Opinion: Why RSO’s are beneficial to your college career
Spring quarter has officially begun! With the start of each quarter, a Student Involvement Fair is held on campus, allowing UW Tacoma students the opportunity to become more active and social on campus and learn more about the countless Registered Student Organizations. Being in a RSO is in fact beneficial for many reasons.
Officers from several different RSOs described their organization as a safe haven for new students, who are still navigating their way through campus. For example, the Somali Student Organization discussed that incoming UWT students with a Somalian background may find their club enlightening and a place where they can find other peers with similar backgrounds.
One benefit to joining an RSO is how familiar it makes you with the UWT campus. Being a part of an RSO requires a lot of business and running around, such as going to professors offices or the Student Involvement Center for help and checking which buildings are appropriate for a general meeting. Basically, a lot of walking.
RSOs also allow students to feel much more connected on campus. As a member, you may have the opportunity to open up a booth at one of the many fairs and speak with numerous students and faculty members, allowing you to make new connections and friends.
Attaining different positions in the club, such as the outreach coordinator or the president, will help increase ones connections to different clubs and people on campus. You will also learn how to plan future events and fundraise along the way.
Within the specific club you’re a part of — whether it’s related to your major, such as the Pre-Law Society and the Accounting Student Association, or ethnic-related, such as Black Student Union and Asian Pacific Islander Union — there is always a new event to attend and plan for.
During winter quarter, many RSO’s held events that had great turnouts. For example, the Black Student Union hosted a MLK breakfast and The Vietnamese Student Association served traditional Vietnamese iced coffee out on campus. This quarter, the Muslim Student Association will have an iftar for their holy month of Ramadan next month.
By participating in an RSO, you truly build a family bond between your officers, which leads to long lasting friendships. With the amount of time and energy you spend with your RSO, you are able to understand each other’s beliefs, goals and wishes in life.
Being on campus frequently and being active through events and meetings allows you to build a bond not only with students, but also with the campus. This may make graduating harder due to the love you’ve built for your UW Tacoma campus and community. Despite this, the memories and fun times you’ve built and spent with peers and others on campus will be carried on with you in your life.
Now that you have read through the benefits of being in an RSO, which clubs sounds best fitting for you? You can view the many different organizations through UW Tacoma Dawg Den, where you can search any club and contact the officers there!
