Enterprise Story (rough draft)

Students Need To Get More Involved With Their Campus

First and foremost, Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC) is a place to learn. But there’s more to the college experience than just getting a degree. As the saying goes, it’s the journey, not the destination and the staff at ARCC aims to make that journey as positive and meaningful as they can by sponsoring clubs and activities for students. There is concern however that students aren’t taking advantage of these opportunities and that they could benefit from being more involved in campus life.

As Kyle Johnson, both a student at ARCC and the president of the student government explained, Anoka-Ramsey wants to give students every opportunity to learn and grow. “Participating in clubs and activities gives students the opportunity to gain skills in leadership, meet new friends, and have new experiences,” said Johnson.

Clubs like Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) are especially good for building leadership. PTK does a lot of volunteer projects around Cambridge and around campus. It looks good on resumes and students can gain a lot of valuable experience, explained Johnson.

Students can choose from a variety of clubs to participate in. Most clubs meet a few times a week and range from art to psychology to politics. A full list can be viewed on the campus website as well as in the student activities office. Clubs offer students the chance to meet other people with similar interests. “Making friends is a big part of the college experience and this is an excellent way for them to do that,” said Johnson.

The campus also has numerous activities for students to participate in during the year such as the “stress free week” which offers free activities, food and entertainment to help students relax before finals. Other activities include dances, such as the Blue Grass Chicken Dance and guest speakers who come to the college to talk to students about various cultural, social, and political issues.

Despite all the opportunities students are given however, many choose not to participate. “The college has money set aside for these activities, which are free to students, and we think they should be taking advantage of it. Clubs that don’t get enough members end up being cut and activities that don’t get students, we just won’t do them anymore and that’s really not fair to the ones that do show up,” explained Johnson.

As Cindi Gilbert, the Student Activities Coordinator at ARCC explained, “Each club wants to be successful by having at least 6 or more members attending meetings and helping with events.  Clubs may do less events if they have less people working on them.”

“We do all of this for the students,” said Johnson “It’s unfortunate when students don’t participate because they’re missing out on a lot of great opportunities.” Part of what makes coming to Anoka-Ramsey a great experience is being able to connect to other students and make the college experience more than just earning a degree, he explained.

Why students aren’t participating is a question that members of the Student Activities Office are trying to address, but there are many factors.

 Miranda Baldwin, a student at ARCC, said that while she occasionally attends events, she often doesn’t have the time to commit to a club. Between doing homework and trying to find a job, she explained, it isn’t her top priority right now.

“Most students are quite busy in their home lives with children and work.  It takes extra time and commitment to get involved in clubs,” explained Gilbert. According to Johnson, a large percentage of the student body is comprised of non-traditional students over the age of 25, many of whom are juggling multiple jobs and have other priorities.

Another factor is that ARCC is a transfer school. “I’ve heard a lot of people say they don't get involved in things because it's only a two year campus,” Baldwin said. “Making friends and joining clubs isn’t their main goal. They just want to get a degree move on to the next college.”

So how should the campus go about encouraging more students to participate? “I think the best way is for club members to bring one person each into their clubs.  Personal interactions work the best,” said Gilbert.

“Scheduling things so that it’s more convenient for people is one thing,” said Johnson. “Another thing we could do is advertise ahead of time. Getting the word out to people is really important because if people don’t know about it, they won’t show up.” Johnson also explained that many teachers offer students extra credit for attending events and writing a report about it. While it does encourage attendance, Johnson doesn’t believe it should be done that way. “Students should be willing to go. They should want to go because they want to have fun.”

Student participation affects not only one student, but also many others attending the campus. ARCC offers many clubs, activities, and programs that can enrich the students’ experience on campus and lead to better learning. It is up to students to decide whether they want to take advantage of these opportunities.