Raymond Baccari
News Editor
PROVIDENCE, R.I., — Rhode Island College’s Campus Activities day gave students an opportunity to see over 30 of the student organizations that the college offers. At the Quad, all the organizations set up their tables and showcased an important aspect of the college experience: getting involved.
This year’s event is the first one to be held in-person since the pandemic began — which alone brought a very apparent and high amount of energy. The live music from WXIN, hands-on crafts, lawn games, giveaways and a beautiful day all combined provided to the event’s energetic atmosphere.
The Director of Student Union, Kristen Salemi, shared her enthusiasm of having this event back in person.
“I can’t tell you how great it feels to be back in person and hosting Campus Activities day on the Quad again. It was exciting to finally have a chance to see student leaders and new students in person after a long year away from campus due to Covid.”
Salemi continued, “Student Activities did their best to offer a virtual event last year, but there is nothing like what happens through in person, face-to-face interactions.”
It wasn’t just Salemi happy to be back in person, everyone shared the same sentiment. For example, members at the table representing RIC’s Alumni Association spoke with News Editor Raymond Baccari about what they do as well as what they thought of the event.
One of their members said, “Our goal is to maintain a connection with [RIC] students once they are no longer students and they go into the alumni body. We have about 75,000 alumni who are a part of the network. 68 to 70 percent are in-state. So one of our primary roles is to make sure that we all stay connected and have opportunities.”
They also enjoyed being back in person, saying, “We’re excited because our office is heavily event-based. We are heavily focused on homecoming, our alumni awards dinner and our reunions. Last year, [due to the pandemic], we couldn’t do anything. We’re trying to re-engage the community. We want people to know they’re supported and appreciated within the college.”
A number of the student organizations who were at the event, including the Multicultural Student Nurse Organization, also spoke with Baccari.
This organization’s mission is, “To serve as student leaders, advocates, and mentors for nursing students of color in the Rhode Island College School of Nursing (RICSON). We aim to bridge the gap between nursing students of color and the School of Nursing faculty/staff, to ensure students are equipped with equal opportunity and adequate resources to successfully complete the RICSON program without setbacks.”
One of the members of the organization pointed out that an event like this was crucial for the students’ mental health after over a year and a half of doing everything virtually. “That interaction with people — not behind social media, that face-to-face interaction is more important than anything”.
The chance to network, build relationships, get involved or even find an on-campus job all play an important role in shaping a student’s RIC experience. Getting involved in the RIC community is one of this event’s main goals.
For students who didn’t get a chance to attend and would like to learn more information about a certain organization and how to join, there are multiple ways to do so.
Students can email Salemi at ksalemi@ric.edu, reach out to their organization of interest through social media or even check out this page on RIC’s website where more information can be found https://www.ric.edu/student-experience/student-activities-and-organizations.