ALYSSA BUMP
Editor in Chief
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic first shut down campuses nearly three years ago, the aftereffects of the pandemic continue to linger at SUNY Fredonia.
Colleges around the country are facing declining student enrollment in undergraduate and graduate programs, with Forbes citing a nearly 1.3 million decrease of college enrollment since Spring 2020.
With this, universities are facing another challenge: declining student involvement. At SUNY Fredonia, a number of clubs have been derecognized post pandemic by the Student Association due to the issues garnered by spending a semester remote. Several surviving clubs have smaller e-boards than they once did before the pandemic.
To streamline this issue, the Student Association, Campus Life, Fredonia Honors Program, Office of the President and Writers@Work have organized a Student Leadership Kickoff event on Wednesday, Sept. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Williams Center MPR.
Dr. Natalie Gerber, director of the Honors Program at SUNY Fredonia and professor of English, has served as one of the lead planners of this project, as she has noticed a decline of student involvement.
“COVID-19 has left us with a vacuum of leadership,” Gerber said. “And for us to have a vibrant campus, which enhances the student experience and supports the campus goals of improved retention and recruitment, we need student leadership.”
Gerber hopes this event will serve as a useful entry point for students that have struggled to become engaged in the campus community during the tumultuous times of COVID-19.
“For the new and current students who have not been engaged, I hope they have an opportunity to listen and learn from veteran student leaders (about) what the opportunities are and to remove any barriers,” Gerber said.
Donato Tramuto, an author, global health activist and philanthropist, will open the event with inspirational remarks at 5 p.m., as he is a leader from Western New York.
His book, “The Double Bottom Line: How Compassionate Leaders Captivate Hearts and Deliver Results,” is an Amazon Best Seller, and he will deliver remarks on the importance and value of student leadership.
Later in the week, Tramuto will deliver the keynote address at President Stephen Kolison’s Investiture Ceremony on Friday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. in King Concert Hall.
After Tramuto speaks, the student roundtable will commence around 5:30 p.m. The roundtable will feature five student club leaders, and they will have the opportunity to talk about their experiences as student leaders. They will also highlight any vacant e-board positions in groups they are involved with.
The Student Leader Roundtable will include the following students: Ilene Thompson, Courtney Woodring, Molly Gibson, Esmeiry Ventura Santana, Shanty Figueroa and Alyssa Bump.
“I’m gonna be talking about the Student Association in general, and I’ll be talking about my journey and my involvement,” Thompson said. “(I want to send the message that) … it’s not only about grades, it’s about what you can bring to the table, what you can do for your school.”
At 6 p.m., tacos-in-a-bag will be served, and attendees will be able to mingle with student leaders. Tables will be set up similarly to Activities Night, where students can approach specific groups and ask about open positions.
Five $20 FSA gift cards will be raffled off to attendees, and one club tabling at this event will receive a $100 FSA gift card that can be used for purchasing food at club events.
Gerber encourages students to come to the event and learn about the opportunities of being an involved student.
“If you go through college only going to classes, you’ve missed half the point,” Gerber said. “You are not going to remember all of your class content. … But you will absolutely remember every organization in which you took a leadership role, and you will remember succeeding, failing (and) growing… Academics are incredibly important, but they’re only a piece of college.”
Beyond just serving a student with opportunities, Gerber explained that becoming a leader can help improve one’s community.
“Student leadership is not only investing in yourself; it’s the first step in investing in the community where you are the leaders and the people making the decisions,” Gerber said. “Instead of stepping back and being affected by what others decide, this is your opportunity… to create events, to promote causes, to use the platform and opportunity to shape what is. At this current moment, I can’t imagine that anyone is stepping back because there are so many challenges globally, nationally, locally, on our campus, and we look to leaders for solutions.”
Alyssa Bump, Editor in Chief of The Leader and author of this article, will be on the Student Leader Roundtable of this event.