Throngs of students gathered in the Harold & Ted Alfond Sports Center on Friday, Sept. 6 for the annual Get Involved Fair, an event organized by the Rollins Center for Campus Involvement which featured representatives from “over 80 student led organizations.” According to the event posting on GetInvolved, the fair is dedicated to helping incoming first-year students and transfer students find their place in the campus community.
“Getting involved on campus is important: it allows students to ‘find their people’ and develop a sense of community. Having events that you can attend or membership within student organizations will help you feel more a part of Rollins,” says Bronwyn Holder, director for the Center of Campus Involvement.
This is not just a sentiment held by the upper echelon of administration, but a belief that is held by student club executives and prospective members alike.
“Getting involved on campus is key because it just really helps create a sense of community… because if you feel like you are a part of something, you can do great things,” said Stella Stollings (’27), the president of the newly ratified ‘Local Roots’ student organization, a grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to promoting urban farming and environmental initiatives within Rollins and the local winter park community. Stollings stresses and supports the importance of student involvement on campus as an integral piece of creating lasting change.
“It is so important [for students] to get involved in sustainability because it is a matter for everyone to deal with. Sustainability is a global thing [students] have the responsibility to put on,” Stollings remarks.
Engaging with peers and finding your place provides a wealth of benefits to students, but also the community at large, through an organization you can accomplish more for the world than if you were alone.
Becoming involved with community sustainability and global goals is a noble endeavor, however not all student organizations adopt such a stoic stance, nor do they try to.
“Baking club will be fun. It is just building community and sharing sweet treats. People love a sweet treat!” says Alexandria Eubanks (‘27), president of the Rollins Baking Club, an upstart student organization with community and recreation at its center. Where students can go to find comfort in each other in the joy of baking, leaving the stress of academic life behind
“I would feel lonely if I did not have… my clubs, or anything to go to. And I think Rollins…they already do so much. To help you integrate into campus to meet people and clubs are also just a big part of that, there is something for everybody,” said Eubanks.
Getting involved on campus is a vital step in the journey of building a community of campus, for all students, first-years, and seniors alike.
“Making time to do things just for fun or trying new things can help increase a student’s overall sense of wellbeing which in turn hopefully allows them to be a more successful student… My hope for the Get Involved fair is that it will allow all students to identify ways to get involved on campus with student organizations. We will also host another Get Involved fair in the spring semester,” says Holder.
As time moves on, students can look forward to finding more ways to get involved on campus by checking their emails for messages sent from involvement@rgrp.rollins.edu. Information regarding events on campus can also be found on the ‘My Rollins’ website under the events tab. No matter who you are, you can find your place, and purpose on campus through the many student organizations and clubs at Rollins.
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