Despite an array of different activities for students to participate on campus, many students are not aware of how or when to get involved.
Jennifer Cox was a perfect example of a student that did not know about the Mardis Gras dance coming up.
Cox said she didn’t know about the dance even though she was interested in going.
A problem with most students is that they would like to take advantage of their student life fee and get involved by taking part in the activities the campus has to offer. However, they may not know where to look to find upcoming events.
Vincent Nguyen, the new activity director, has the information where students can go to find out about upcoming events. Nguyen is in his first semester as the activity director at TJC.
The main focus for most events is for the students to have fun, but they are also meant to be educational.
School activities are also an opportunity for students from freshman to sophomore to meet new people and make friends.
14 percent of students at TJC are international students, and through on-campus activities such as dances or social gatherings, these students can learn more about American culture.
“If no one knows about it, it’s clearly not a big deal so why would I go?” Cox said, about attending future TJC activities.
Cox was not the only one that felt that way.
Hollie Schmidt also said that if more people were to go, then she would be more willing to attend.
Nguyen said that most activities did not have a good turnout. That is until fall of 2008 when he noticed a 50 percent increase. He said he would still love to see more students get involved and attend.
He also said that getting involved with extra curricular activities looks good on resumes.
The activity committee is encouraging students to get more involved by giving away elaborate gifts such as iPods and Blu-ray players just for attending.
All activities are meant to be fun and enjoyable. The more students who go, the more money that TJC can raise from concession stand revenues to donate to different charity foundations.
Schmidt said that she finds out about activities from chatter of students around campus.
There are five great ways to get notified on all campus activities. Nguyen said that word of mouth is the number one way to spread the details, but not good enough if students had never heard anything about any of them.
Flyers are posted around campus about the events that are coming up. However, flyers can easily be taken, trashed or overlooked.
Technology is alternative way for students to get informed. Upcoming events are often posted on Apache Access.
Another way to get notified is by Textcaster. This is where you get text messages sent to your cell phone with any new or upcoming event or activity that TJC is hosting. Students can visit http://www.tjc.edu to sign up for Textcaster.
Students are welcome to stop in the library, cafeteria, recreational center or the HPE center to take a glance at the c-sli TV’s. That will keep students and faculty updated with all future events on campus.
Nguyen said that events are not just for the students to have fun but also to “keep students on campus and keep them safe.”
