Community comes in all shapes and sizes on a college campus. Some students opt to pursue larger, more well-known organizations to find companionship, such as Greek life institutions and The Big Event. However, other students find their friends and passions in one of the other 350+ student clubs listed on the ForUM and in their academic programs.
Take, for instance, the Ole Miss Knitting Club, where approximately 50 students regularly attend club meetings to enjoy each other’s company and learn a lifetime skill.
“In the knitting club, you’re learning a new skill that could stick with you for life. Knitting also can be a stress reliever when you become good at it, so it isn’t just meeting once every two weeks and not coming out of it with something,” Lynnzie Williams, a senior psychology major and president of the Ole Miss Knitting Club, said.
While some clubs engage in more relaxed activities, other organizations offer various opportunities to get active. Ph.D. candidate Beatrisa Pucalev, event and social chair of the Ole Miss Ballroom Dancing Club, has enjoyed building relationships through her passion for dance.
“We currently have over 150 members. The club was started to gather people around the campus and the community interested in practicing their ballroom dancing skills,” Pucalev said. “There is a variety of people coming to dance like students, professors and members of the community of all ages. So I got to know many people and established some meaningful friendships.”
Allie Byrd, a freshman biology major, said that finding meaningful relationships through smaller campus organizations has improved her college experience.
“At first, it was difficult to find my footing, but I think that not joining a sorority was just a small portion of why I felt that way,” Byrd said. “Almost all of my close friends are in a sorority, and I don’t think it puts a clear divide between us at all. I feel extremely welcomed on campus, and spring semester has been so much better because I think we are all more comfortable where we are and in our friendships.”
For individuals who are not involved in campus clubs, academic departments and their related organizations offer other avenues for students to find belonging.
Adam Maatallah, a freshman international studies and public policy leadership double major, lauded how his campus involvement has allowed him to build community.
“I have mainly found my community on campus through getting involved on campus and the peers I’ve met through my degree path,” Maatallah said. “I am involved with the Croft Institute, the Trent Lott Institute and the Honors College, along with the Associated Student Body, UM Voting Coalition, Leadership and Engagement Ambassadors and more. My involvement on campus has really shaped who I’ve made connections with, who I hang out with outside of doing school work and who I look up to as role models.”
Initially, Maatallah was afraid he would not find this community.
“Coming to the university, I was nervous that I would be rejected by my peers and somewhat looked down upon in the eyes of the Oxford community,” Maatallah said.
Despite these initial fears, Maatallah is confident that he has found his people.
“Essentially, what I found difficult was making sure I was going to be able to meet the right people and those who would accept me for who I am,” Maatallah said. “However, I quickly realized that there were more people just like me, with the same fears, who were hoping to find a community that didn’t match the one Oxford and Ole Miss are known for. I quickly created connections with these people and have made friendships that exist among people of many different backgrounds at this school.”
