Getting Involved

Residence hall living offers students the opportunity to become active participants in their on-campus community in many ways. You are encouraged to participate in any of a number of student organizations, courses, or activities available to you in your residence hall or on campus. Even if you do not want to become an officer of an organization, you can take advantage of all the programs and activities offered in your halls and around campus. Make your residence hall more than just a place where you sleep, make it a place where you live!

Jump in With Both Feet!

You’ll quickly discover that residence halls and residential areas are highly developed social and academic environments. In fact, nearly all the ingredients for a personally and culturally fulfilling life outside the classroom await you right where you live.

What you do with the myriad opportunities, how quickly you become involved in your residential community, and to what degree are largely up to you. True, you can confine your life on campus to your room, classes, and the library. But chances are you’ll want to jump in with both feet, participating in cultural, academic, and social identity programs.

Perhaps you’ll draw on your leadership skills and become involved with House Council and Area Governments, working with your peers to develop social and academic programs, set residential policies, and mediate community conflicts.

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy its rewards and remember that after college, you may never again have the luxury—the intellectual and aesthetic convenience—of an art gallery minutes away or participating in a study group with your peers.

Whether you spend your free hours exploring your interest in Native American traditions at the Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center, leading a yoga class at a wellness center, honing your skills in a pool game in the recreation room, or debating world issues with your friends at the snack bar, you’ll grow to appreciate the many facets of your residential community, to respect its boundaries, and to increasingly understand your role as a contributing member.

In addition to the organizations described here, you can also visit the Student Activities Center website for more information about the UMass Amherst student activities program.