By Amber Vaughn–
Since I started attending New Jersey City University in the spring semester of 2011, I told myself that I was going to do something to make the best of my academic career. I was planning on going to basketball games, and I didn’t because it was starting to get cold at the time. I started attending soccer games, and stopped because I was getting bored. I attended Club Day every time it was being thrown in the multi-purpose rooms of the Student Union Building.
I signed up to be a part of Fashion Org., assisted in their fashion show, and received community service hours. I signed up for other clubs and orgs, and I couldn’t attend because I had to work during the times they met on campus.
Just recently, I decided to write for the school’s newspaper, The Gothic Times. After writing my first article, and saw it published in the newspaper, I was motivated to continue writing more articles. By writing for the newspaper, I’m being involved with my school to make my time at New Jersey City University meaningful and great.
According to Robert Quinones, assistant director of Campus Life, there are roughly 300 students involved in campus activities, 26 active student clubs recognized under the Student Government Organization, and 17 Greek letter organizations recognized under the Greek Senate. In addition, there are 4 e-board members, and each club is supposed to have a minimum of having 10 members to stay active.
There are currently 6,437 overall undergraduate students enrolled at NJCU from fall 2013 to this semester, along with 583 students who will be enrolled at this university next semester. According to William J. Bajor, acting director of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education, there were 2,017 graduate students who were enrolled in fall 2013 semester with a full term equivalent of 1,285; and there are 1,990 graduate students currently enrolled into NJCU with a full term equivalent of 1,231.
With all of this information given, why aren’t the numbers higher? Is there a lack of campus involvement from students of New Jersey City University? If people want to be involved, what would they be involved in? What are the benefits of being involved on campus?
“Many of our students have multiple jobs, family obligations in the form of siblings, and in some cases, parents they have to care for, if not children of their own,” said Rob Quinones, Assistant Director of Activities at New Jersey City University. “That being said, I believe that those students that are involved are very involved. I do not believe that the lack of involvement is attributed to a lack of interest but rather symptomatic of the hectic schedules our students’ retain. There are a number of ways for a student to become on campus, but there has to be some degree of initiative taken by the student.”
18-year-old Lucy Cruz, Business Management major from Union City says, “I currently attend the workshops that are on campus. At the moment, I am unable to join any clubs and orgs because I am working and attending school full-time. I plan on joining clubs and orgs around my junior year.”
In case you do want to be involved on campus, here are the benefits: it eases the transition from high school to college, helps you meet people and make friends with those who have similar interests. (You are likely to find people who share the same interests, goals, and values.) Involved students are more likely to graduate, feel more connected to the university, campus, be more familiar with the resources the university provides, and report higher levels of satisfaction with their college experience. Lastly, being involved encourages and advances your development on all levels: intellectual, cultural, spiritual, and social.
There are a lot of ways to get involved in activities the school promotes. However, if you can’t attend any of the events, you can assist the offices of Campus Life, Residence Life, and Student Government Organization by helping them promote it. Events are being promoted on campus by fliers that are posted all along campus, though your NJCU e-mail, Facebook pages (NJCU Campus Life, NJCU Student Government Organization, NJCU Residence Life), Instagram (@njcusgo, @njcucampuslife, @njcuresidencelife), and on Twitter (@NJCUCampusLife, @NjcuSGO, @NJCU_Reslife).