From fly-fishing to forensics, there’s probably a group on campus to suit the interests of any student.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is home to approximately 450 recognized student organizations, or RSOs for short.
The organizations, run by students, for students, bring people with shared interests together. Chess, juggling, Linux, insect science and folk dancing are just a few of the many clubs available.
Brad Flick, a senior film and new media major and president of Cinema 16, said being in the club helped him improve skills he’ll use in his career. The club is geared for budding directors and has four festivals a year showcasing student work.
“As a freshman in the film and new media department, you don’t make any movies,” Flick said. “You don’t even touch a camera. Cinema 16 gives FNM freshmen the opportunity to make films by putting on themed festivals. It was great to get some practice in during my freshman year and to gauge my skills as a filmmaker.”
Flick also encouraged new students to not be afraid of just going for it.
“I feel that those outside the FNM department are intimidated by the movies done by experienced FNM students,” Flick said. “People should be into their hobbies. They should not back down just because somebody else, who is looking to do it professionally, put together a better product. If filmmaking is fun to you, then do it.”
Besides focusing on hobbies, there are also clubs for religions and politics.
Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, Republicans, Democrats, Greens and Independents are all represented by RSOs.
Starla Stensaas, assistant director for Student Involvement, said they’re trying various methods to encourage kids to join an RSO.
One tagline for this year’s Student Involvement campaign is “Start Small, Go Big.” At New Student Enrollment, incoming freshman will receive coupons to take a friend to lunch for free at a vendor in the Nebraska Union. That’s the small step.
The big step is joining an RSO and getting active on campus. Stensaas said that getting kids into the Union is key because there will be a lot of advertising for RSOs there.
Activities in clubs can help to refine talents that will be useful for future careers.
“I didn’t put my freshman and sophomore year films on my portfolio/resume because I’ve improved, and I only want to showcase my best work,” Flick said. “The best work comes with time, so my portfolio is a display of my junior- and senior-year work.”
Students will easily be able to find groups that interest them with the newly revamped unllife.com. Students can also go to unl.edu/involved for information about RSOs.
After getting settled into college life in the fall, students can go to the RSO fair on October 6. There they can meet face-to-face with officers of various RSOs.
The Student Involvement Web site claims that students who get involved will make new friends, have good networking opportunities and even get better grades.
Forming a new club is also an option for students. “It’s not hard to start your own RSO,” Stensaas said.
“Getting involved means you’re more likely to succeed,” she said. “You’ll be healthier, you’ll have a better opportunity to meet people, and that will make your college experience more meaningful.”
tomhelberg@dailynebraskan.com
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