Lauryn Beam, Guest Writer~
Lynchburg College has seen an increase in all areas of club participation. The new school year offered students a plethora of new opportunities for involvement in clubs and organizations on campus.
Analysis of the semester’s club participation statistics revealed that 38 percent of clubs on campus are classified as undeclared. These clubs have either not renewed their club application or all club members have graduated. There has also been a four percent increase in new clubs; these include new social Greek life organizations and service groups. Deborah Brown, organization activities and accounts manager, encourages students to participate in organizations around campus because it has been proven that outside participation in clubs shows positive improvements in academics. Brown said, “I definitely think something is needed outside of the classroom for the students to have to turn to. It is another way to make new friends and getting involved in campus events.” Brown helps with the processing of organization applications, and she says even though it can be a long process, the office of organizations is always there to assist and support students.
The campus clubs and organizations directory is organized for easy student use. Brown said, “the organizations are pretty diverse from gaming clubs to community service or business-related clubs.”
LC has also expanded its club sport opportunities on campus. This past January, LC hired Ben Smith as the new director of club sports. Smith has created a plan to ensure more departmental support and a better experience for teams. He said, “we had nine teams join leagues, so that it’s more stability, from a standpoint that they know they will have certain games…” The new teams that have been added the past two years are club swim, volleyball, softball and women’s basketball.
While club sport participation has yet to reach its 2012-2013 levels, the statistics show that there has been a slight increase in participation for the semester.
As the College moves to a University and enrollment continues to expand, administrators hope that this will lead to more involvement in clubs and organizations.