Guilford student leaders say campus clubs are hosting fewer events than in years past — a slowdown they attribute to packed schedules, leadership challenges, and difficulty drawing student interest.
Guilford’s clubs, which span religious, STEM, and activist organizations, have long been a staple of campus life. But some leaders say momentum has dipped.
“I think because of the…lack of time that each one of us faces,” said Barbara Rodriguez, a leader in Guilford’s Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) club. “We have different times [and] class schedules.”
Rodriguez said her club has been growing, and that they are planning to go to Washington DC. The club had about three events last year and one this year, although Rodriguez stated that they are still working on hosting more.
Rodriguez also said that the recent snow played a role in her club’s planning. She said she had difficulty coming to campus, especially because she commutes.
Other club leaders expressed different reasons for difficulties in club functionality.
“I think it all rests in the hands of the people higher up in the leadership,” said Ayuzah Shah, Social Media Manager of the Muslim Student Association.
Shah described recent difficulties with communication and leadership among the board. Although the club has not had any events this year, Shah said that it hosted two last year, one for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and another for the holiday Eid-ul-Fitr.
“I honestly don’t believe it’s that difficult [to get an event moving],” said Shah. “I believe that when a lot of people complain about event movement, it’s mostly just out of their lack of planning.”
Shah said that events typically take two to three months of planning in advance. However, she believes that there is a lack of attendance at these events due to people getting discouraged from coming, especially if they see a lack of success.
“We’ve seen this thing where a lot of people struggle with coming to Guilford events,” said Aya Abdalla, Vice President of the Society of Students in STEM. “Just because it’s like, really hard to get people interested.”
Abdalla said that the club has hosted and participated in events such as the Spring Fling, a blood drive, and a pumpkin event.
“I feel like it’s typical for a lot of Guilford clubs to, like, start off with the energy first semester, and then kind of slowly lose that energy throughout the semester and throughout the year,” said Abdalla. “Honestly, a lot of clubs are kind of falling off for lack of better terms.”
Abdalla said that she has herself noticed that clubs are having fewer events.
“It’s like finding the time to plan events, finding the time to be present at these events,” said Abdalla. “It’s really hard, because I feel like students are just going through so much…it’s kind of hard to, like, take the time to sit down with your board and really plan.”
Lisa Cook, Director of the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement (OSLE) at Guilford, shared a similar sentiment.
“I think students are really busy,” said Cook. “The things that pull their time seem to increase semester to semester.”
As an advisor, Cook makes the rules that clubs follow and offers support to many different clubs. She oversees the logistics of club planning, so she is familiar with club events and their frequency. However, she believes not all clubs have fewer events.
“I’ve seen some clubs increasing the amount of events or different things that they’re doing, and then I’ve seen some clubs doing less than they have done in the past,” said Cook.
When asked what advice she would give to discouraged clubs, Cook emphasized quality over quantity.
“It’s okay sometimes to do one well-planned, well-marketed, well-executed event than feeling pressure to do multiple things that always feel rushed,” said Cook.
Cook believes in motivating leaders to continue more student-led club events at Guilford.
“I think the student events need as much praise as possible,” said Cook. “It’s students planning events for their peers, marketing to their peers, and providing unique experiences to their fellow Guilfordians. And for that, we’ll always be really grateful.”
