For Razor’s Edge students, this year’s 25th annual “Anything That Floats” Raft Race was particularly challenging, as if trying to cross a lake in a handmade raft wasn’t challenging enough. They were required to form teams for their rafts that included a number of “uninvolved” students, which didn’t include students who had jobs on campus.
While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to engage students with certain aspects of campus life, NSU’s continual push to get more students involved may have the unintended effect of criminalizing the students that apparently need more involving.
NSU’s reasoning is relatively sound. Studies by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) link student involvement to student retention. If students are involved, they will want to stay, which is better for NSU’s growth. However, the issue lies with what seem to be NSU’s beliefs about student involvement and what it means to be “uninvolved.” NSU’s definition of involvement is much narrower than the NSSE’s definition of involvement.
The NSSE has come up with 10 engagement indicators organized into four distinct themes: academic challenge, learning with peers, experiences with faculty and campus environment. NSU’s campus club, raft race, cheerleading version of involvement doesn’t seem to fit well within the NSSE’s version of involvement. It’s much too simplistic. The truth is, involvement among students is just as diverse as NSU itself. Involvement is not as easy as signing up for the campus chess club.
Commuter students and non-traditional students may not be as likely to go to the homecoming bash or join a student club, but they shouldn’t be labeled “uninvolved.” They don’t need to fit NSU’s vision of the consummately involved student to engage with faculty and with their classmates, to be challenged academically or to feel supported and at home at the university. Some students may not be able to join SEA-Board or SGA or another organization because they have other obligations, and calling them “uninvolved” is alienating. Other students may just not enjoy the kind of involvement that NSU feels is so necessary.
Ultimately, NSU students are paying for their time at NSU. If they want to join a club or organization, that’s their choice. And if they don’t, they shouldn’t be made to feel like they’re not as much a part of the university as students who choose differently. Involvement is about feeling connected to and invested in NSU, and there’s more than one way to go about it.
