Updated: April 11,2022

One of the biggest enablers of school-related apathy are leaders who have become complacent with the process of attracting in­terest.

Apathetic leaders (students and staff) repeatedly do the same thing for their events or program, yet expect different results. It goes a bit like this: The leader thinks of a basic idea that has typically been done numerous times before, a few lackluster emails are sent, and often an un­inspired poster is made to attract interest; then they wait. They wait for interest to manifest like a lucky unicorn in a forest of cot­ton candy. Needless to say, these leaders are usually left disap­pointed and wondering where it all went wrong. Studies have shown that students who get involved in extracurricular activities tend to earn better grades and enjoy more satisfying college experience.

However, in today’s world of instant gratification, organiza­tions must think outside the box in order to grab the attention of interested people. This includes brainstorming ideas for events that you would want to attend even if you were not associated with the group. Is it something that will motivate people to give their valuable spare time to? Next, go beyond the marketing ploy of emails and posters by ac­tually talking to people you don’t know about your function. Some organizations help spread the word by teaming up with spon­sors and networking with other organizations. Lastly, leaders should keep a record of the at­tendees to contact for the next function.

One organization that got it right was the Criminal Justice Student Organization (CJSO) and their advisor, instructor Doug Braun. Over 1,100 people attend­ed the protective services expo last September at the Oak Creek Campus. Perhaps an extreme ex­ample, but the same strategy was applied. A vision was created and they had a tremendous amount of help to drive its success, in­cluding creating opportunities by talking to everyone who would listen.

Interest in extracurricular activities at universities and col­leges has waned for decades. The trend is worse at two-year schools like ours, where the de­mographics tend to veer toward older, more established students. However, the possible payoff of better grades and an overall bet­ter college experience should be the extra motivation we all need