement (COVE). The COVE is located on the second floor of the Student Union and always willing to help you find your passion; all you have to do is walk through that entrance.

Getting involved can be easy and the only requirement is your determination to meet new people and get to know this campus. It has never been a more influential force for me: it keeps me busy, helps me forget about how much I miss home, and makes UWL feel more like home. I have met so many people and it’s all because I took an extra step to get involved. So get out there, do something new, and start turning UWL into your home, too. Join those that encouraged you to round out your college experience by chanting along: “Get involved!”