If students are looking to get involved in a student group this year, they may not need to try hard.
Already this semester, more new student groups have formed on campus than all of last year. Currently, there are 21 groups in various stages of founding their organizations, including The Writer’s Block, Towson University Community Vegetable Garden and the Staff Infection A Cappella. To put that in perspective, there were only 20 groups founded throughout last year, according to Mary Leeper, the Student Government Association administrative assistant.
“I don’t think it’s usual to have as many as we’ve had… This is a large amount this year, but I think it’s just that we have a lot more students that are connected and really want to get involved,” director of student groups Abby Campbell, said. “It’s been announced really well that if you’re interested and you want to start a new group, then come and do it. And people have realized that it is pretty easy to start a new group and if they want to do it, they’re more than welcome to start.”
The increasing volume of student groups has had an impact on SGA senators, who oversee anywhere from five to seven groups. During the first few weeks of the semester, senators were assigned to a few new groups, but the procedure for that has been changed.
“From now on instead of overloading the senators, I’m going to be taking them on as my student groups for this semester and then next semester we’ll divvy them out between everyone,” Campbell said. “Now since it’s getting to the point where they’re each having so many right now, I’m just taking the new ones on and giving them all the information and meeting with them.”
Campbell, who normally would not oversee any groups, is currently responsible for six.
“If it keeps coming as fast as they are… we could have a lot more by the end of the semester,” she said.
Chris Rindosh, the coordinator for student organizations, said that there were students who contacted him about starting organizations before the school year had started. He stated that there was a large emphasis placed on student participation this semester.
“A number of key personnel, including the president [and] provost, they all preached about getting involved,” Rindosh said. “So I think that contributed to some of it – getting a strong push early.”
Rindosh also explained that the process for starting an organization has also been changed.
Previously, student groups could choose whether they wanted to be recognized by the SGA, but now the Office of Student Activities is helping students through that process, making the SGA an “umbrella for all the student organizations,” Rindosh said.
SGA president Jon Graf said the SGA has been trying to encourage their students to voice their concerns and to share their new ideas.
“We’re seeing a general trend of more student involvement, more passion, more energy than we’ve ever seen before and that’s exciting,” Graf said.
“So, I think the SGA this year is doing a really good job of helping those students with interests and with passions about certain things to formulate those groups and become student organizations.”
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