Determined to find community, an Oregon State online student navigated digital platforms to join — and lead — clubs from a distance
When I transferred to Oregon State University, I was quick to explore ways to get involved as a student. I thought, “If I am choosing to be 100% online for my college experience, I don’t want to miss out on connection I’d expect in a traditional brick-and-mortar situation.”
Furthermore, social engagement is an excellent addition to résumés, and I did not want to miss out on that. So the summer before my classes began, I dedicated my time to finding what clubs were Ecampus-friendly and how I could connect with peers.
My first step was to sign in and peruse Oregon State’s club portal, Ideal-Logic. The same login you use to access your Beaver Hub applies to Ideal-Logic, and here you can filter every OSU club and request membership (or more information) about every organization on the list. This is where I began my search, filtering for Ecampus-friendly clubs and joining whichever groups appealed to my interests.
However, this is where my efforts were put on pause — many clubs, at the time, were either not able to accommodate Ecampus students or never replied to my inquiries. This is often a shared experience by Ecampus students.
I did not let this deter me, though. Here are the ways I found niches of students, applicable clubs, and came to join (and run) several of them:
1. Find the hubs of students. Many popular social platforms often serve as a gathering place for online students, and as such, this became the kick-off point for much of my future engagement. I consider Discord most beneficial for this reason. Discord offers a Student Hub you can log into with your Oregon State email address and access a private collection of student servers for everything from study groups to student organizations. The private OSU Ecampus student group on Facebook was also a helpful platform at the time.
2. While reaching out to clubs through Ideal-Logic wasn’t always successful, maintaining a line of email communication with those that replied helped ensure I was added to mailing lists and invited to meetings when they were open and welcoming to Ecampus students. In the meantime, I perused Discord’s list of servers as well.
3. By joining servers of interest, I was able to connect with like-minded students — most of which were run by and filled with Ecampus students — and learn about other engagement opportunities. Many servers were specific to chatting, which allowed for new clubs to advertise; other servers, already set for clubs, made it easy to inquire and join on the fly.
This was how I was able to discover clubs I ended up joining and becoming part of leadership for, such as the Ecampus Environmental Alliance Club and the Anthropology Club.
Furthermore, I was able to start and design my own servers for course study groups, which helped connect me with other students in shared classes.
4. From the connections I made through these groups, I was lucky enough to be introduced to student-faculty opportunities such as the College of Agricultural Science’s Club Leadership Team and the Ecampus Student Advisory Board.
My advice for you
1. If you want to get involved with student clubs as an online student, utilize more student-active platforms where the organizations function, such as Discord. Supplement this with a secondary method of communication, like email, through Ideal-Logic.
This will help you cover your bases and gather all the information you need for involvement (e.g., what kind of meetings do they host, if any, and when; primary platforms for member communication; if there are membership dues; etc.).
2. Be mindful of your availabilities and share this with club leadership in the clubs you are interested in. As students, our schedules are already unpredictable as it is. As Ecampus students with nontraditional college lifestyles, this unpredictability tends to be further exacerbated.
Many online clubs keep this in mind, but some hybrid clubs do not and will either have fewer options or take a lack of attendance as activity indicators. Join things you have time for and speak up for your availability so you have every opportunity to get the most out of the experience.
3. Understand that clubs are run by students and jump at opportunities you’re eager about. Because clubs are led and run by students and our academics come first, clubs are consistently in flux. Communication, activity and events fluctuate — and this is OK!
However, this also means that all clubs — whether you started one yourself or came across one of interest — need all the help they can get. If you’re eager to get involved and have the opportunity to, don’t hesitate. Clubs are a wonderful way to build experience, develop relationships and relax outside of your classes. I highly recommend it.
I wish you all the best with your club hunt! I know you’ll find something of interest because Oregon State has a lot to offer. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out for more information from me or another Ecampus Student Advisory Board member.
Discover how Megan and other members of the Ecampus Student Advisory Board impact the online student experience at Oregon State University, and read about eligibility and participation requirements.
