The Reason Students Are Over Campus Events

By Kelsey Fisher

“It’s not just about getting free things, it’s a legitimate way to spend your Saturday night.” Student Engagement Coordinator Audrey Ames tells me. If this is the case, then why have colleges all over the northeast noticed a drop in campus activity attendance? SVC is not exempt from this trend.

Hudson Valley Community College, Union College, and Southern Vermont College are just three of the colleges here in the northeast that have been struggling with on-campus event attendance. Hudson Valley reported on their personal problem in 2016, through their student publication, The Hudsonian. They attributed work and other commitments as being the main sources of conflict.

Union College, through their student publication, The Cardinal and Cream, reported just last year that they believed the main conflict with attendance was the commitment of attending an event. “Students don’t want to commit because they don’t know if something better is going to happen,” said Kayla Corona, Residence Director for Women’s Quads at Union.

Some say spontaneity is the way of college life; is this part of the reason students seem to be resistant to organized events? I decided to reach out to a few students to see what they had to say. First, I reached out to Erin, a sophomore transfer nursing major and athlete, fresh to SVC this past fall.

Being new to SVC this semester, have you been to any events yet?

“Yes I have.”

What did you like/dislike about them?

“I liked the closeness of the community.”

What did your last college do for events?

“We had very similar events, at a bigger scale. I got a lot of free shirts at Framingham.”

What would you like to see here at SVC that would make you more involved?

“If we’re being honest here, free shirts would be great.”

Next, I spoke with Ally, a sports recreation and tourism management major with a minor in psychology, both about life on campus as an upperclassman and what it’s like to try to attend events.

Do you still attend on campus events?

“Yes, I do, but not regularly.”

What do you like or dislike about the events?

“I like that most of them are in Hunter and it’s convenient for me, and that we get prizes. What I don’t like is when there are events in the cafe, and I have to walk in the cold. It’s the only thing I don’t like. Or when they’re at the mansion.”

Is it harder to be involved as an upperclassmen?

“I think yes, because upperclassmen have a lot going on. Like internships and more classes and jobs off campus, in that nature.”

What do you think has changed with the student body to stop them from attending events?

“I think it’s motivation to go. Like, if their friends aren’t going, they’re not going to go.”

What would you like to see change at SVC, as far as events go?

“The events are solid. I’d like to see more outdoor events when it’s nice out. It’s hard in the spring, since we don’t know when spring is actually going to be here.”

Finally, I asked events coordinator Audrey Ames about how we could work on getting attendance up.  Audrey said, “We need to get students to see why attending events is valuable. It’s another way to make memories in college, to meet people, and to expose yourself to things you might not do if you were at home.” Campus events are a great way to put yourself out there, since college is a new experience for everyone.

If you have any suggestions for future events, please email [email protected] or [email protected]