DIGI Lab project leaders Crane Benson and Astrid Myers supported the digitization of the Student Involvement Calculator. (Photo by Finnegan Szakats)As a new year begins, students’ minds often turn to resolutions – to explore the city, study more or meet new people. However, many feel that it’s too late to get involved with organizations on campus. The Office of Student Involvement is looking to change that.
“Student organizations are looking for members year-round,” says Courtney James, senior director of student involvement. “There are a lot of community events in the fall, but January is a big time for students looking to join new organizations — it’s a new quarter, many have New Year’s resolutions, and they still have two quarters left in the year. This is a great time to get involved.”
With over 350 student organizations, the options can be overwhelming. The Student Involvement Calculator is one way to break through the noise.
The process takes only minutes to complete. Students can input their topics of interest and preferences for cultural and religious groups, and within seconds receive a tailored list of organizations to explore.
Game design for community building
The calculator was built in a collaboration between OSI and DIGI Lab, a group that integrates game design into projects around the DePaul community.
“We do a lot of skill sharing,” Jes Klass, director of DIGI Lab and School of Design faculty member, says. “I oversee the development of projects, but the work itself is student-led and created. Our student team leads take on project management and collaborate with other students to manage projects from start to finish.”
Students were central in digitizing the calculator. Crane Benson, a recent graduate from Game Programming, drove the project’s development and worked with Astrid Myers, an animation student, to create the final design. The team regularly met with Mary Osbourne, associate director of student involvement, and Cindy Morales, student organizations coordinator, to determine the functionality of the tool.
A pathway to connection
The Student Involvement Calculator is one of many services offered by OSI to support students in finding community.
“The calculator is just one tool — we hope that it piques their interest to do a deeper dive and explore more, but the most important thing is to show up,” James says. “Going to an org meeting for the first time can be scary, but if you can get through that, you have an opportunity to connect with a group that’s happy to welcome new members at any time of the year.”
Winter Welcome Week programming this year features Blue Demon Bingo, an involvement fair, and a student basketball game. Students are encouraged to check out the calculator and get up-to-date information on events from OSI and student organizations on DeHub.