Student Life Offers Something for Everybody


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Student life at tabling event

A special University club just for hammocking? At Plymouth State it鈥檚 a reality, along with dozens of other options for staying fit, making new friends, and expanding the horizons of what a campus community can be. After a year in which some activities had to be curtailed, Plymouth State students were welcomed back this fall by staff just as eager as they were to dive into great Student Life offerings.

鈥淲e want to give students something to get involved in,鈥 says Drew Guay, director of Campus Recreation and Student Life. 鈥淭he big thing we talk about is really making sure we have something for all students, and be the place where students can really find their fit.鈥

Students in gym

The centrally-located Fitness Room features recreation staff who provide orientations for every ability level. Programs such as a recent Ladies Power Hour, which gave special attention to women, are tailored to meet the needs of the PSU鈥檚 diverse community.

Students of all interests find healthy options through intramurals (more than 20 teams are now competing for fun in basketball, futsal鈥攁n indoor sport that combines football and soccer鈥攁nd volleyball) and in pick-up games. Students can also gain career-boosting experience, and several Plymouth State student leaders recently won National Association of Campus Activities awards.

Campus Recreation is always on the look-out for ways to engage and recently held its first Group Exercise Showcase Night. 鈥淚t allowed us to showcase our yoga and spin classes and bring them into the residence halls to create more awareness around our programs,鈥 says Guay. 鈥淚t has also encouraged more students who are interested in teaching classes in the spring semester to get in touch.鈥

Aidan Sinclair 鈥23

Aidan Sinclair 鈥23

Aidan Sinclair 鈥23 a Campus Recreation intern majoring in criminology with a minor in psychology, really enjoys interacting with his fellow staff and patrons. He recommends two things for students looking to get involved. 鈥淔irst, attend campus events. It鈥檚 a great way to meet new people and have fun. Second, get a job on campus. There鈥檚 no better way to get involved than to support your community.鈥

The Office of Community Impact promotes community engagement, including service-learning projects, off-campus federal work-study opportunities, service trips, and professional development tools and workshops for students. 鈥淥ne of the new things we have been doing are the community dinners, where we have students twice a month prepare and share meals at the Bridge House, a homeless shelter and veterans support center,鈥 says Casey Krafton, assistant director of community impact. 鈥淭his has been an immensely impactful program that doesn鈥檛 required a lot of commitment and is open to anybody at Plymouth State.鈥

The dinners take their place among clothing and food drives, the staffing of on-campus food pantries, and clean-up projects that have been facilitated by hundreds of student placements. Krafton鈥檚 office has also been a leader in the 鈥淐hoose Love鈥 initiative, which recognizes Plymouth State鈥檚 outstanding environment that promotes collective wellbeing.

The Student Engagement Team works closely with the Student Government Association to be as inclusive as possible, and students are encouraged to join together with peers in forming all types of groups that are of common interest outside of the classroom. New groups this semester include She鈥檚 the First (an international nonprofit that supports girls鈥 education worldwide), Anime Club, Backcountry Skiing, LatinX Student Union, Jewish Student Coalitions, and Ethical Hacking Club. There are , and the University is also proud to host a growing and revitalized Greek life community. 

 

Hammocking student

鈥淲e鈥檝e been expanding the definition of what the clubs truly are,鈥 says Guay. 鈥淔or example, there is a hammocking club, which is so cool. Students bring hammocks and we meet up back of the Langdon Woods area of campus to hang out. Students really enjoy it and we didn鈥檛 know how much of a community there would be for this until we tried it.鈥

鈥淎lways ask questions about the club, sport, or sport club you want to get involved with on campus鈥 says Ryanne Duffy 鈥22. She combines her coursework in criminal justice, pre-law, and child and family welfare studies with a full slate of extracurricular activities, including serving as captain of the PSU Dance Team, an Admission tour guide, and a desk attendant in Pemigewasset Hall. 鈥淢y advice to new students who want to get involved is, not to be afraid to try to new things!鈥

The Student Government Association is also highly responsive to new avenues that enhance the student experience. For example, the Multicultural Student Affairs Committee was launched this semester to empower, support, and see students. The committee is working out of the Social Justice Corner in the HUB and plans to be a consistent presence on campus and within the community.

鈥淚 really enjoy branching out and working directly with people in any way I can鈥 says Devonte Gilmore 鈥24, who is double majoring in communication and media studies and in political science. He also holds three key Student Government Association posts: treasurer, vice chair of the Finance Committee, and chair of the Multicultural Student Affairs Committee. Gilmore encourages others to get similarly involved. 鈥淵ou can truly find a place for yourself on this campus,鈥 he says.

Student Life offerings help students succeed in college and provide tangible benefits that are enduring. 鈥淎ll of the statistics show that the more involved you are in and around the school, the higher the GPA you鈥檒l have, and the happier you will be overall,鈥 says Guay. 鈥淪tudents who are considering Plymouth State should know that there鈥檚 a lot more to us than just being a place to get a degree. PSU is a place to make friends and family for a lifetime.鈥

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