Student Engagement

ninty9er

Ginge Young wrote: »

How do you actually inspire students to get involved? Just in comparison to the US, students there treat their University as their home, college sports are greater than national ones and student body representation is taken so much more seriously as a whole. Wonder how we get that sense of "this is our home" here. Until that happens I can't see a lot of students making sure to get the info and make their vote count.

just to split this from the elections thread. What are people's opinions on this?

How do we get more students to come and get actively involved in getting what they want?

Realistically I could sit in an office all of next year doing nothing major, but then again it's not the major things, the big ticket items that make the real difference.

You build Ireland's only University on a remote Island that you have no choice but to stay on all semester.

A simple example in the US is a commute home isn't quite so easy 3,000 miles away.

Ginge Young

Ha, I was actually thinking of doing this.

I think what one of the big issues is that it is so easy to go home here and the majority of Irish students do it. As such I can only draw that as a result it means the sense of "your University being your home" is diminished.

This whole idea of seeing the University as being your home is how you get people involved. I have no idea what voter turn outs are actually like in UCC, but I think a positive step forward is introducing a brand/banner that all UL students can stand under.

That being said it is only one step. There are a lot of different ways you can probably approach this.

I know I have always heard you need to bring things that matter to the students, but it doesn't always seem to work. I have seen efforts being made time and time again to do this, but yet it doesn't seem possible to actually get them interested even in that.

Wonder if you just say "we'll cancel Ents" it might get a few more in :-P

Jako8

Well, the college is pretty dead at the weekends because everyone goes home and people go home because the college is dead. It's a vicious circle.

In the first few weeks of next year, I think holding a few things around campus on a Saturday/ Sunday might encourage people to stay up for the weekend and then the campus might become more lively for the weekend encouraging more people to stay up for the weekend. Then I think, if everyone begins to see the University as more than just a weekday thing, they'll get involved more deeply.

Sid_Justice

How do you actually inspire students to get involved?

I think this discussion started in the elections thread and student apathy. I'll make a few comments on this.

1. I don't think student interest in students politics is significantly different to national interest in national politics - similar turn outs.
2. The elections _are_ fairly inconsequential. Students are probably justified in not being too interested in them.

I presume the recently elected/candidates will take issue with this but it's important to face facts. The role of 5 or 6 20-something year olds in campus life is fairly negligible. I'm not saying it's totally pointless, I support the Students' Union but I think it's worth noting that life would go on pretty much the same if the union was removed or severely downsized.

furthermore, the difference between the candidates is rarely significant. Despite what anyone's manifesto said, nobody will bring about any significant changes, nothing will change from sabbatical team to sabbatical team.

Why vote? The SU does very little, and the candidates are just as good as each other so why bother filling out a form.

3. The union is powerless (as above)
4. The union is mostly irrelevant (as above)

I just want to question this presumption that students should engage in college life more. Why should they?

This isn't the USA. Their model is entirely different (as noted by the above and almost every north American student in Irish universities). Why should "I'm a UL student" become your 'master status'.

Irish universities (by in large) are just bigger, better funded secondary schools.

freyners

interesting topic...

i would spent most of my time away from home as i cant afford to regular go home and the times i can i never got to campus except for the track/gym area.....there really isnt alot that would entice students to stay on campus.....as far as i no the shops/cafes are shut and while im not sure on this the stables isnt open at all on sundays or saturday nights?

maybe if there was something ran on saturdays on the stables/scholars next year on saturday nights as a trial..if there was the interest see if it can be extended

bazkennedy

There's always Students who won't fully engage with the SU but most of these are also the same bunch who will probably never vote in a general election either. They just don't see politics/elections etc as effecting them

Unfortunately most students won't appreciate what the SU does for them because
a) most of its work is the unseen day to day stuff that has to remain confidential
b) it's services (ents, nitelink, the shops) are taken for granted or simply not associated with the SU in the minds of students
c) the big changes happen too slowly for students to be aware (this is as much the University's fault)

So how do we fixed this mindset?

In regards the atmosphere around UL, how about a BBQ in each student village during week 0 or week 1 so you get to know your neighbors and village staff. I'm not sure how feasible weekend events are but they could be trialled for the first few weeks of semester. With these kind of things you never know until you try them.

As for the UL Pride/American model goes, what's the problem with trying to make students feel proud of their University. We have god knows how many sports teams competing in events around the country each week- we should have bus loads of UL students going to support them.

NeirBot

I think the problem with student engagement with the SU is that students don't really see the work that the SU does in the majority of areas. They might notice stuff like the Ents, nitelink etc, which are great(mostly!), but they don't see the work that would go on behind the scenes, especially say in the welfare and education areas. I liken these areas to that of say a hospital, you hope you never need its help and mightn't even know where it is or what exactly goes on in there, but you hope that if you or someone you know needs help that it is there and can help you out/save you.
So while they mightn't know it/care about it, the SU is important.

On the American model of college pride, I don't think that we can use the sports model to drum up college pride:
1. We have too many sports competing for our attention (i.e. soccer, rugby, hurling, football) while in the US it seems that its only 2, American Football and basketball, and (i think) they are either football OR basketball colleges mainly, therefore have only one major draw on a Friday night for their games. We don't have enough universities to have separate soccer/rugby/GAA universities.

2. Also most students live within an hour or two from UL, so they will go home for either work/ boy-girlfriends / or to see their mammies! I reckon its mostly the latter as clothes will need washing, bellies feeding and wallets filled for the next weeks drinking So they wouldn't be around on weekends for the "Big" game.

Ginge Young

NeirBot wrote: »

1. We have too many sports competing for our attention (i.e. soccer, rugby, hurling, football) while in the US it seems that its only 2, American Football and basketball, and (i think) they are either football OR basketball colleges mainly, therefore have only one major draw on a Friday night for their games. We don't have enough universities to have separate soccer/rugby/GAA universities.

Actually most Universities have quite a number of teams, while some would be more famous for others, but it is not uncommon for a university in the US to have soccer, football, basketball and volleyball teams as their key and center sports that everyone gets behind.

The issue isn't that we have so many mainstream sports, it is again down to the willingness for students to feel the need to get involved and create that atmosphere.

Couldn't agree more on point #2 haha

NTMK

NeirBot wrote: »

On the American model of college pride, I don't think that we can use the sports model to drum up college pride:
1. We have too many sports competing for our attention (i.e. soccer, rugby, hurling, football) while in the US it seems that its only 2, American Football and basketball, and (i think) they are either football OR basketball colleges mainly, therefore have only one major draw on a Friday night for their games. We don't have enough universities to have separate soccer/rugby/GAA universities.

most unis in the states have at least twice as many sports goin American football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, soccer, hockey(some do) and a few others (rugby).

Eire-Dearg

Yeah, most universities in the USA have every sport imaginable, but what I think the poster is getting at is in terms of student support, only basketball and American Football get crowds and fans going to every game.

Some colleges have 100,000+ seater stadiums which are filled to the rafters every Saturday for college football, which is obviously the very top of their agenda unlike Irish universities. The lesser colleges still get huge crowds however, because they see basketball or American Football as such a huge area for collegiate spirit and all that jazz. They live and breath it. There's simply none of that here because of the culture we live in in such a small country.

College Football, believe it or not, is the second largest sport in America - only beyond its professional counterpart the NFL.

NTMK

Eire-Dearg wrote: »

Yeah, most universities in the USA have every sport imaginable, but what I think the poster is getting at is in terms of student support, only basketball and American Football get crowds and fans going to every game.

Some colleges have 100,000+ seater stadiums which are filled to the rafters every Saturday for college football, which is obviously the very top of their agenda unlike Irish universities. The lesser colleges still get huge crowds however, because they see basketball or American Football as such a huge area for collegiate spirit and all that jazz. They live and breath it. There's simply none of that here because of the culture we live in in such a small country.

College Football, believe it or not, is the second largest sport in America - only beyond its professional counterpart the NFL.

Yep no doubt about it but most sports that i mentioned get better student support than the main sports here. they have a more productive culture about fun and sport and the NCAA is a fantastic system for sport

Seloth

In most cases people are just lazy.The amount of times friends of mine up here and house mates have said they'd go to something then not bothered is crazy,and have missed out on great things.

Sher I know a few that didnt have fun with the snow as they didnt want to get outta bed :L..And they love snow