The sweeping sprawl of tables at Get on Board Day features over 500 campus organizations ranging from student government to a variety of mentoring programs and pre-professional societies. Students have more opportunities than ever to connect their passions with a purpose. Outside of Get on Board Day, each year the College of Communication and Information Sciences (C&IS) also hosts CommUnity, an event to showcase the over twenty student organizations housed in the college. CommUnity allows students to join organization leaders in the Rotunda of Reese Phifer for information and countless involvement opportunities. Current Student Executive Council President, Claudia Hogan, says that it is the starting point for anyone looking to get involved within C&IS.
Hogan, a sophomore studying Public Relations and Political Science from Gadsden, Alabama, found her place on campus within Professional Women in Communication and Business (PWCB) during her first semester on campus. She recognized the influential power of building her professional skills while creating a network with other women on campus and quickly decided to became more involved. At the end of her freshman year, Hogan ran to represent the department of Public Relations as a delegate in Student Executive Council (SEC), and after earning her spot in SEC, she ran and was elected to the position of President.
Student Executive Council is an organization unique to C&IS that features leaders from each of the student organizations within C&IS along with delegates from each area of study and Student Government college senators. SEC’s goal is to advocate for students across the college and help student organizations transform their dreams into tangible realities.
SEC makes it possible for students to host and promote events or travel to conferences across the country. This year, Hogan hopes to increase the amount of funds available for students and emphasize the importance of involvement to young students. “When you get involved early on in your college career, you have an opportunity to stick with organizations and to help shape them and see them grow,” Hogan says.
It is not often that students involved in so many areas across the college are able to sit in the same room and share their thoughts, perspectives, and ideas, and Hogan believes that in SEC “it’s everyone’s mission to make C&IS an even better place to study what we love.”
