Your Guide to Finding (or Creating) Student Organizations
By Liam Diesing, pre-physical therapy and global studies major
In the weeks leading up to college, I got a lot of different pieces of advice from older friends and family: “Go to class!” “Don’t blow all your money on Raising Canes.” “Watch out for the campus squirrels!” But one recurring bit of advice always flowed along the lines of “get involved!”
I was always told getting involved on campus was one of the best ways to meet new people outside of classes or dorms. In hearing all this, I figured “pfft I’ll just join a couple clubs. How hard can it be?” It wasn’t until actually showing up the first week of school that I realized how many different ways you could get involved. I have to say it was pretty daunting to show up to college and find out there’s like a million clubs.
Big Red Welcome was such a huge help in taking the first steps to get involved. I put my email and name down for literally anything that sounded vaguely interesting. Robotics Club, Running Club, Waterski Club, Spanish Club…anything that sounded like it might be fun. They all sent me emails about when and where they would meet and that allowed me to try out any club I wanted to. I learned a lot about myself in that process and learned even more about what kinds of things I am passionate about. These passions even led me to begin a club of my own.
Every club and organization on campus can teach you valuable lessons
You’d be surprised by the things you learn about yourself through getting involved on campus. I joined the UNL Running Club my freshman year of college because I ran cross country and track in high school. I figured since I was naturally a pretty good distance runner, that running with a club would be a great way to get in shape. I thought I knew plenty about running at the time, but I learned so much more about proper technique, strategy and nutrition through the upperclassmen in the club. The most random conversations we would have on long runs showed me just how much I’d fallen in love with running and this eventually inspired me to start running marathons. Had I not joined that incredible group, I feel like there is so much I just would not have learned.
If you’d asked me the summer before college if I planned on dancing for a team in college, I’d have told you you’re nuts. I was never a fan of dancing in high school and had absolutely no technique whatsoever. Fast forward to sophomore year: a friend of mine and I were talking about the UNL Ballroom Dance Team and I was like “ok ok I’ll go to one practice and see what it’s like.” Before I knew it I was on the team and dancing for auditoriums full of people and had fallen in love with it. It was tough to learn at first but hey, the first step to being good at something is being pretty bad at it. In light of this, my advice is to fight those preconceived notions that you probably won’t like something and just give it a try, whether its dancing, singing or under water Lego building. You never know what you could learn and become passionate about.
Being in clubs and organizations as a whole teaches you a lot about your time management skills. When I was a freshman, my time management skills basically didn’t exist. I had tried to be part of so many pre-med-related or social clubs that it began to stress me out. I began to think less about having fun at the club as much as just crossing it off the to-do list. Now, that’s no fun at all, so it’s important that as you explore different clubs, you choose the ones you are most passionate about. For some people it’s one club that prepares them for their career plus one just for fun; for others, its two of each, etc. It all depends on how you manage your time and how many commitments you think you can handle, and that differs from person to person. So, as you’re looking into clubs and organizations on campus, keep in mind that you also have to learn to manage time effectively between your extracurriculars and schoolwork. I’m sure you’ve heard this one before but getting a planner or calendar to input all your events and commitments really helps put these things into perspective.
If you can’t find one, make one!
I was a biiiiig art guy in high school. I took art classes three out of four years in high school and would spend hours before and after school drawing. I knew that when I went to Nebraska I had to join an art-related club of some kind. I scoured Big Red Welcome and the NvolveU website to find a club centered around drawing but had no luck. I was super bummed out about it and kind of put a pin in it until sophomore year when I took DRAW 101 for the ACE 7 requirement. I felt in my element in that class and one day, while talking to some friends from that class, I realized finding a drawing club was just not something I could drop. I brought it up to my friend and she convinced me it’s worth it to try and start a club myself.
First off, I had no idea what I was doing, so I asked my DRAW 101 teacher how starting clubs worked and he gave me some good info. He told me I needed to find at least two officers and a faculty advisor, as well as to correspond with the leader of the Arts Department in Richards Hall to see if I could use one of their studios. (Don’t be afraid to ask teachers about this stuff because they know so much about the administrative side of clubs and classes!) There were some other things I needed to start the organization but the Association of Students at the University of Nebraska (ASUN) office was super helpful in giving me my next steps and helping me through the process.
I was very anxious about starting the club at first because I was a pre-med student at the time and wasn’t sure if my demanding schedule would allow me time to keep the club going. But fast forward to the present, about a year and a half later, and the UNL Drawing Club is still going strong. It was such a great opportunity to learn about the process that goes into building a Recognized Student Organization and I’ve learned a great deal of discipline from running the club. If anyone has questions about how to start a club or are interested in the UNL Drawing Club, I’m your guy.
The first few weeks of college are a lot to take in for anybody, so don’t feel bad if it’s a little overwhelming. My best advice is to not be afraid to put yourself out there and try things that, maybe a year ago, you never imagined yourself trying. College is a time to try new things and discover your passions and in doing so, you meet so many cool and incredible people. Put yourself out there, join some clubs, meet some great people, and learn more about yourself than you ever could have thought possible.
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