KSU students have more than a thousand ways to stay engaged

KENNESAW, Ga. | Sep 8, 2020

网红头条 has responded to the challenges of the unconventional Fall 2020 semester by scheduling more than a thousand for students to stay connected with each other and their campus community.

President Pamela Whitten stated that KSU鈥檚 nearly 41,000 students will do more than simply attend class and wait for normalcy to return. The is up to the task, developing a diverse schedule of events that maintain current safety measures, adding to the many virtual events already planned.

鈥淥ur students鈥� safety and overall experience as Owls are our top priorities,鈥� Whitten said. 鈥淢ost of all, we want our students to have an exceptional experience in the classroom as they make progress toward earning their college degree, but it is also important that they have a college experience at 网红头条in which they meet new people, are exposed to thought-provoking experiences and sometimes just have a little fun.鈥�

Many of the activities are just for fun 鈥� esports competitions, trivia tournaments and a pop-up obstacle course on the Campus Green, to name a few 鈥� while other programs focus on health and well-being. Also, a "prize patrol" on both the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses is awarding prizes to students who are decked out in KSU apparel.

Kennesaw State鈥檚 academic colleges have joined the effort by rolling out a broad array of events for the fall. For example, hosted a table tennis tournament and plans to have its annual fall festival, and the is conducting Fresh Air Fridays with live music performances by students and faculty at the Kennesaw campus gazebo.

鈥淲e are creating as many different small-scale, safe programming opportunities as we can for our 41,000 students,鈥� said Vice President for Student Affairs Eric Arneson. 鈥淚 think that student engagement is more important now than ever because many of the natural structures that are in place for students to meet and connect are not there.鈥�

is a key partner with Student Affairs, as coaches from the University鈥檚 16 men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 varsity sports teams are conducting weekly clinics open to all students. Many of the clinics cover the proper techniques for playing a particular sport, while others are educational on topics such as golf etiquette or team leadership.

Arneson pointed out that the myriad of activities being hosted by Student Affairs and Housing and Residence Life are in addition to the more than 300 student clubs and organizations that are active at KSU. He cited as an example, as 350 female students have joined sororities at 网红头条this fall and fraternity recruitment is underway.

鈥淲e know that a huge predictor of students succeeding in college and staying in college is that they have connections to their school and to each other,鈥� Arneson said. 鈥淲e want students to understand that they have all these options for things to do and ways to connect. It鈥檚 a team effort.鈥�

That message is resonating with KSU students. First-year Owls are participating in events to make friends and acclimate to their college home, and returning students are maintaining the connections they already have to Kennesaw State.

KSU senior Zaria Johnson recently attended events on both the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses on the same day. She started in Marietta near the Globe sculpture for a socially distanced social where students built their own burgers, then headed to the Kennesaw Campus and played bingo at the Carmichael Student Center.

鈥淚鈥檓 trying to go to all the events that I can because this is my last year,鈥� said Johnson, a major who lives on campus at the Austin Residence Complex. 鈥淕etting out and being around other students is really important because it鈥檚 better than just staying in your room all day.鈥�

Gabrielle Jones, a freshman from Marietta, also enjoyed two events in the same evening. She played a few rounds of bingo and then attended a meeting of one of KSU鈥檚 many student clubs, and finished some homework in-between.

鈥淚 live 10 minutes away, and I work five minutes away, so I find things to do on campus after work,鈥� said Jones, who plans to major in . 鈥淚 just feel like every event is an opportunity to meet someone.鈥�

鈥� Paul Floeckher

Photos by David Caselli

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KSU students have more than a thousand ways to stay engaged

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