Increasing Student Involvement at a Rural, Commuter, Two-Year Campus
Here at USC Lancaster, I have become very involved in our campus, which has included participating in student government, peer advisement, and being a student assistant. Unfortunately, there are not as many other students that are involved on our campus, beyond me and my fellow peers. Getting students involved in our campus outside of the classroom has been an issue that does not get addressed in a sufficient way. I believe that if more students were involved at USC Lancaster, not only would the environment become more positive, but they would have more success inside the classroom.
USC Lancaster has a population of approximately 1,400 students. Therefore, the number of students is sufficient for university clubs and organizations to thrive and be successful. Sadly, a lot of the clubs and organizations on campus do not have a high number of members. Do other students not see and realize the benefits and opportunities of becoming involved in extracurricular activities? Are there other factors that impact this issue? A major advantage of becoming involved is learning new things and meeting new people. Being a student assistant, I have had the opportunity to meet and know almost every faculty and staff member at USC Lancaster. Another advantage of becoming involved in extracurricular activities is having other opportunities available to you. This past fall, I had the opportunity to speak to the USC Board of Trustees about being a PAL and how our freshman orientation operates. I had the honor of meeting USC President, Dr. Harris Pastides, and other board members, including some from here in Lancaster, SC.
USC Lancaster is known for being a commuter campus, which means that close to 90% of the students that attend USC Lancaster do not live within walking distance to campus. Because of this, these students have to leave campus earlier than students that live on campus, in order to return home at an adequate time. Also, USC Lancaster is known for being a Two-Year campus, which means that we mainly offer students associate degrees. Because of this, majority of USC Lancaster students do not enroll past two years. Being enrolled at a college for only two years may not give some enough time to feel comfortable in their own environment in order to get involved in campus organizations. Our campus offers a plethora of online courses, so a portion of our students take mainly online courses. Many students also work part-time or full-time, and this factor makes it difficult for students to get involved in campus life. Taking all of these factors into account, a reason why our campus lacks involvement is because our students are not present on campus for extended periods of time throughout the week.
One solution to the issue of lack of involvement is to provide more nearby and affordable housing options for our students. Less than 10% of our students live in apartments near the USC Lancaster campus. Studies show that students that live on or near campus have higher involvement rates in extracurricular activities, as well as higher GPAs [1]. An explanation for this is that students will have more time available to get involved in campus clubs and organizations if they did not have to commute long distances to and from campus five days a week. Majority of students at USC Lancaster live in counties outside of Lancaster, which results in roughly an hour commute to and from campus each day. Other USC Palmetto College campuses, such as USC Union and USC Salkehatchie rent apartment complexes to students on or near their campuses. Therefore, if USC Lancaster provided housing for students within a five-minute radius of campus, students would reap benefits inside and outside of the classroom. As a result of this, USC Lancaster could provide an Office of Off-Campus Living, similar to the one USC Columbia has, in order to help students find a location and roommates that best fit their needs. This office could also be in charge of rental payments, as well as apartment security and maintenance.
Another solution to addressing the lack of involvement at USC Lancaster is to reevaluate the requirements for student organizational membership. Different organizations on campus have GPA requirements, but a vast majority require members to maintain a 3.0 GPA (a “B” average). I believe that organizations should have membership requirements, as it gives students an incentive to join. At the same time, if we were to lower the GPA membership requirement, such as to a 2.5 GPA, more students would be eligible to join organizations, which would have more students involved in extracurricular activities. When more students are allowed to become members of clubs/organizations, more ideas can be brought up and discussed, which could lead to the beginning of new clubs and activities. More organizations would result in more students involved, which would ultimately help achieve this goal.
In conclusion, providing student housing and readdressing organizational membership requirements would increase involvement on the USC Lancaster campus. Once again, studies show that students who are more involved in campus clubs and organizations have higher GPAs. By more students attaining higher GPAs, degree completion and graduation rates will increase as well. If more students lived within a 5-minute radius of the campus, they would appreciate the town of Lancaster even more, which could also lead to higher retention rates. Students will want to remain in a place where they love and appreciate. Also, higher retention rates could lead to more students enrolling in the Palmetto College. The future of USC Lancaster students will be more successful if they became involved in the campus.
Here at USC Lancaster, I have become very involved in our campus, which has included participating in student government, peer advisement, and being a student assistant. Unfortunately, there are not as many other students that are involved on our campus, beyond me and my fellow peers. Getting students involved in our campus outside of the classroom has been an issue that does not get addressed in a sufficient way. I believe that if more students were involved at USC Lancaster, not only would the environment become more positive, but they would have more success inside the classroom.
USC Lancaster has a population of approximately 1,400 students. Therefore, the number of students is sufficient for university clubs and organizations to thrive and be successful. Sadly, a lot of the clubs and organizations on campus do not have a high number of members. Do other students not see and realize the benefits and opportunities of becoming involved in extracurricular activities? Are there other factors that impact this issue? A major advantage of becoming involved is learning new things and meeting new people. Being a student assistant, I have had the opportunity to meet and know almost every faculty and staff member at USC Lancaster. Another advantage of becoming involved in extracurricular activities is having other opportunities available to you. This past fall, I had the opportunity to speak to the USC Board of Trustees about being a PAL and how our freshman orientation operates. I had the honor of meeting USC President, Dr. Harris Pastides, and other board members, including some from here in Lancaster, SC.
USC Lancaster is known for being a commuter campus, which means that close to 90% of the students that attend USC Lancaster do not live within walking distance to campus. Because of this, these students have to leave campus earlier than students that live on campus, in order to return home at an adequate time. Also, USC Lancaster is known for being a Two-Year campus, which means that we mainly offer students associate degrees. Because of this, majority of USC Lancaster students do not enroll past two years. Being enrolled at a college for only two years may not give some enough time to feel comfortable in their own environment in order to get involved in campus organizations. Our campus offers a plethora of online courses, so a portion of our students take mainly online courses. Many students also work part-time or full-time, and this factor makes it difficult for students to get involved in campus life. Taking all of these factors into account, a reason why our campus lacks involvement is because our students are not present on campus for extended periods of time throughout the week.
One solution to the issue of lack of involvement is to provide more nearby and affordable housing options for our students. Less than 10% of our students live in apartments near the USC Lancaster campus. Studies show that students that live on or near campus have higher involvement rates in extracurricular activities, as well as higher GPAs [1]. An explanation for this is that students will have more time available to get involved in campus clubs and organizations if they did not have to commute long distances to and from campus five days a week. Majority of students at USC Lancaster live in counties outside of Lancaster, which results in roughly an hour commute to and from campus each day. Other USC Palmetto College campuses, such as USC Union and USC Salkehatchie rent apartment complexes to students on or near their campuses. Therefore, if USC Lancaster provided housing for students within a five-minute radius of campus, students would reap benefits inside and outside of the classroom. As a result of this, USC Lancaster could provide an Office of Off-Campus Living, similar to the one USC Columbia has, in order to help students find a location and roommates that best fit their needs. This office could also be in charge of rental payments, as well as apartment security and maintenance.
Another solution to addressing the lack of involvement at USC Lancaster is to reevaluate the requirements for student organizational membership. Different organizations on campus have GPA requirements, but a vast majority require members to maintain a 3.0 GPA (a “B” average). I believe that organizations should have membership requirements, as it gives students an incentive to join. At the same time, if we were to lower the GPA membership requirement, such as to a 2.5 GPA, more students would be eligible to join organizations, which would have more students involved in extracurricular activities. When more students are allowed to become members of clubs/organizations, more ideas can be brought up and discussed, which could lead to the beginning of new clubs and activities. More organizations would result in more students involved, which would ultimately help achieve this goal.
In conclusion, providing student housing and readdressing organizational membership requirements would increase involvement on the USC Lancaster campus. Once again, studies show that students who are more involved in campus clubs and organizations have higher GPAs. By more students attaining higher GPAs, degree completion and graduation rates will increase as well. If more students lived within a 5-minute radius of the campus, they would appreciate the town of Lancaster even more, which could also lead to higher retention rates. Students will want to remain in a place where they love and appreciate. Also, higher retention rates could lead to more students enrolling in the Palmetto College. The future of USC Lancaster students will be more successful if they became involved in the campus.
References
1. Gonyea, B., Graham, P., & Fernandez, S. (n.d.). "The Relationship of On-Campus Living with Student Engagement." Retrieved March 1, 2019, from http://nsse.indiana.edu/pdf/presentations/2015/NSSE ACUHO-I Presentation.pdf
1. Gonyea, B., Graham, P., & Fernandez, S. (n.d.). "The Relationship of On-Campus Living with Student Engagement." Retrieved March 1, 2019, from http://nsse.indiana.edu/pdf/presentations/2015/NSSE ACUHO-I Presentation.pdf