I want to get involved! What should I know?
I want to get involved! What should I know?
Galilea Sejas-Machado is a first-generation graduate of Mason's Honors College. She graduated with degrees in Sociology and Criminology, Law and Society. She is originally from Annandale, Virginia and was involved in research, internships, student organizations, and had an on-campus job at Mason. Galilea was also the class speaker for Mason's Class of 2023.
Being a new student on a new campus with fresh faces can prove to be difficult. Unless everyone from your high school is going to Mason or your childhood friends are transferring here, you will meet new people (hopefully). It can be easy to room with your forever high school best friend, but experiencing different opportunities is all that going to college is about. Now, this does not mean you have to ixnay all your friends or anybody you met since being accepted to Mason, it means you must be open to meeting new people.
Don’t know where to start? Check out the events that the university holds during the first week of the semester! We have the Get Connected Fair, Glance into Greek and so many other activities/events/programming hosted by various departments/offices on campus (and off). Need a
break down? Say no more! While this isn’t an exhaustive list, this is a good list to start. We have:
– Cultural/Identity-Based Groups
– Academic-based organizations/honor societies
– Greek Life
– Department Student Organizations
– And more!
To break it down even further:
A.) Cultural Groups
We have a wide variety of cultural or identity-based groups to get involved in. While many are studentrun, we also have different offices catered to giving students a community or a safe space to be their authentic self. Many umbrella organizations representing different communities seek the most support and guidance from the Center for Culture, Equity and Empowerment. The umbrella organizations include: BLACC, HLLA, APAC, and NAIA. BLACC is the Black, African-Heritage, and Caribbean Coalition that is dedicated to facilitating unity among all organizations of the African diaspora. HLLA is the
Hispanic Latine Leadership Alliance focused on empowering the Hispanic/Latin community. APAC is the Asian Pacific American Coalition that serves as a voice for the Asian Pacific American (APA) student population at the university. Finally, there’s NAIA or the Native American Indigenous Alliance committed to decolonization, community building and ending environmental racism.
Most of these groups have sub-organizations to get more involved, but they all represent our diverse student body.
B.) Academic-based organizations
Now this list is expansive, they can be major, college or career-focused. Additionally, we have a range of honor societies that are focused on networking with professionals at a university level, but also individuals who may have a similar degree-focus. The best place to familiarize yourself with what’s offered is to connect with the professors in your college/school and even your major’s advisor. They can
provide additional insight on opportunities or groups. I would also recommend checking your email regularly. After you declared your major, there will be a monthly newsletter sent to you with additional scholarship, course offerings and meeting times for affiliated organizations.
C.) Greek Life
Now this is a doozy. Greek Life at Mason isn’t expansive in the sense that you will see people wearing Greek letters 24/7. Everyone on campus has a different passion, mindset or interest that may not
necessarily be involved in the Greek organization community. But if you are interested, there are four major councils. Similar to the umbrella groups of cultural organizations, each Greek-letter organization is represented in one council. We have:
– The Panhellenic Council
– The International Fraternity Council (IFC)
– The National Panhellenic Council (NPHC)
– The United Greek Council (UGC)
NPHC, or Divine 9 organizations, represents the historically Black fraternities and sororities. UGC includes the cultural Greek fraternities and sororities. While some of the organizations are not well known or recognizable, during events like Glance Into Greek, you’re able to get to know the brothers, sisters and siblings of the organizations and learn what makes them different from one another.
D.) Department Student Organizations
So this is where it gets tricky but also shows how being involved can have its benefits. Department Student Organizations or DSOs are groups connected or affiliated with an office. For example, within the Office of Student Involvement, there is Mason eSports, the Patriot Activities Council, Student Government, Mason Spirit Squad, and more. The perk about being involved here is that there are opportunities to taking on a paid position. You would be a student-staff member with additional insight on projects catered to the general Mason community.
Now this is a lot, I know. While it can be overwhelming, it is comforting to know that if you are feeling homesick, you’re able to find people who have the shared experience as you. You can learn how to have a home away from home and bond with people that will enrich your college experience. Mason has a great philosophy where they want you to graduate on-time and with as much experience as you can get, but they also want you to have a nourishing college life. If you want more details on the organizations, you’re more than welcome to visit Mason360 where we have all 400+ organizations listed and upcoming events that they’re hosting.
It’s never too late to find your community and people!
