Guest: Stars of student life
By: Ruth Igielnik
Posted: 2/26/08
I came to the university from St. Louis in 2004 not knowing a single
soul here. I was alone in an environment full of old friends and even
older connections. I desperately struggled for a crutch to permeate the
seemingly impenetrable population of East Coasters.
I still remember my first night as an official university student. I
sat alone in my room, imagining what college was supposed to be like. I
called my mom, insisting I had made a huge mistake and probably should
go ahead and book a plane ticket home. I even went so far as to fill
out applications to transfer to other schools. I was sure college was
not supposed to be this difficult. High school was different: I had
friends; I was involved. This was not how life was supposed to be.
Deciding to stick it out, I slowly but surely developed a small group
of wonderful friends at the university, and four years later I continue
to be close to them. But in that first semester, I was looking for
something more: An outlet for my burgeoning interest in student
involvement and groups through which to express my diverse curiosities.
Finally, a few weeks into the semester, I found the perfect opportunity
to explore my desire for involvement. I took First Look Fair by storm,
signing up for every mailing list and talking to every group
representative from the College Park Law Society, Club Softball and the
Jewish Student Union. As I went from booth to booth, signing up for the
hundreds of e-mail updates that still haunt me today and collecting
hours worth of meeting times, I was beyond excited to be an involved
and active student at the university.
The next week, I started on my journey attending as many meetings as I
could. I split the nights between MaryPIRG, Tzedek Hillel, STAND and
dozens of other organizations. I even signed up for jobs: passing out
fliers, chalking out announcements, manning tables and planning
programs.
I finally felt involved and felt that I was making a difference at the university.
My suffocating fear that I would spend the next four years of my life
uninvolved was suddenly lifted. I had friends, I was involved, and I
was making an impact. Soon I was holding leadership positions and
getting real things done. Student groups opened this university up to
me and made me want to stay here.
After talking to countless people over the past four years, I realize I
am not the only one with this story. It's tough to find your niche here
even if you come from the Washington D.C. area and it seems your entire
high school attends the university.
Student groups offer a perfect opening to break into the university.
Freshman or senior, you can always find something new you are
interested in and a group of people who share that interest.
We have 508 amazing and unique student groups, 277 of which are
recognized by the Student Government Association. However, do not let
this number overwhelm you; STARS (stars.umd.edu) catalogs all these
groups along with their descriptions and contact information. You can
find something that interests you: a sport, a club, a performing group
that gets you excited and makes you want to be involved.
If you want something more tangible, take some time out of your day to
go to the Student Involvement Suite. The small, almost unnoticeable
glass entryway at the foot of the stairs, directly below the Grand
Ballroom in the Stamp Student Union, opens the doors to the almost 80
student groups that are housed in the suite. Take a walk around, and
introduce yourself. Ask questions. Just because First Look Fair and
StampFest have come and gone does not mean you should be limited in
finding a student group that makes you happy.
There's another option if one of the hundreds of student groups does
not work for you: Start your own group. I am the SGA Director of
Student Groups, and I am here to help student groups at this
university, old and new. Come find me, set up a meeting, and I'll walk
you through the process and get you started. It's your opportunity to
fill a need that is not yet filled.
I remember a teary phone call with my mother in my first weeks of
school. She left me with the valuable advice that either I would choose
the university, or the university would choose me. Turns out that the
university chose me, and I credit student groups with helping me learn
to love it here. I know they can do the same for you.
Ruth Igielnik is the director of student groups for the SGA. She can be reached at ruth.igielnik@gmail.com.
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