Editorial: Students should be involved on campus

By Josh Edge

UAA, and the rest of the University of Alaska campuses for that matter, are viewed in a negative light, which is unfair.

A lot of students complain about how lame UAA is and how boring it is to go to school here. Some that stay in state do nothing but talk about how they wish they had gone out of state for school instead of staying in Alaska.

This view is pretty ridiculous. You only get out of college what you put into it and this doesn’t apply only to the academic aspect of school. The social aspect of college may actually be affected more by this view than the academic aspect.

When students go out of state to an unfamiliar environment in a new place, they find it necessary to get involved in some aspect of campus life, whether it’s a sorority, student government, club or even just living in the dorms. Unfortunately, when you go to a school like UAA, locals don’t need to be involved in student life.

It seems like the majority of students that are from Anchorage are only on campus for as long as they class lasts. They drive onto campus five minutes before class starts and are back in their car 30 seconds after the class is over, leaving no time to really acclimate yourself into the college environment. It is usually these people that are the complainers, wishing they had gone elsewhere.

Breaking news: there are opportunities to get involved around campus that will definitely make your college stay much more enjoyable.

Doing something as simple as sitting down in the Student Union between classes is a good start. Sit at a table in there for 15 minutes during the day and you will probably meet someone new, and at some point that person will probably introduce you to other people that he or she knows.

There are also student jobs. Work at the info desk, in the computer lab, or many other places on campus and you will be surrounded primarily by people that are in the same situation as you – trying to make it through classes and making friends along the way.

Get involved in USUAA. Be a leader of the student body who makes decisions that affect the rest of the students during their entire college career.

Sororities and fraternities are great as well. They are a great networking tool and can help you become an integral and helpful part of the community.

Of course, student media is another great way to get involved and become knowledgeable about the inner workings of the University.

There are many other clubs and organizations around UAA that we just don’t have space for in this editorial that are also fantastic ways to get involved in campus activities.

Historically, there has not been a huge amount of school spirit surrounding this school, but that is slowly changing. The only way that we can continue to break the trend of apathy that is typical of UAA is to become involved, even if it is only in a small way.

It will also make your time at UAA a much better experience.

Read more here: http://kasenna.uaa.alaska.edu/~tnl/?p=6215
Copyright 2025 The Northern Light