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Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

4 rules to actively promote events, groups on campus

Published 2013-04-17T06:00:00Z”/>

opinion
opinion/columnists

Nicole Santos

Did you know last week was UThrive?

The weeklong event promoted health and wellness with various activities on campus, including smoothies generated by bicycle power, a rugby ball toss and two free hours with a personal trainer available at the Wildcat Recreation Center.

Dr. Drew Pinsky, a call-in radio show host, also gave a presentation at Bell Memorial Union Auditorium.

Discussing health and wellness is the perfect way for students to get involved and become active on campus.

Unfortunately, UThrive didn’t thrive.

A friend of mine, who works for the BMU events team, helped plan UThrive. He spent about 20 hours a week preparing the activities and asking organizations if they would participate.

Unfortunately, the time and effort used to create UThrive went unnoticed because of a lack of student participation.

The planning staff placed colorful signs around campus lawns detailing specific health facts, such as the fact that young adults experience the highest rates of motor vehicle injury and death, homicide, mental health problems, substance abuse and sexually transmitted infections.

I wonder how many students actually took the time to read these signs.

Every week, various student organizations and clubs table on campus, fighting for the attention of student passersby.

The triathlon club, acrobatics club, Chico State cheer and other organizations are often present to encourage students to join their groups.

As I table with my dance club, I have realized how difficult it is to attract students to our table if they didn’t already know about our organization.

Clubs and organizations that promote their groups need to realize the rules of attraction. There are at least four aspects club members should consider when promoting.

<strong>1. Have an activity</strong>

For UThrive, the rugby team had a ball toss game, and the triathlon club had a stationary bike students could ride. I’ve even seen clubs draw students’ attention with a prize wheel they could spin to receive goodies.

<strong>2. Supply food, particularly candy</strong>

Treats never fail to bring a smile to a stranger’s face. Plus, it’s a conversation starter.

“Do you want some candy?” can always be followed with, “Here’s some brief information about what we are doing today.”

<strong>3. Be vocal</strong>

Don’t be afraid to yell and shout to those who pass by. I heard a member from the triathlon club consistently shouting to those walking by, “Ever heard of the triathlon club? Would you like to join?”

<strong>4. Be active</strong>

Hand out fliers to spread the word and hang posters on bulletin boards around campus. The act of tabling sometimes isn’t enough — students need to know where and when to find you.

There may have been a Facebook event page and posters in the WREC locker rooms to promote UThrive, but it obviously wasn’t enough to capture students’ attention.

Living a healthy lifestyle in college can be difficult, and UThrive could’ve been the remedy to help students get on the right track.

As leaders, we need to fiercely promote our events and organizations, and as students, we need to support those events with pride.

Let’s get active and stay active.

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<strong>Nicole Santos can be reached at</strong> <a href=”mailto:[email protected]”><em>[email protected]</em></a>

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