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Nervous about starting at Michigan State? Worried about your class schedule, living away from home, or where to even start? The Spartan Orientation Station (SOS) is a podcast hosted by New Student Orientation staff and was created by students for students. This podcast will launch twice a week throughout the summer, and each episode will feature a unique interview with campus departments discussing their services, common misconceptions, and fun Spartan engagement opportunities. When you need help at Michigan State, it is okay to signal SOS! Don’t worry – MSU is there for you.
You're listening to the Spartan Orientation Station on Impact eighty nine FM, the podcast by students for students. Now this week's episode.
Caitlin W.:Welcome back, everybody, to the New Student Orientation Family and Supporter Podcast Series. My name is Caitlin. I am a going to be a senior at MSU majoring in human biology and kinesiology. I'm an orientation intern with New Student Orientation, and I'll hand the reins over to Sejal.
Sejal T.:Hi, guys. My name is Sejal, and I'm a graduate assistant here. I'm a marketing major. Yeah.
Caitlin W.:Awesome. And then we have two guests from UAB today. So if you guys just wanna go ahead and introduce yourselves and kind of your connection to our topic, Finding Community at MSU, that would be great.
Emma:Sure. I'm Emma. I am a going to be a senior this year studying advertising management. I've been in UAB. This is going to be my fourth year now, and right now I'm serving as the chairperson, so super excited to be here.
Rochelle S.:And my name is Rochelle Spencer, and I'm the assistant director with UAB University Activities Board. And I'm actually also going into my fourth year here at MSU with UAB, but have been in event planning and in higher education for ten years now.
Caitlin W.:Great. Thank you so much. Alright. So I'm just gonna go ahead and talk about a few of the takeaways from our podcast today. So first, you're gonna learn about the opportunities for involvement at MSU, get familiar with campus resources that can help your student find community at MSU.
Caitlin W.:You can learn how to encourage students to get involved without pressuring them, of course, but also to gain insights into common challenges that students face while making friends. So, again, our topic is gonna be finding community at MSU. UAB is a great department for this because they offer several different events to go to, and you guys can kind of explain a little bit more first. But, yeah, if you guys just wanna go ahead and explain kind of what UAB is and what you guys do on campus.
Emma:Sure. So the university activities board, we create free students by or we create free events for students by students. And so we put on a bunch of different events throughout the year. They're all free for students to go to. Just bring your ID with it.
Emma:They go with like a bunch of different topics. We've got, you can have craft nights, movie nights. We had a fun event pickopalooza the past couple of years. So really anything you can think of, we probably have an event for it. So they're always free to go to and some other ones you might be interested in.
Emma:We've got the spring concert at the end of the year. We got a bunch of fall welcome events that we always recommend a lot of the newer students to go to. But a lot of time you can find community there, just find a bunch of students who are also interested in those types of topics, meet a lot of new people. They're all very fun to go to.
Rochelle S.:I will just add to that a little bit. We try to have at least two events and a meeting every week, so there's always an opportunity for folks to get involved and just stop in and see what's going on. Again, like Emma said, everything is free and our meetings are open. They're Mondays from five to six, and we would love if people just stop in to see what it's all about and learn more about UAB.
Caitlin W.:Awesome. Thank you, guys. Yeah. I know I attended a a bingo night not too long ago, and I got this, like, super cute, like, true neck with, like, a little teddy bear on it. I don't know if you guys remember that or not, but a little, like, tumbler two cup.
Caitlin W.:You guys give out a lot of really cool things. Alright. So with that, we're gonna go ahead and start getting into our questions that are prepared for today. So to begin with, why would you guys say that finding a sense of belonging is so important for new college students? I can kind of chip in here too.
Emma:Yeah. I would definitely say this definitely, like, relates to me. When I was coming in to MSU from high school, I went from having so many friends from there, being involved so much in my high school, being in all these different clubs, knowing so many people to coming to a much larger campus, not knowing anything, not knowing where I am, not knowing a lot of people there as well. So I find that that's probably a very similar situation a lot of freshmen or incoming students are finding is you're just being thrown into like an ocean that you're not aware of. So I think it's important to find like a sense of belonging or find like people that you can relate to just so it really helps you like fit in more, feel comfortable, kind of get your bearings of where you are.
Emma:And specifically, I remember coming into one of our welcome events for participation that's put on by a bunch of different organizations from the school. UAB was actually tabling there. And so I stopped by the tent was just like, Hey, I'm new here. I want to get more involved in campus. And they're like, this is the perfect place.
Emma:Showed up to that first welcome meeting and instantly loved it. Found a bunch of people who are just like me. People have already been at the school for a while. And really I was like, you guys have been here already. That's crazy.
Emma:Like, I'd love to get to know you. And, you know, I just found that community there and, know, now I have some of like my greatest friends through this and, you know, I now have like somewhere I can work for. I can go to these events, meet new people, be more acclimated with the campus. So it's just a really good start to finding where you belong there.
Rochelle S.:Yeah, I feel a lot of people decide where they're going to college because of the education they hope to get. And then once you're there, finding where you belong in that community, finding your passions and getting involved outside of the classroom is what keeps people at college. I know it helps with the stress relief, it helps with the home away from home, the friendship, and that's so important because college can get hard and you need your people to have to rely on and have fun events to go to to de stress. And so, yeah, belonging is one of the most important things I would argue.
Caitlin W.:Yeah. I was actually gonna touch on that too, the home away from home part. Yeah, it can definitely be overwhelming coming into such a ginormous school. I don't know about everyone else, but I came from a very small high school. You kind of knew everyone, you grew up with the same exact people, and you kind of knew each other through each stage of like your life.
Caitlin W.:So going to a big university was definitely something that was not familiar. So I think UAB provides a lot of opportunities for students to find community and meet different people who are interested in the same sort of things as well as ourselves too. So registered student organizations on campus too are a great way to meet people that have, like, interests. So there are I believe there's over 2,000. Is that correct?
Caitlin W.:2,000 RSOs on campus, and you can basically find anything that you would like. So there's, like, a squirrel watching there's there's honestly everything. Like, you can find whatever. It's a great place to look at too. I know there's a website, rso@msu.edu, I believe that's what it is, or involve at state, as well as an event in the beginning of the school year, I think before classes start, Sparticipation.
Caitlin W.:I'm not quite sure what day it is on yet, but that's definitely a good resource as well.
Rochelle S.:It will be Sunday, August 30.
Caitlin W.:Amazing. Alright. So then with that, we can head into our next question. So many students worry about making friends when they arrive on campus. What advice would you guys give to them?
Rochelle S.:I would say
Emma:then just like oh,
Rochelle S.:go, Emma.
Emma:All right. I would kind of just recommend just putting yourself out there a lot, just talking to as many people as you can because you just end up clicking with them. You never know where a friendship could actually come from. You could be like someone you find at the dining hall, someone you find at an event. I know we've had a lot of stories of students coming to our events and meeting like their longtime friends, which is like just great to know that you've made like this lasting impact on them.
Emma:So really just putting yourself out there doing as much as you can, obviously without like putting too much stress on it because things just happen. And I think you should always just be open for it.
Rochelle S.:Yeah, I'm going to echo a bit of what Emma was saying and being open to just being maybe a little vulnerable. It can be big and scary to make new friends in a new place, but that's why I love UAB events. They are different every week and it's only a couple of hours. So what's the worst that could happen? You leave with a friend and maybe some free food or, like you said, a really cute sweatshirt from bingo or something like that.
Rochelle S.:And so definitely just trying it, just showing up and seeing what happens and hopefully you find your folks pretty early on.
Sejal T.:Yeah, and just to kind of go off of that, I met my best friend at one of the events and I was just bridesmaid at her wedding recently. And it was like the biggest thing ever. And I remember that I started with the friendship started with not putting a lot of stress on it because we would just meet on campus a couple of times on it, like on various events. And that's how we like started getting closer. And then we started inviting each other to each other's apartments.
Sejal T.:And that's how so just to go off of y'all's point, not putting a lot of stress on that friendship or that relationship is the way to go.
Caitlin W.:That's amazing. That was actually amazing. That's so fun. And, yeah, I would also add, yeah, definitely don't stress about it because people make friends at different, like, frequencies. So, you know, you may be a little bit more closed off, that's okay.
Caitlin W.:You can meet your own friends on your own time too. But definitely, I would definitely encourage you to go outside of your comfort zone a little bit even though it may be hard because that is where you're going to meet the most people and maybe find your friends that you'll keep for a long time. Awesome. So we can go ahead into the next question. So what opportunities and resources does MSU, specifically UAB, offer to students to get involved in the other?
Caitlin W.:So I know we already talked about this a little bit, but if you guys had anything to add, that would be great.
Emma:Yeah, I think, well, MSU does a great job of offering so many different things to students, so many different resources of really whatever you need. The amount of RSOs that our school has is crazy. Just all these student orgs. There's always something that I think a student can find. We have so many places across campus that, places offer that students can come hang out, get involved in.
Emma:Specifically with UAB, we have a few different routes you can kind of go. We have a lot of students that show up to a lot of our events. They're regulars. We get to hang out and be like, oh, hey, welcome back to this event. Like, nice to see you there.
Emma:So you can just come in and enjoy our events whenever you want to. Or there's also the option of becoming a member. So we do a little like one of those membership meetings. We do those weekly and you can kind of get like in orientation into more of what is UAB and kind of get put on to our event planning side. So our members are like a key role in our organization.
Emma:They help us put on the events by volunteering. We can use them and be like, hey, would you love to volunteer at this event we're putting on? Help us with putting up food, maybe handing out things, running a different table. And they even get to put like a say, we can ask our coordinators, our student workers who put on our events and they kind of plan it. They can reach out to the members and ask for input on the event.
Emma:And so the students can get more of like a event planning side to the events you put on, see the behind the scenes there. And we actually did a cool event last year where our members actually planned it throughout the year and then put on the event at the end of the year so they could get more hands on as well. So there's just a bunch of different ways that students can get involved just beyond going to the events. But I think it's really cool.
Rochelle S.:Yeah, I would say some big opportunities and resources. Pay attention to the stuff around you. There are TVs and table tents and different things when you're in the dining hall, advertising different events that are going on. There's an event section on the MSU app where you can see what's going on. There should be information if you're living on campus in one of the residence halls on those TVs.
Rochelle S.:So definitely just look and see what's happening that week. And then UAB, we have a few different things. I highly encourage everyone to follow us on socials. It's UABMSU, A T spell it out. And then we post our events a couple of days before they're happening.
Rochelle S.:You can plan your week out, see what's happening. And then I recommend just jumping in right away. There's some really great resources from the start. So we will host our annual event, our forty sixth year. It's called UFest.
Rochelle S.:It's at the MSU Union on Friday, August 28, starting at 6PM. An opportunity to get a bunch of free stuff, learn more about UAB, have some fun, silent disco, some glitter tattoos. You never really know what you're going to get, and you can meet people. It's inside, it's outside. There's some low sensory areas.
Rochelle S.:If you're like, woah, that's too many people. We've got you. We've got something for everybody. And then check out our events for the start of the year. The first week of classes, we'll have our poster sale happening in the MSU Union if you want something to decorate your room with.
Rochelle S.:We have tie dye on day two on that Tuesday. So if you want MSU gear and then you get to design the colors yourself, meet some people there. And then on that Thursday, we'll have our Grow Green event where you can pot your own little succulent cutting to take back to your space to help green it up and make it feel a little more at home. So check out the things. And we talked about participation, highly recommend.
Rochelle S.:Let me give you my unasked for advice on going to a student organization fair. Look ahead on involved at state on what types of groups you might be interested in. You can sort it out by interest. And then don't give your email to everybody. Give it to the people who you're interested in because you will leave with about 5,000 emails in your inbox and that can get overwhelming fast.
Rochelle S.:But definitely share your email with those that you might have an interest in joining, and they will let you know what you need.
Caitlin W.:That is amazing advice. Thank you both. Yeah. I I mean, that was all great. I would add, I really loved how you said to pay attention around you because it is true.
Caitlin W.:There are, like, events advertised at the most random places, and then you're like, oh my gosh. I would recommend also telling your student that a, like, a calendar will help you a lot because there are a million events and a million deadlines. So that definitely helped me stay organized too during the school year. And, I mean, I just go ahead and, like, the second I even hear about something, even if I don't know if I even wanna attend to Yell, just pop it in there and, like so that I know ahead of time that something's coming up. But, yeah, I would add to some other ways that MSU kinda helps provide opportunities to meet people.
Caitlin W.:It can be, like, even as simple as your, like, dorm events or room events or hall events. I don't really know how it's phrased, but your RA will, like, provide a couple different activities throughout the school year, and that's another cool way to go ahead and meet people on, like, your floor, people a little closer to you, as well as sports games. So for sports games, everything's free except for three. So it's men's, obviously, hockey, and basketball. Those are the three not free ones.
Caitlin W.:The others are free to all students, and I highly encourage you go because it is so much fun. I personally love volleyball, and I love watching it. And it is so fun to just hang out with friends during that and meet people who are also interested in that. So very cool. I would also add the Warren Center provides different but plays and different performances that you can go to.
Caitlin W.:I think it's another really cool opportunity to meet people, even if you're just sitting by somebody to, like, say, hey. Like, what's up? Another cool way to meet people as well as just in classes too. Like, if you're sitting next to somebody in the same class, you never know when you're gonna need a study buddy that is dealing with the same information that you are. So it's kind of a fun way to meet people through that as well.
Caitlin W.:Alright. So last but not least, we have one more question that we're gonna kinda talk through, and it's kinda geared towards our audience for our families and supporters. So it's how can families and supporters encourage their student to step outside their comfort zone and engage with campus community? So I can start really quick, and I'm just gonna say to encourage your student to step outside their comfort zone and engage with campus community. That means to go to this participation.
Caitlin W.:That's a huge event, and I loved your advice too earlier to get familiar with the organizations that will be there because it is tough when you are surrounded by a million tables with a million people everywhere. It can get overwhelming. So knowing where a table's at or what's all there can be very helpful for sure.
Sejal T.:Yeah.
Emma:Yeah, I would also say just recommending giving like resources. I know something that helped me was just the reminder, like you can go to something, try it out, at least like try it once, see if you like it, if you don't have to, or if you don't like it, you don't have to continue with it. But that was kind of my thought, when I was going into UAB was I'm going go to this first meeting. I'm going to see if I like it, try it out. And you know what, I fell in love with it there.
Emma:And so I had some other like clubs opportunities. Was like, I'm just going to go to this first one, then continue from there. So just, you know, trying everything, be open to it and don't put a lot of pressure on yourself because as long as you've tried it, then you know it for sure. Like you don't want to ever miss out on an opportunity. So I think that's just always a good mindset to have.
Rochelle S.:Yeah, definitely letting your student know it's okay to show up, see what it's about, and if it's too much, you can leave. Or if you love it, you can stay for the whole event. Something I wanted to add that I think is definitely helpful for family and supporters to know to share with their students is not only does UAB host some more culturally based events or identity based things, there's also student organizations surrounding that. And so you can find community in that way. For example, we work with CRU, the student organization, to host Dia de los Muertos every year, where students can come and perform, eat some authentic food, have conversation with each other, and just be in community with folks who celebrate an event that they also celebrate or bring your friends who have never done it before and they get to learn a little bit more about you and your culture.
Rochelle S.:And I know that can sometimes be an easier step in than, I've never played Ultimate Frisbee, but I think I might like it. That could be big and scary, whereas, oh, I've done that before. I've celebrated that with my family since I was born. Let me go try that event and see who I can meet.
Sejal T.:And just to piggyback off of all the points you guys made, families and supporters sometimes do get really anxious when their students are going through a hard time because first semesters are usually really hard in terms of finding community, finding friends. So it's just to talk a little bit about the first semester. It is families and supporters responsibility to understand that they will, your students might not find community immediately. And you just have to figure out a way to communicate that to them that, hey, it's okay. It's not the end of the world that you're not finding friends or your community in the first semester.
Sejal T.:It will happen eventually. But if it's not immediately, don't give up. Don't think that college is like the worst thing that ever happened to you. Just go through it and you'll figure out a way.
Rochelle S.:Yeah, and if I can just add on to that, Family Weekend is in October. Know your student, you can encourage them, like, just stick it out. We're going to come see you. Definitely mark your calendars, book your hotels now, October sixteenth through eighteenth. But then come see your student at Family Weekend.
Rochelle S.:UAB has a free event that Friday night as well, so you can bring them to something and be like, look, free events. This was fun. Maybe you can try another one. But yeah, let them have their time and then come support them as much as you can as well.
Caitlin W.:Awesome. Thank you, everybody. Yeah, I would add too just again that it can be super overwhelming your first year, first semester to find community with so many different things going on around you. A good advice I would have too if that's kind of the case, you can do something one at a time. You don't need to, you know, add all these things to your to do list, attend all these events at once.
Caitlin W.:You can pick one thing and go to it and kinda see if you wanna keep continuing that, and then add another thing later on. Like, all the clubs, all the events, are the all of the RSOs will always be there. Don't feel, like, ashamed to just attend one and kinda, you know, wait wait with the other ones. Yeah. Awesome.
Caitlin W.:So that kind of concludes our podcast today. Do you guys have any key takeaways or resources that you'd like to highlight for families and supporters in our students' audience?
Emma:I would definitely recommend following a lot of the or or the accounts on like social media. You can learn a lot there whether it's like the MSU accounts, involve at state, any of those accounts, our account MSU or UABMSU, like just finding all these resources and other places that maybe you are scrolling a lot, like Facebook, Instagram, all those places. I would definitely recommend keeping up to date with those as well.
Rochelle S.:Then come swing by UFAST participation and say hello to us. Let us know you heard the podcast and that you want to learn more, get more involved. We're happy to share our upcoming events or have students just to talk to you about how they got involved while they were here. The UAB students are super friendly and love to get people connected. So come say hi.
Caitlin W.:Awesome. Thank you, everybody. And that concludes our third podcast for the New Student Orientation Family and Supporter podcast series. Thank you all for listening.
Narrator:Thank you for listening to this episode of the Spartan Orientation Station on Impact eighty nine FM. Let us know what you think by connecting with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram at MSU underscore NSO.