Joining a community over the computer

By Kyle Hobstetter on November 4, 2020

One of the key elements to a college experience is finding a community. For most, that means joining student organizations.

Towson University has hundreds of organizations, clubs and activities where students can share interests, meet new friends, connect with new ideas and, most importantly, have fun. 

“Students and student leaders should take advantage of all the opportunities that TU has to offer and make the best of their college experience,” says Chris Rindosh, coordinator of student organizations. “Student organizations play a crucial role in helping our students find community, so we want to encourage that as best as possible.”

With TU going online for the fall 2020 term, Student Activities is holding a second 2020 fall Virtual Involvement Fair that takes place online on Friday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m.

This fair will introduce students to more than 100 TU student organizations eager for new members. Interested students can meet with student organizations in the groups’ WebEx or Zoom meeting rooms.

Carleigh Petersen, a senior elementary and special education major from Pasadena, Maryland, took the leap and rushed the Kappa Delta sorority back in September.

While rushing a sorority as a senior, who is also student teaching, may be a tad hectic, Petersen is happy she made the decision.

“It was something that I always wanted to do,” Petersen says. “I’ve always loved Kappa Delta, and I had a lot of friends who were members. I was going to rush last year, but I never did because I felt it was too late in my college career. But as a senior, and everything is virtual, I thought it would be fun.”

Petersen wishes she was on campus with her new sisters, but she feels Kappa Delta has done well adjusting to an online-only model. The best example was bid day, when Petersen received a special email that mimicked the in-person process of receiving an envelope.

“Everything that they're doing is just amazing for new members, especially with it being virtual,” Petersen says. “One thing that we did this semester was Shamrock Week, where we raised money for Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA). And with it being virtual, it was hard to plan.

“But our community chair did a really good job. We had a virtual yoga night, a virtual bingo night and offered a virtual cooking class. It was all really fun.”

Although she’s been involved on campus before now, Petersen says she truly found a community by joining Kappa Delta.

“[Joining Kappa Delta] really made me more confident in myself,” Petersen says. “I've made so many friends, and I wouldn’t have had that opportunity because I wouldn’t put myself out there. I’m so happy joining Delta Kappa has given me that confidence.”

That idea of community is the reason freshman Oneliys Diaz came to TU. The Bordentown, New Jersey, native was supposed to attend TU4U to check out campus for the first time, but it was canceled due to COVID-19.

So, in the summer, Diaz came to TU on her own. And when she stepped onto campus for the first time, it felt like the right choice.

“I looked around, and I just felt like I belonged,” Diaz says. “And that’s a feeling I'll always remember, that I just knew I was supposed to be here. It just felt like home.”

And while starting college can be intimidating, Diaz’s first term improved when she started attending the Caribbean Student Association’s (CSA) virtual meetings.

Diaz, who is a first-generation American and whose parents are from the Dominican Republic, admits her hometown isn’t very diverse. When she found a student organization that celebrated her heritage, she was “ecstatic.”

“During that first virtual meeting I had the feeling that I belong,” Diaz says. “I was interacting with people who have the same experiences that I do, and we could relate to being Caribbean. They were so inclusive and welcoming that it just made me love TU even more.”

For those who are concerned about joining a student organization during the pandemic, Diaz’s advice is very simple: Just do it.

“Find clubs that you're interested in because you never know the connections that you're going to make and the people that you’ll meet,” Diaz says. “I’ve met so many people, and I’ve had so many doors open for me because I was in this club.”

Campus Life

Join a Student Organization 

Towson University has hundreds of student organizations that represent all aspects of student life: academics, culture, arts, Greek Life, politics, religion and so much more.

Check out Involved@TU for student groups’ contact information, social media links, meeting times, upcoming events and information on how to join. 

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: Diverse and Inclusive Campus.