This Year's Preview

Photo by Bruna Chaves

Remember that promise you made to yourself? The one where you decided that this year would be different — that you would turn off Netflix, put on some matching socks and get involved on campus? Lucky for you, the start of the new school year makes that all possible. Along with new textbooks, classes and routines come new clubs, events and opportunities.

“Any kind of thing Student Senate can help with -- with the clubs, just to thrive -- that’s going to be our main focus,” says Graham Dixon, student body class president.

This year, Student Senate is partnering with many clubs and organizations, providing activities and helpful hints about the most effective ways to run their clubs. 

“We’re going to hold activity seminars … for the leaders, to give them helpful hints [about] how exactly to run meetings if they don’t know how … just so they have a proper understanding of stuff for the best events they are able to have,” Dixon says.

This will enable clubs to use resources in the most effective way, hopefully opening up opportunities for expansion and paving the way for bigger and better events. Activities have already started, kicking off the year the right way with sign-making and the foam party.

 As freshmen become integrated into campus, they may have a hard time finding their place. Balancing schoolwork and classes in a foreign environment sometimes seems impossible. Student activities exist to ease the transition and allow for a smooth integration into the school year in general.

Though initially nervous on campus, freshman Jasmine Clancy has been able to attend several events and already is looking forward to future opportunities for involvement, like Be Brave and the Braving discipleship event. So far, activities like sign-making and the foam party have helped her keep her mind distracted during the beginning of the school year.

“It’s just super cool because it’s not just classes. Like, you have other stuff to do, you know?,” she says.

Clancy believes the opportunities for student engagement have been great and plans on continuing her stream of involvement with activities like the donut run and movie night, which are coming up on Sept. 5 and 9, respectively.

Involvement and support are what Dixon is truly pushing for this year. His major focus is a movement called “Braves Support Braves,” a reminder that if students would like others to attend their events, they should be going to different activities as well. With this vision, Dixon hopes to eliminate cliques and encourage participation, preventing students from becoming lost on their teams and growing their confidence in a range of different activities.

“Personally, I’m looking forward to just having some sort of good impact on the campus and leaving something behind,” Dixon says.

 Dixon hopes leaders will step up and act as examples for event participation — he would like to see involved individuals on campus show underclassmen that there is more to do at OU than just their sports.

There are a wide variety of activities and clubs on campus. Dixon encourages students to branch out, to try something they may not think they’re going to like at first glance.

“Don’t get discouraged right away,” Dixon says. “Be willing to take that chance; be willing to fail. You can only fail so many times before you succeed.”

For those wondering how to get involved, the GoGibby app is a wonderful resource. Within the app, events are listed, allowing you to see everything that is occurring on campus. The Student Affairs office is also a great option. Look for the bulletin board display within the office, which contains the month’s-worth of upcoming activities.

Remember: Work/life balance is the key to enjoying your college experience. Netflix can wait; get out there and experience all OU has to offer!