During my time at IU Southeast, I have found that to receive the true college experience, getting involved on campus is a key aspect for many students, including myself.

According to the article “What Matters in College?” by  Alexander W. Astin, “Student involvement reflects the amount of physical and psychological time and energy the student invests in the educational process.”

I believe that being a member of a student organization or some other IUS secondary committee can also give a student an added sense of belonging and, then, lead to higher academic performance.

I also believe that if a student makes a commitment to an organization, they should not only uphold the mission of that organization throughout all of their endeavors with that group, but also do so with “The Golden Rule” in mind.

By treating others the way you would like to be treated — which is hopefully with respect — it makes you come across as respectful and friendly to other people.

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to represent IUS Dining Services —where I have worked for three years — during the lodge move-in day.

Throughout the move-in hours, my duties were to distribute Food Court coupons and prepare and serve fruit smoothie samples for residents, their families and volunteer workers, all while promoting Dining Services.

All of those tasks aside, my true, deep-down goal was to present myself in a fun, friendly manner in order to positively represent Dining Services as a whole.

For many new students, I was probably the first representative of Dining Services they have met, so I hope I left a good impression of the department.

Of course, although Dining Services obviously isn’t a student organization, I would imagine the students helping residents move-in or hosting a recruitment table would want to represent their organization in a positive light, as well.

Whether they are interacting with residents, parents or even the girl giving out free smoothies, a polite and friendly attitude is always preferred when representing our campus in any way.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t always the case.

My biggest surprise was the IUS Greeks.

Many of them were there to help residents move in by carrying boxes and other belongings into the lodges, thus working toward completing the total number of volunteer hours required for student organizations, as mandated by Campus Life.

However, throughout the day I noticed that many of them seemed to be socializing with one another more than actually volunteering.

This didn’t bother me nearly as much as the impolite manner that some of the Greeks presented themselves, not only to others, but also to me personally — the sororities in particular.

If students are representing a group of any kind, it shouldn’t matter who they are speaking to.

How you act directly reflects the group whose name you are displaying on your T-shirt.

With such a large presence on campus, I see Greek life at IU Southeast as a valuable asset for getting new —and even current — students involved.

I hope that the few I encountered can evaluate themselves, therefore realizing that their conduct — good or bad — reflects not only on their organization but IU Southeast overall.

With that realization, hopefully they can strive for positive experiences all-around.

By DESIREE SMITH

C0-Newscast Editor

demismit@umail.iu.edu