Letter to the editor

UW-River Falls offers involvement opportunities

I would like to thank the Student Voice for the editorial published last week encouraging students to attend guest speakers on campus.

As the editorial suggests, these events are designed to provide opportunities to learn about different ideas and perspectives concerning issues that may not often be discussed in the course of everyday life on campus.

The speakers brought to campus through the Wyman Series are selected because we believe their stories will inspire critical thought, and an opportunity for students to define their own ideas about what they think and believe about a variety of subjects.

Getting the word out about these events is always a challenge, and no matter what is done, we invariably miss someone. There are a variety of marketing tools used by many across campus. Posters, screens in the University Center, table tents in Riverside Commons, social media, the UW-River Falls events calendar on our website and OrgSync are designed to catch students’ attention.

If there are better tools we could use to reach you, please let us know and we will use them. We will also continue to provide this information far in advance so that you can schedule time to get involved into your busy lives. There is much we would like to do to encourage more involvement on campus, but we also need you to make a commitment to taking advantage of the involvement opportunities available.

Getting involved by attending events, joining student organizations and participating in other activities outside of class with some educational value has shown positive effects on  student success in college. It’s a great way to meet people, get to know faculty and staff outside of class, and develop important skills that will help you succeed both during college and after graduation.

In addition to all of that, fees all students pay cover the cost of many of these events. Many other campuses charge students additional money to attend these types of events, but we have made the commitment to offer them for free.

Why not make the most out of your investment in higher education by experiencing all that UWRF has to offer? Once you graduate, I think you will find that opportunities like these are more difficult to participate in and are not as accessible as they are on campus.

If you are having trouble finding out about what is happening on campus or getting involved, never hesitate to contact us at studentlife@uwrf.edu.

Paul Shepherd
Director of Student Life
UW-River Falls