Calling all creatives, planet savers, astute learners and sports enthusiasts.
Whatever it may be, getting involved on campus is an important aspect of building community with other students throughout college life.
At the A.S. Expo, Associated Students presented many different student-run programs and organizations on campus, that bring different creative, intellectual and engaging activities into student life.
This expo took place during welcome week on Aug. 29 from 10 – 2 p.m., but these groups can be viewed by going to the A.S. boards and committees page to get in contact directly with group members, and to answer any questions.
Here’s just a few of the many different groups out on campus making an impact.
For creatives out there, the Backdoor Studio is a place for students to exercise their creativity and record in studio, whether it be for music, filming for green screen, professional photography, or even a place that students can meet to create concepts and ideas to further their interest in the industry.
The studio, named for a former music and concert venue on campus, initially wasn’t a studio, but an idea — students wanted a creative space to not only experience other artists, but to collaborate on their own projects.
It is now located in the Student Union, and continues to be an outlet for creative inspirations and artists alike.
Amy Williams, who has been at San Diego State since 2013, is graduating this year as a film major. She started as a reservation assistant in A.S., and before the studio opened up, she helped troubleshoot and design.
“I would recommend that (students) come to Backdoor Studio if they have anything creative they’d like to do,” she said. “The studio is really good for all majors.”
For environmentalists, Green Love is a group that strives for protecting the Earth. Students meet Wednesdays from 12 – 1 p.m. on the first floor of the Student Union, and more information on these meetings and times can be found on Green Love’s website.
Their desire to raise awareness is prompted by acknowledging what is harmful, and what can be reduced simply by everyone taking a hand in cleaning up not only SDSU, but our day-to-day environment.
Cassie Weinberg is currently working on a double major in Sustainability and Business Administration, and said she joined Green Love after seeing their booth at last year’s A.S. Expo.
“We are striving for education and advocacy about sustainability on campus, in the community, in the world…everything that we can do,” Weinberg said.
Another group is just one of SDSU’s many sites for sports enthusiasts: the Mission Bay Aquatic Center.
This offers a variety of outdoor activities and class courses that can be taken for credit. The activities range from kayaking, surfing, wakeboarding, and paddle boarding, to name a few, and even offers sailing courses as well as excursions and one-on-one training.
A discount is offered to SDSU students, and anyone can be a part of the Aquatic Center, no matter the skill level.
Jill Sundlof graduated at SDSU in 2015, and has been working at The Mission Bay Aquatic Center since 2012. “This has been a stepping stone for me, kind of like a passion project,” she said, adding, “I’ve always enjoyed working the summers at the Aquatic Center, getting out on the water… it’s given me a lot of skills that I can use for my long-term career goals as an educator, and it’s such a positive environment.”
At the Aquatic Center, Sundlof added, “we have something for everyone.”
These are just a few of the many organizations offered on the SDSU campus that provide an active voice within the student body and its campus. If you want a voice, an experience, a place to find your niche, this is it.
“Whatever it is, finding your community and really being able to build that is really important,” A.S. President Christopher Thomas stated, adding “when I first started here, I got involved with A.S. right off the bat, joined recreational wellness and that created that sense of unity working out because that’s really what I love doing, and it really gave me a foundational set of friends to really go forward…it has helped push me to where I am today.”
An earlier version of this story included an incorrect link to the A.S. Student Life and Leadership page, rather than A.S. boards and committees. The Daily Aztec regrets the error.
