WHAT DO the Mahogany Dance Troupe, Disciples of Bob Barker, One in Four, Hoos for Israel and the Virginia Alpine Ski Team all have in common? They are five examples of prominent student groups on Grounds here at the University of Virginia.
A Contracted Independent Organization (CIO) is simply the University's legalese for a club, cultural organization, political group, etc. At last count, the Student Council Web site listed over 500 CIOsserving a of myriad student interests. Some are small and some are large, many target a particular subset of the University while others welcome all with open arms.
The best advice I can give to an incoming first year is to go to the activities fair and scout out at least two or three CIOs that perk your interest.
The activities fair takes place in the Amphitheatre shortly before the start of classes and could at best be described as a free-for-all. At the fair, the bulk of the University's CIOs stand in the sun throughout the day pitching their group to all of you in the hopes of attracting new members (and getting a nice farmer's tan).
Most groups will offer some sort of informational flyer and have a sign-up sheet for their booth. Don't hesitate to take a flyer and sign the sheet even if you have just a smidgen of interest in their organization. There is no obligation even if you sign the sheet; groups usually only ask for your name and e-mail address so they can gauge the potential number of new members and attendance at their first meeting. The informational flyer will undoubtedly provide information about the first meeting, which I encourage you to attend.
Again, even if you go to the first meeting, there is no obligation to attend any others; pick one or two groups that you enjoy and attend their first few meetings to get a feel for what the club does as well as the type of members that belong to the group.
Many student organizations offer first-years a real opportunity to jump and get their feet wet.
Ethnic and cultural organizations can provide an immediate sense of community, and service organizations, such as Madison House, are also excellent for ambitious new students at the University and can be rewarding without being time consuming.
Nevertheless, time management is a learned skill in college and involvement with extra-curricular activities can be problematic. Try not to overextend yourself, especially during your first semester at the University.
New college students just aren't used to being in class for less than half the time they were during high school. "Getting involved" and making new friends can be fun, but committing hours and hours to a variety of organizations can sometimes be detrimental to your GPA and your health.
Another reason not to over-commit in the first few weeks is that a wide variety of opportunities to become involved in the University community will pop up during the school year. Many organizations don't even pick new officers until the latter half of the year. In addition, most organizations publicize events for new members at the beginning of the second semester.
Finding a good fit with a student group at the University can offer many benefits. One obvious benefit is new friendships with other first years, but more importantly with upper classmen. Please remember: We have cars, we know the good professors and most of us are pretty friendly and ready to answer any questions you may have about life at the University.
Another benefit of finding an organization in your first year and sticking with it is that eventually leadership opportunities will open up in the club and those with the most familiar names and steady participationare often chosen to fill leadership roles as upperclassmen. Finally, it's almost a guarantee that every introduction meeting will have free pizza, and if you choose wisely, some will even offer one good meal a week to counteract the effects of the dining halls
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