THE UNIVERSITY Guides commonly use a line regarding student involvement: "If you cannot find a group that suits you, start a new one." Options at the University are uncommonly abundant. Depending on how you count, there are at least 600 organizations and clubs, ranging from the Honor Committee to academic journals to Greek organizations to service groups to intramural teams to political interest movements to debating clubs -- and the list goes on and on.
My proposition is this: More students should get more involved in more activities.
Some say University students are over-extended as it is. No doubt, a cadre of super-involved politicos have reached their capacity. Although I know of no research to date, I suspect a vast majority of student involvement is driven by very few people. For me, I would like for every student to reap the benefits of taking on leadership -- whether that be in organizing a Bible study, starting a new fraternity, trying out for the U-Guides or whatever else.
The University's student leadership used to be even more concentrated than it was today. Several factors -- a smaller student body, less time-intensive commitments -- meant that a student in "the old days" could, for instance, be the captain of the football team, the Honor Committee Chairman, and a fraternity president. Today, that would be unlikely to happen.
For first-years, I propose the following rule of thumb: Aim to be the head of one group, an officer of another, and an active member of a third. Why? First, involvement adds depth and character to your resume upon graduating. Most employers today want more than a bookworm -- or worse, an expert video game player. Second, these activities can be very fun. The best way to meet people with similar interests is to get involved. Third, the most directly applicable skills you will learn in college will come from your involvement.
My suggestion for wider involvement is -- to my surprise -- more controversial than it seems. Some faculty members have suggested that involvement in activities detracts from the pure academic study and classroom time that they believe should monopolize the four years of undergraduate education.
Let me be clear: The primary service a university offers is the opportunity to learn from the faculty. At the University, we are fortunate to have some of the finest faculty in the world. But learning need not stop at the classroom. Often, student activities are academic in themselves -- artistic and academic journals, for instance, are largely intellectual endeavors.
The learning that occurs in classrooms is focused around critical thinking, writing, research techniques and analytical rigor. Academics should come first. For those wanting to become professors, this is the core necessary skill set. No doubt, these are the fundamental skills that make students versatile and successful upon graduating -- but for those wanting to enter business, practice medicine or enter the Peace Corps, additional skills are critical.
Some skills cannot be taught solely in a classroom. Management -- the term often substituted for leadership in the workplace -- provides a good example. Teamwork, too, is not frequently a component of the undergraduate student's academic pursuits. Although undergraduate research -- a greatly under-utilized experience -- does provide some exposure, it does not match the real-life application of varied out-of-the-classroom involvements.
Other skills can be learned, too. Given the fact that not all students want to be professors, it makes sense for them to take on activities that interest them. I have heard some professors bemoan the time commitment of student activities. In response, I cite the example of an aspiring journalist. This student should not only take journalism classes, but should also apply it by working for a student paper -- even though that might mean long hours.
Extracurricular involvement can complement an academic experience. A student who hopes to be a litigator can sample Judiciary and Honor Committee roles to see if that is truly a career for him or her. In so doing, students can grapple in real life with issues that are taught in their politics or law classes: the due process requirements of a state institution (i.e. the University), for instance.
Of course, no appeal would be complete without a reference to Mr. Jefferson. In my mind, the University's founder sought to create an institution that would teach the useful sciences for the benefit of a newborn republic. Clearly this requires knowledge in its rawest form -- the type that can only be taught in a classroom or alongside a professor. But it also requires that a student apply that knowledge out of the classroom, too. So, first-years, if you do not believe my other reasons for getting involved, do it because Mr. Jefferson would want you to do it.
Carey Mignerey is the student member of the Board of Visitors. This column represents his opinion and not necessarily the position of the BOV.
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