With more than 100 student groups on campus, most University students should be able to find a campus niche and a community of fellow students with whom they can share their college experience.
The range of groups is extensive, from the International Student Association, to the Muslim Student Association, to the Women’s Center and with variations between and beyond.
Although concerns, goals and membership vary, most of the student groups seem to share a primary purpose: Providing students with a sense of community through involvement and shared interests.
“We try to provide an understanding of our culture both for [Jewish students] and anyone on campus,” Troy Grudin, assistant director of the Jewish Student Union, said. “The JSU is open to all students. Everyone is welcome here. Everyone who goes to school here has as much right to be here and do stuff with us as anyone.
“One of the purposes of these student groups sometimes is to have a place to hang out.”
Traditionally, the JSU presents an annual film festival focusing on films of Jewish content, as well as a cultural night event. There is also a reading of the names of victims of the Holocaust during Holocaust Remembrance Week, along with several smaller events throughout the year, Grudin said.
The Black Student Union, which is an umbrella organization for various campus associations, shares similar intentions.
“We try to provide resources to students of color on campus, not just African-American students, but anyone interested,” Dominique Beaumonté, co-director of the BSU, said. “Our main goal is to provide resources, programs and opportunities that students need.”
In the past the BSU has not been politically oriented, Beaumonté said. However, he said he hopes to see that change this year as the group joins forces with the Oregon Student Association on the newly formed Students of Color Coalition.
The group also will begin to focus on networking opportunities, not only within the immediate community but within Oregon and the United States, as well.
“We want to use the resources that are everywhere,” Beaumonté said.
On a personal note, Beaumonté said he feels that the BSU has provided an enriching resource conducive to his success at the University.
“Personally, I think that if the BSU has done anything, it has given me an outlet and made me feel at home,” he said. “It has been like a second family.
“It has been really comforting and fun to get to know the people here.”
Upcoming BSU events include a fall reception, Kwaanza celebration, Black History Month celebration and Ebony Men Showcase, among others.
Campus student groups fall within two categories, explained ASUO President Jay Breslow. Those registered with the Associated Students of the University of Oregon that do not receive funding, such as the College Democrats or College Republicans, and the groups that are both registered and recognized by the ASUO, which do receive funding.
For a complete listing of the student groups which actually have a room listing located on campus, see page 17. For further information contact the ASUO at 346-3724.