BUILDING COMMUNITY

Creating a community

Hayden Carroll Johnathan Alvarez

(left) Student volunteers with the Breakaway Ministries work in a variety of fields. (right) TAMU United, a coed 8v8 outdoor soccer team, is playing in their seventh season together.

1,000+ students orgs offer service, social, recreational ways to connect

By Hayden Carroll

New academic pressures.

Being separated from family.

Missing childhood friends.

It’s a shortlist to many college students’ first experience coping with stress and anxiety.

A solution?

Building supportive on-campus communities can make day-to-day college stressors more manageable.

Texas A&M student organizations offer diverse opportunities to get involved, whether through acts of service, social environments, or dorm life. According to Student Activities, more than 1,000 active student organizations are available to choose from, and A&M encourages students to find community outside the classroom.

First-year students are naturally inclined to join a community as soon as they step foot on campus by choosing to live on-campus. Dorm life can be an uncomfortable transition, but A&M resident halls work to provide a welcoming environment, according to the Division of Student Affairs and Residence Life.

“Most of our residents at the Commons are freshmen,” said senior mechanical engineering major Amira Bushagour, a resident advisor at Dunn Hall.

Dealing with homesickness is the issue Bushagour said is most common among residents.

“For a lot of people, the adjustment to living alone in college is kind of tough,” Bushagour said. “My priority as a resident advisor is to make sure residents know the resources available to them and to encourage students to use services like [Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS].” Bushagour said she has also used training and services available through CAPS.

Informal socialization in dorms builds community, explained Bushagour.

“Food is a great way for us to all meet together,” Bushagour said. “We can socialize by designating a time and place for dinner.” Resident advisors try to meet their residents in the middle with ideas of building up their community, Bushagour said.

“It can be nice for people to socialize with their hallmates because it’s definitely not too much pressure,” Bushagour said.

Rudder and Academic Plaza are both involvement hubs. Going from class to class, Aggies can see peers advertising organizations to the student body.

Bannering is a simple tradition that draws attention to on-campus involvement. Women’s organization Aggie Royals banner during their recruitment and annual philanthropy events. Engaging in conversations is a means to spread the word of their group and create an inclusive environment.

“It allows us to reach out to students who we normally wouldn’t interact with,” said senior Jenna Metzinger, public relations chair for Aggie Royals.

“I think campus organizations have a positive impact on student’s mental health,” Metzinger said. “They create positive peer relationships and help give students a purpose besides academics.”

Architecture graduate student Abbey Grace McDougal said she instantly connected to fellow Breakaway volunteers. McDougal said she applied to be involved with the on-campus college ministry because of her faith and because of her passion for media and graphic design.

“Community is the reason my mental health is doing as well as it is,” McDougal said. “People were designed to be with other people, even the most introverted.”

McDougal said the tight-knit group of like-minded individuals has encouraged her personally and continued to push her to grow.

“I have been in seasons where I was not involved, and things were so much harder,” McDougal said.

According to the Division of Student Affairs, whether groups are focused on culture, leadership, academics, or sports, A&M is not lacking options. Visit the Student Activities website for a list of student organizations searchable by category, letter, or keyword.