Across the nation, fewer young adults and college students are getting involved in organizations and activities. Lack of involvement affects students' school spirit and overall shared experiences with their student body.
"Getting involved is an important part of being a college student," said Kristen Worster, director of Late Nite, a program focused on student entertainment at Ball State. "It allows students to interact and really learn to socialize."
Some organizations are thriving with increased participation by college students, while other events and organizations are struggling to attract participants. Organizations are now trying different methods to spark the interest of the student body.
The average student is active in 2.47 organizations, versus the 3.25-organization average for middle-aged adults, according to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey. The survey was done by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and asked questions of nearly 30,000 people in the largest-ever survey on the civic engagement of Americans. The number falls to 1.9 organizations for young adults who do not have any college experience.
'LACK OF INVOLVEMENT'
Ball State students can be involved in more than 300 organizations and participate in many more events. But most students choose not to take advantage of the free opportunities in front of them, officials say, and the results can limit the college experience.
"Lack of involvement, I think, has a detrimental effect on students. It breeds apathy," Laura O'Hara, assistant professor of communication studies, said. "Also, students are less practiced in socialization because of less personal interaction."
John R. Emens Auditorium offers students a variety of events to attend, and the Artist Series events are free to students. However, even with the incentive of free tickets, student attendance is less this year than in previous years.
"This year, student attendance was not as high because many of the shows were not as well known, as shows that we have had in previous years," Darcy Wood, the associate director of marketing for Emens Auditorium, said.
Even activities that are considered typical college-bonding activities are having trouble drawing in students from the Ball State community. Student attendance at football games for the 2004 season was 17,893, down from 19,502 in 2003 -- even though the university added lights for night games in an attempt to attract more students to the games.
WEEKEND COMPETITION
Student disengagement could be the result of a variety of causes. Different universities offer their student bodies different opportunities, but Ball State has more competition than many colleges when attempting to gain student involvement.
"Ball State really seems to thin out on the weekends," O'Hara said. "Many students live close to home, and there are more choices for where students would like to spend their time. Indianapolis is only a short drive away and offers students many more sources of entertainment."
While some university organizations are finding it difficult to attract students, others are thriving. Late Nite attendance has grown 462 percent in the past four years. Each event averages about 800 students.
"Late Nite offers the chance to bring students together, and we offer them something safe and local to do," Worster said. "Almost all Late Nite events have arts and crafts, Games and Frames, a DJ or dance and a film, with additional activities determined based on the needs of students.
"Each event takes on a theme and incorporates the theme with the variety of activities at the specific event."
The largest event of the year has been the spring carnival. Last year, more than 6,000 students attended, but only 2,000 students attended Friday because of bad weather.
NEW TECHNIQUES
Groups and activity organizers are trying different methods to encourage students to get involved with their community. Late Nite gives students non-committal fun: Students do not need to pay to join the festivities, nor are they required to take an active role. Due to this, students are relieved from any additional pressure.
Also, Emens Auditorium is working to bring more shows to campus that are familiar, in an attempt to bring in a larger crowd for its programs.
"Attendance by students is all driven by programming," Wood said. "If they are familiar with the show, then they are more likely to attend."
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