New places can be scary, especially when you venture alone. To alleviate these fears, the Southern Miss Office of Leadership and Student Involvement (LSI) held its annual Student Organization Involvement Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 13. The involvement fair is an event that allows all organizations around campus to get together and broadcast to new and existing students who they are and what they offer. This event gave students the opportunity to connect with organizations on campus and find their place at USM.“Helping students find their fit on-campus is part of the mission of our office”, said LSI Director Dr. Emily Holmes. “Close to 300 students attended the event and were able to check in and receive a passport card to encourage them to visit at least several different types of organizations at the fair. Once they filled their card, they were able to turn it in for a prize.”
One of the destinations on the passport card involved meeting Student Involvement Ambassadors, who are student leaders that the office has trained to assist students in discovering on-campus organizations to become a part of.
“With so many organizations, we know it can be overwhelming for students to know where to start,” Dr. Holmes said. “Ambassadors meet with students one-on-one, at any time during the year, to help recommend involvement opportunities to them.”
The event was held in Union Plaza where students were wandering about and talking to the different genres of clubs. These clubs ranged from religion, club sports and recreational, Fraternity and Sorority Life, to special interest organizations.
“As a transfer student when I came to the University of Southern Mississippi, I did not have much to do,” said student Shayla Price. “When they hold events like this, it gets transfer students involved and gives them more opportunities to join new clubs, meet new people, and network.”
The Office of Leadership and Student Involvement provides valuable co-curricular experiences that exists to foster student growth and development while creating pathways for students to engage in the Southern Miss community.
For more information about the involvement fair and future events, make sure to keep up with the Southern Miss Office of Leadership and Involvement on Instagram at @usmlsi. You can also visit them in the Student Activities Hub in room 110.