How Involved Should Your Student Be?
By: Colleen Vandenboom, Student Involvement and Leadership
It is likely that one of the reasons your student chose Gonzaga was because it is a bustling and busy campus – there is a lot to do! As such, I am frequently asked “how many hours should my student be involved?” While every student is unique and thrives differently, here are some guidelines to help you talk to them about their time-management.
On an average week your student has at least 25 hours of “extra-time.” How will you help your student think about and structure his or her time to maximize happiness, health and success?
Different time commitments come with each club or activity your students joins. We want students to select involvement opportunities that will allow them to flourish inside the classroom and on campus.
Low involvement (1-5 hours per week):
- Attend weekend programming like SpikeNites
- Join an intramural team
- Become a member in a social or political club (e.g., Irish club, running club, game-design, Young Democrats)
- Run for Hall Council
- Check out a Gonzaga Soccer Game with friends
- Join the Kennel Club
- Attend weekly religious services
- Go indoor rock climbing with GU Outdoors
- Attend a weekly Get Involved session Thursdays at Noon
Medium Involvement (6-15 hours per week):
- Join a club sports team
- Run for Freshman Class Officer with GSBA
- Sign up for a volunteer club or work with CCASL
- Run for an officer position in your club
- Join Gonzaga Activity Board’s Street Team
- Sign-up for a Fall Retreat
- Get a job on campus (e.g. federal or institutional work-study)
High Involvement (16-25 hours per week):
- Apply to be a Resident Assistant
- Run for a GSBA executive position
- Run for an RHA executive position.
What can you do to help? With first year students, I always recommend that they “shop” around activities when they first get to GU. They can do this by coming to the Club Fair on Friday, September 11th or checking out www.gonzaga.edu/zagtivities. When it comes to the number of commitments, I recommend that students choose at least one thing they want to get involved in (e.g., a club, sports club, intramural team or service group). Then I also recommend they attend at least one event per week that is not associated with their organization. By branching out their involvement, students branch out their friend connections and are better able to explore different elements of their identity.