Groups Urge Students to Get Involved

From dancing to going green, there is a place for everyone at Governors State. About two dozen student groups filled the Hall of Governors during the Student Involvement Fair in the Hall of Governors on Aug. 22 encouraging students to get involved while they are on campus.

"In our goal as a public square, we want to reach out to the community and eventually host tournaments," said Interim Assistant Dean of Students Sheree Sanderson. "We look forward to branching out."

In the spring of 2012 the Sustainability Club began as part of the university's effort to go green, said Sanderson. The group will hold the first ever student sustainability conference at GSU on Sept. 28.

Also newly implemented are a Bowling Club and Chess Club. The bowling club started meeting casually in the spring but are now moving forward with becoming a formal club, said Dean Jennings, Assistant Program Director for Student Life.

Lakewood Bowl in Richton Park will be the meeting place for bowlers and the club may ultimately compete with other teams, said Ann Manning-Nagel, who will be the bowling club's advisor.

A new Chess Club is also in the works, Sanderson said. Anyone interested in participating or advising the group should contact Sanderson at ssanderson@govst.edu.

For those interested in computers and technology, the Cyber Defense Team could be the place for you. According to member Dan Barry, the team participates in a nationwide competition coordinated by the U.S. Department of Defense in which college students compete in securing hacked systems as quickly and efficiently as possible.

"It's a good learning experience, because it's real world experience," said Barry. For more information, contact club advisor Professor Stephen Hyzyny at shyzny@govst.edu.

If computers aren't your thing, the University has recently started Dancer International. President Nitika Sood is trained in classic, Bollywood, and belly dancing and all kinds of dancing are encouraged during meetings. "You don't have to be a trained dancer," said Sood. "It's just a fun way of de-stressing ourselves." The club will meet every Thursday from 3:15 to 4:00 p.m.

There are many more opportunities to become involved in the GSU community, and something to fit every interest. Any student who wants to start a new club should stop by Student Life, or contact Sheree Sanderson at ssanderson@govst.edu.

 "We want to encourage students to come forward with their ideas if they don't see something that appeals to them," said Sanderson.