FEATURE STORY: REVITALIZATION OF LSUS STUDENT LIFE

LSUS Student Life gets rejuvenated in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic

Shreveport, LA—Students at LSUS are breathing new life into student life with clubs, events, and activities to make campus fun after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The unforeseen pandemic posed a unique challenge for Angel Martin, LSU Shreveport Director of Student Life and Recreational Sports.

“After we got out of that temporary paralysis of ‘What next? What can we do?’; we really started to plug into how the world was coming together in creating virtual opportunities.”, Martin said.

  The pandemic forced Martin to think creatively to keep LSUS traditions and activities going through a time of virtual participation. 

“I was really proud that we were able to do a virtual unveiling of the [LSUS] Homecoming Court because that could have easily been a tradition that we just let go and pick up after COVID-19. But we still got to see that students were really excited to receive that honor. It kept me reminded that the traditions are still here, and we haven’t lost touch with those.”

After the COVID-19 pandemic, LSUS Students are working together in a fantastic way to create a sense of community on campus with clubs and organizations. LSUS currently has 56 clubs and organizations on campus.

Clubs and organizations are springing up all over campus—the American Marketing Association, the Red River Garden Club, Lambda Nu, Sk8 Club, and LSUS E-Sports are all new to campus.

 Some pre-existing clubs and organizations are re-vamping their involvement on campus—the Black Studies Association, Phi Mu, and the American Advertising Federation (AAF) student chapter.

Many of the newer clubs on campus are student created and led.

Abigail Boykin, president of the Red River Garden Club, founded the club after discovering a passion for gardening and nature due to a job at a local plant nursery.

“I didn’t really have an interest in agriculture or anything like that before I started working there, but when I did, I learned so much about different plants…and I just absolutely fell in love with it. I was like, ‘That could be a perfect opportunity to create a really impactful club here on campus.’”

Students may think it’s challenging to begin a campus club, but that wasn’t the case for Boykin.

“I met with Paula Atkins, the Dean of Students, and we laid the groundwork out for the club, and I talked to a bunch of different people and got it up and running.”

As a result, the Red River Garden Club offers plenty of enrichment to the LSUS campus.

The mission of the Red River Garden Club is to serve the LSUS community, provide fresh produce to the LSUS food pantry, and provide horticulture education. Boykin plans to build a raised-bed community garden on the campus to grow fresh produce for the LSUS food pantry for students to use for cooking.

The Red River Garden Club held a monthly meeting on October 27 at 12 pm in the Student Organization Lounge in the University Center. Boykin welcomed each attendee with homemade pumpkin spice cupcakes and Shirley Temples. In addition to the club members, Paula Atkins was also in attendance. While the club members enjoyed their desserts, Boykin led the meeting to discuss club business. 

Boykin asked for the members’ input about the possibility of park cleanup for community service and changing the frequency of club meetings. The club enthusiastically agreed to the community service project, and some members suggested bi-weekly meetings to increase campus awareness of the club and membership. 

As for new business, Boykin shared that the club was given the approval to begin construction on a raised community garden for the LSUS campus. 

Boykin believes that student life at LSUS is “on the upswing” after the pandemic and has high hopes for the future of the Red River Garden Club beyond 2022.

“I think it’s going to become a permanent part of the LSUS community. Even when the current population of students eventually cycles out, I do believe that the garden will still be here and there will still be continued student interest.”

The Red River Garden Club serves as a model example of how any LSUS student has the right and potential to create a club or organization for the campus that inspires and empowers the LSUS community and student life. Martin explained the simple process of creating a student club or organization.

“It’s really pretty simple. There’s just a couple of requirements that we ask students to satisfy, and then it’s up to them on how big they want to launch that club.”, Martin said. 

Creating a club begins with completing a registration form on the LSUS Anchored In website, which includes an upload of a constitution and by-laws for the club and a faculty/staff advisor.

 “The form is the one-stop shop for starting the club. Once they fill out that form, it goes to the advisor for approval, then it goes to us [the Student Activities office] for approval. Once all that is done—which could take as little as a day—it populates the Anchored In website where all students can browse what organizations [LSUS offers].”, Martin said.

 On Anchored In, under the Student Organizational Council tab, there is a document for a student organization guidebook that outlines all the steps, policies, ‘do’s and dont’s’, and all of the resources available for student organizations.

From the website, students can join the club and get entered into the email database for the club to receive updates.

While many student clubs are student-created, several professional clubs and organizations exist. The newest professional club is the American Marketing Association (AMA) collegiate chapter, starting in the Fall 2021 semester. 

The LSUS Anchored In website describes the LSUS American Marketing Association Collegiate Chapter as “a professional organization dedicated to enhancing student knowledge and experience within the marketing discipline.” The AMA chapter has 22 members and is advised by marketing professor Dr. Dalia Salazar. During its short establishment, the club has earned several awards for its outstanding club performance. LSUS named the AMA chapter as the 2022 New Student Organization of the Year and 2022 Student Organization of the Year.

A secret to the success of student clubs and organizations is to host events that spread awareness about the club and provide the student body with an enriching experience. Recently, the AMA chapter hosted a panel and mixer for the LSUS marketing faculty. The club dedicated several club meetings, located in The Port, to plan the event. 

The event was held on Friday, November 11, in the LSUS University Center Ballroom. The event began with an allotted time to enjoy food catered by the LSUS Port. Seven marketing professors participated in the panel, including a professor who attended via Zoom. The faculty answered questions about their backgrounds, hobbies, career paths, marketing research, and advice for college students and aspiring marketers. 

The event drew 45 students that came to chat with the marketing faculty and learn more about them. The audience was captivated by the faculty’s stories of their international backgrounds, their careers before teaching, and their lives outside of the university. 

The faculty that attended are from several different nations; Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, Iran, Georgia, and Columbia. The ballroom erupted in laughter when Dr. Si Chen shared that he enjoys weightlifting and “working on his gains.” 

   In light of unforeseen technical difficulties with microphone feedback at the beginning, the event was an excellent production full of insightful conversation and laughter.

 Following the event, the club had a debriefing meeting. The club discussed the events’ successes, near misses, and suggestions for future events. At the conclusion of the debriefing, the club made plans for future meetings, including an end-of-semester celebration with a potluck dinner.

From the planning stages to the debriefing, the AMA marketing faculty panel and mixer was clearly a team effort that created a cohesive and exceptional event.

Greek life is also getting reinvigorated. There is a new sorority on campus named Lambda Nu Chi. Makenzie Wilson and Madelyn Sizemore co-founded Lambda Nu Chi.

On the LSUS Anchored In website, Lambda Nu Chi is described as an LSUS sorority that strives for “service to the community, knowledge in our academics, growth in our goals, unity on campus, and friendships that last a lifetime.” 

Greek life is often stereotyped in the media as shallow organizations that are focused on partying rather than service and community. Lambda Nu Chi seeks to be the change.   

“We welcome women of any race, religion, background, or culture to learn from each other from one way of life to another. We want to share a connection with other women who are just as passionate about the community as we are while building friendships and making memories.”, Wilson said.

Although they have not yet hosted any campus-wide events, Lambda Nu Chi is a welcomed breath of fresh air for LSUS student life.

While many students have a favorable view of student life at LSUS, that is only the case for some students.

Camdyn Fedderman, Chief Organizational Liaison for the Black Studies Association, believes there is not a good foundation of school spirit and faculty support for campus organizations and events. 

“I feel as though a majority of the student life on campus is dead. There are events here and there, of course, but if you’re not a member of greek life or even athletics, you rarely see much on campus. And even with athletics, although the athletes play, there’s also a lack of school spirit and student attendance at games.”, Fedderman said.

Courtney Holland, a senior General Studies major, believes the main challenge to building a thriving student life at LSUS is the large population of non-traditional students. 

“I am 36 with two children and work full time. When I am not at work, I am running my children around to their activities. Even if I wasn't so busy, I don't think I would attend any student life activities just because I feel too old and too out of place.” Holland said.

Clubs and organizations are re-vamping their approach to connect with the LSUS community and increase participation.

“BSA currently hosts events and activities that are designed to let students unwind and just have fun and relax without having to stress too much about classes or grades. For example, we currently have a fun Wild N Out event coming up next month in which we’ll go against Centenary College, which everyone’s really excited about.”, Fedderman said.

The LSUS faculty is also working to address participation issues. For example, Martin is forming an ‘E-Student Activities Board,’ a board of students to create virtual events for online students to make events accessible to online students.

In addition to activities and events, some clubs and organizations also provide resources for students on campus. For example, the Black Studies Association provides a free hygiene closet in their meeting room, BH 407, full of products to make students’ lives easier. 

“BSA understands that not everyone has the means or ability to buy what they need, so this is a way for us to help and give them one less thing to worry about.”, Fedderman said.

  Fedderman is hopeful for the future of BSA and LSUS student life and predicts success as more students and faculty become aware of the issue and volunteer as active participants in campus clubs and organizations.

“Even though I can tell my time is almost up here at LSUS, I know that big things are being planned for the future students that enroll here. The lack of student life in the past was an issue, mostly due to COVID, but more people are aware of that now, and the other leaders around campus will continue working hard to continue the needed change.”

As Chancellor Larry Clark prepares to retire on June 30, 2023, LSUS is well-positioned for future success. A new chancellor may bring new and exciting changes to LSUS.

On the university homepage, LSUS boasts that it has “been piloting the dreams of its students since 1967 through strong academics, generous scholarships, and unwavering support from a close-knit community.” Undoubtedly, ‘student life’ will soon be added to this sentence, thanks to the dedicated students passionate about creating and maintaining the legacy of student life and community at LSUS.

References

Did the College Experience Shut Down Too? LSUS Student Life Keeps Connection Alive Despite Pandemic Challenges. (n.d.). LSU Shreveport. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.lsus.edu/did-the-college-experience-shut-down-too-lsus-student-life-keeps-connection-alive-despite-pandemic-challenges

https://lsus.presence.io/organization/american-marketing-association-collegiate-chapter