More participation is needed to create a sense of community

For a community college, this school lacks an important factor.

Community.

Different than other institutions of higher learning, students at MHCC do not live on campus and many work full time as well as attend classes full time. This schedule, which includes homework and in some cases caring for families, does not leave much time for clubs and school activities or school-sponsored events.
At MHCC, we are right on the border of several communities and neighborhoods, yet the sense of community could be so much stronger.

This week I spent a few days representing The Advocate at the Club Fair, and for all of you who just said “What? We have clubs on campus?” — yes, we do. But the overall support from students was lacking. On Tuesday morning in the Vista Dining Center, we had maybe six people visit our booth over 90 minutes. Those six people were pretty much the only people who paid any attention to the Club Fair, though that is not so surprising since a lack of advertising made it hard for people to know that the tables pushed into the far corner of Vista were an actual event. We could have simply looked like everyone else in the Vista, doing our homework and chatting with friends.

I was pretty disappointed in the turnout, or lack thereof, but I was also disappointed in the students. There were lots of people coming in and out of Vista during these hours — it was late morning and people had time to kill between classes — yet no one bothered to come over and see that cosmetology was offering hair extensions, and then there was the gaming club, MEChA, English conversation club, the mental health club, the hospitality and tourism club and the clay club. Yet next to no one bothered to give anyone a second glance and tear themselves away from their day’s activities.

Even ASG events and school plays and art shows don’t seem to be a big draw to students. Many are on campus only long enough to go to class and maybe study for a while in the library or grab a cup of coffee in between classes. Some students are only on campus for a day or two a week, only in the morning, or evening, depending on our crazy schedules, and may not see the need to join a club on a campus where we do not live together. We don’t have the same sense of community that those at a four-year college might have, since they are always on campus and do not leave as frequently as we do. It often is easier for them to attend events and joins clubs and activities.

It seems as if events put on by many campus clubs have low attendance. Some of this may be due to low club membership, and there is only so much a few people can do by themselves to make a great event. If our campus made clubs a desirable thing, then maybe students would see the importance of joining clubs to create a sense of community in our “community-lacking” community college. (How’s that for a tongue twister?)

So in the interest of creating a close-knit community, I challenge all of you to join a club, stop by an ASG-sponsored event, go to a school dance. Grab your pals and go support one of our sports teams (we’re in basketball season now). Go support the performing arts department at SNOOPY! Watch Genesis, the Jazz Band or college orchestra play awesome tunes at their next shows and stop by the Visual Arts Gallery, or College Center to check out the latest artist on display. By doing any one of these things, we are all contributing to a better sense of togetherness on our campus, so get out there and cheer your fellow students on no matter what the occasion is.

Our college will have no sense of community if we do not create it ourselves. Let’s get going and make this a great place to be.