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Building Student Organizations Making the decision to go back to college is scary. Sure, you settle into the study routine pretty fast once you get there. But you still have to cope with the daily issues of being a student plus…parent, employee, etc. What can you do to smooth the way to your degree? Get involved. Some non-traditional students are forming organizations to support each other and to protect their interests on campus. To find out if there's an organization already on your campus, check with the Office of Student Organizations. If there isn't one, think about forming one with your fellow students. The benefits are many: community, communication, networking. But while there are a few of these organizations, there are not enough. Even where they do exist, many students don't know about them or participate in them. To find out what's involved in putting together a student organization, we spoke to Anne Marie Olsen. A student at the University of New Hampshire, Anne Marie took over as President of the Non-Traditional Student Organization on campus just a year ago. Getting involved Finding resources Challenges Funding Recruiting members Successes and Disappointments Networking Advice ASC: What made you want to get involved with the NTSO? AMO: My initial involvement in the non-trad organization came from my need to be involved, and from wanting to find a place where I would feel comfortable - someplace where people wouldn't look at me with two heads when I started talking about my kids' latest escapades! I think that's what most non-trads look for when they seek out an organization on campus - someone who can relate to them and with whom they can connect. ASC: From my own experience, I've found though that many non-trads don't get involved. AMO: I think the non-trad experience is different for everyone. We were just talking about this the other day in the lounge. Some non-trads breeze through school without any troubles at all and don't really feel the need or desire to seek out help. Others feel ostracized and struggle to keep their head above water. Without the help and support of people around them, they wouldn't make it through to their degree. I think I fall in the middle of those two extremes. In my English class I did feel like I stuck out because it was a freshman level class and the majority of the students were 18 and 19. I think halfway through the semester about 3/4 of them got pierced in some way or another. In other classes it's not so apparent. And as I get more into my major, the gap seems to lessen, partly because I am more confident and partly because many of the students in the higher level courses seem to have a similar drive to succeed. ASC: What do you hope to accomplish with the NTSO? AMO: I've noticed that the resources for non-traditional students are few and far between. So we're banging on doors to get needed services for our non-trad students. We supposedly have a mentorship program going for non-trads, but as of yet I haven't seen anything happening with it. Most of what is paid for with student activities fees is not accessible to non-trad students because we have families to bring along. We do have commuter senate seats in the student government, and this semester one of our non-trads was able to get it so students could park anywhere after 4:30 instead of the normal 6:00 pm and not get a ticket. Small victory - but parking is at a premium and the ticketing obscene. Childcare is a large problem as well. We're trying to expand the program that would give students preference, with fees on a sliding scale. The current program only has a limited number of spots that are allocated through a lottery system every spring. ASC: What adult student services have been most successful at UNH? AMO: We have a lounge for the students. It took many years for the original non-trad organization to get this for us and it's an indispensable tool for commuter students. We also have a woman who works through the registrar's office to help students who have work or family obligations. I have been able to register before everyone else the past few years and keep my schedule so that it works with my kids and volunteer work. She is also able to juggle class seats on occasion to help students get into classes that have been closed. ASC: What are the biggest difficulties you face with the NTSO? AMO: It's tough on several fronts - especially getting students together and getting funding. As non-trads we have a tendency, unless the issue is very heated, to pass things off to the next guy stating that we don't have the time, the money or the energy. This tendency costs us because the university, like any other large institution, only works for you when you make it work for you. Hence the more yelling you do, the more stuff you get. If you don't say anything, they don't know you're there or they think that everything is fine as it is. So even if there are people on campus who might be empathetic to your situation, they can't do anything about it. It is very difficult to get non-trads to band together - they seem to forget that many hands make the workload lighter. ASC: So how do you try to get them involved? AMO: This varies considerably. There are some students who are very focused and want to be involved in any way they can. There are also students who would like to be involved and do what they can but are very limited in what they can do. And then there are those students who just want to get through school and be done with it. What I try to tell students is that we want you involved in whatever way you can. I would definitely be thrilled to have a large organization full of advocates and committed individuals but realistically I know this is not going to happen. But if everyone does what they can - even if it's just a little bit - it does lessen the work load of others who have a bit more time, and then more gets done. ASC: How do you manage to get funding? AMO: We raise most of the money for our organization through our own fundraising activities - bake sales, etc. There are some funds available through the student activities fees, but they aren't usually accessible to us. Since all students pay these fees, the funds must be used for activities that benefit the majority of students. Obviously we're not a majority! So this doesn't always suit our needs. I find that if you have a clear goal or purpose for the group, things are much easier to accomplish and it's easier to find funding. So what we're trying to do for the coming year is establish a clear goal of what we want to have happen for our organization and non-trads in general. Then it's possible to find back doors to possible funding and other resources. I have found that there are many individuals on campus who are more than happy to help and support us as long as we let them know what we need. ASC: How do you go about getting new members? AMO: Recruitment is a BIG issue. This is something we are brainstorming about as we speak. One of the ways the university has used in the past has been to hold an information session on transfer orientation day in the beginning of June and then again the day before classes start in the fall. This has had mixed success. Since the orientation is so late in the day, many people are tired and want to go home. Also, some people don't realize they ARE non-trads! We have asked the student senate to join us for the orientation this year, so we can hopefully recruit more members for the commuter seats in senate. We also just created t-shirts for our members to wear to classes and whenever we do an event. We hold bake sales and raffles in the foodcourt of the MUB and give out info then. The school holds a WET FEET WEEK and an Activities Fair where we have tables. It will also help that I am the non-trad intern for the resource office for next year. When I call transfer students to check on how things are going, I'll be able to remind them about the organization and the lounge. We're even looking at having the professors read a short flyer in their classes in the fall telling about the non-trads. One of our members will be writing articles about non-trads for the newspaper. We're looking into getting a newsletter going as well. There are several walls in the MUB we can rent for a week to tell about our organization. And our VP is redoing our website, which has been sorely neglected over the past year. This year will be a testing ground for a lot of these activities to see what will work. We know the students are there, we just need to inform them about what's available to them. ASC: What have you found most satisfying about leading the NTSO? AMO: It's really satisfying when I find the help that will open doors for students, and when I discover new support resources. I have found many of my professors to be a great resource and very understanding of my situation. As long as they see the effort I put in, they will meet me halfway. The other students in the non-trad organization have also been wonderful in giving me support and helping me find resources. Sometimes though you just have to bang on enough doors before you find the right person. If you know who to talk to, it's amazing what you can get done! ASC: What do you think has been the biggest achievement of the NTSO? AMO: I would say one of the biggest achievements of the organization is getting the Nontraditional Student Lounge in the MUB. This lounge is grandfathered so non-trads will always have a space to congregate on campus even if the organization itself should go under. It's a great place to connect with people who understand your circumstances and can provide support and empathize with your situation. Students have a chance to relax and vent. There is a phone in there if you need to make calls during the day or it can be used as a contact phone and messages left on the white board. We have a fridge, toaster oven and microwave for people to save money on lunch. We're working on getting Ethernet connections for the lounge as well, for those students who have laptops to save them a trip to the library. ASC: What are you biggest disappointments? AMO: I would say one of my biggest disappointments is the trend in past years for the organization to become more of a social club then an educational tool. The social aspect of school is highly important and one which the organization should most certainly support. But it is also a great way for students to collectively look at issues which are affecting them all and then go about trying to find solutions for those issues, whether it be through the university itself or through their own resources. ASC: Of course, there's also the "networking" side to any social organization. Do students benefit from this, too? AMO: For those who are actively involved with the organization, it looks great on a resume. You make lots of contacts on campus (which can help when looking for scholarships or recommendations). Starting next semester, we will have a computer in the office for students to use while they fulfill their weekly office hours. On top of all this, it's a great way to make yourself heard and take an active role in the education you receive. Much of what we do as members of the NTSO will directly translate into the jobs we obtain after we graduate from school. ASC: Do you have any advice for students to help them get the most out of their non-traditional college experience? AMO: I would say get involved, knock on doors find out what is out there and who does what. Get to know the resources on campus on a first name basis. Talk to other students and find out what they need. It's great if the university you're at is very supportive, but remember that all of your solutions don't have to come from the university. There are other resources out there in the community and in the non-trad population, as well. The only way to find them is to talk and keep talking. Make yourselves known. And if you find that things are just not working, take a more active role and see how you can get involved and get things changed. Sometimes it's hard with kids, work and school. But if someone doesn't start it, then who will? 5/15/01 TOP |
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