Opportunities Outside the Classroom

By Natalie Weygandt

They meet, they plan, they organize and they take action.

Who are they?

They are the organizations and clubs of Miami that organize around academic subjects.

All these groups perform the function that the Middletown campus's Botany Club President Angela Polachek articulates for hers: "While students don't want their education to stop in the classroom, we use our club as a medium, which allows students to continue to apply knowledge."

Students may think of the clubs primarily as resume builders, but Tina McCormack, president of the Public Relations Student Society of America, reminds that "members have the opportunity to put as much in as they want to get out."

And of course, socializing is a key component. "You get to know other students with common interests," said Economics Club advisor David Hineline. "It's nice to know others in your major."

What follows are glimpses into four of these groups.

Public Relations Student Society of America: PRSSA

If you want to believe the organization's PR, Miami's chapter of PRSSA is the largest in the country with over 200 members.   Nationally, the organization boasts 248 college chapters.  

As a student branch of a professional organization - the Public Relations Society of America -- PRSSA links members with networks of   practitioners.

"It's an amazing opportunity you don't get in the classroom," said President Tina McCormack.

As the 2004-05 school year ended, executive board members and six different committees were working on some major plans: re-vamping the monthly newsletter, working to encourage more membership involvement, and -- their major project -- planning their 2006 regional conference.       

"We want to make sure every one is getting something out of " PRSSA, said McCormack.   "Our meetings are a lot more productive. Our organization has allowed us to be more efficient."

By fostering more involvement, the executive members want to get other members enthused. New activities include recognizing outstanding members and presenting members of the month.  

"We're trying to put enough into it so that members can get a lot out of it, even those not as active," said public relations chair Kassaundra Majoy.

PRSSA's regional conference will be held at Miami in February 2006.

  "It's a big undertaking for all of us--getting it all together to the point where we can invite other chapters," Majoy said.

Planning this event involves contacting guest speakers, getting uptown venues to participate, sending press releases, as well as keeping tabs on their budget.  

"We have some really dedicated students that are well organized and interactive to get speakers, book dates, create bios and promote the event," said McCormack.

PRSSA also continues to bring guest speakers to campus, hold luncheons and offer opportunities such as Pro-Am day, where members shadow PR professionals.

Economics Club

Every first Tuesday of the month, roughly 20 students gather at Steinkeller Bar, dining over an array of appetizers, discussing their schedule for the week, how classes are going, what they did the previous night--and other topics such as fair vs. living wage, perfect competition and productivity.

Miami's Economics Club comes together at non-traditional settings, such as the bar Steinkeller, to raise economic issues like Social Security.

"We're just a group of people that like to talk about economics," said president George-Paul Richmann.

Members gain the opportunity to learn how current economic events inform and shape the world they live in.   The club invites speakers, hosts student-faculty picnics and takes field trips to financial or business institutes such as the Federal Reserve Building in Chicago.

"It's a new organization going on a whim, thinking big, getting people interested in economics, showing where an economics degree can take you," said member Ravi Pandey. "The debates are good to see how people come about their views--people's political and cultural effects are exhibited."

John D. Ferguson, professor and chair of the economics department, acknowleged the new club leadership when they held a discussion on fair trade coffee, at the uptown coffee house Kofenya in the fall. In past years, he said,   the club had usually only emphasized getting guest faculty to speak.   But now, he said, it sponsored new discussion forums at a variety of places.

"There are many diverse issues and complex stuff we can talk about," said Richmann.   "We branched out and talked with other groups during a Peace and Justice Public Forum," which was the fair trade on coffee event,  

David Hineline, club advisor and assistant professor, highlights some benefits of the organization--how it gives awareness to important relevant issues and how the members have the ability to discuss these issues while hearing other standpoints.

Middletown Botany Club

Last summer a group of students anxious to get their hands in the dirt took the inactive Ecological Club, renamed it as the Botany Club, rewrote the constitution to suite their own mission, and took the left over money and began their venture.  

"We have a strong core of botany students [at Miami University Middletown-MUM] that are extremely energetic," said Miami Middletown professor and Botany Club advisor, Carolyn Keiffer. "They approached me with the idea and over the summer rewrote the bylaws for their new Botany Club."

The original goal of the club was to get students from a variety of majors together to do botany and ecological activities.

According to botany club President, Angela Polachek, they didn't want to recreate a botany class.   They wanted to take it a step beyond the classroom work.

"We want to make [the club] as inclusive as possible," said Polachek. "While students don't want their education to stop in the classroom, we use our club as a medium, which allows students to continue to apply knowledge"

After just a couple meetings, they held a MUM plant sale on campus.   With that money they purchased a variety of perennial plants for the campus.   In addition to their meetings they took a field trip to Greenfield Plant Farm, went on a camping trip to Benua House and Hocking Hill, and conducted a tissue culture workshop where club members and faculty cultivated new African Violets.

Prior to the holidays, the club wrapped up the semester by participating in the MUM YUM Craft Bazaar.   They sold Pine and Cedar centerpieces which many of the faculty took part in crafting; all donations went to the Dream Center.

In December, they successfully proved their club's commitment when they were awarded with "Outstanding Student Organization of the month."

"The staff and faculty have been very supportive," said Keiffer.   "They are the busiest group on campus, hands down."

With a varying group of majors, ages and backgrounds, the club is able to get different perspectives

"We have a good balance," said Polachek.

During the second semester the club hosted a Valentine's Day flower sale took a spring break trip to Calloway Pine Mountain in Georgia as well as Tallahassee Florida and took part in Campus Community Day at MUM.

"Its amazing what everyone will pull together and do," said Polachek. "People will still bend over backwards even when they can't partake in every event."

Miami Geological Society- MUGS

The Miami University Geological Society also known as MUGS, is a student organization that allows students to pursue their geological interests outside of the classroom.  

Any student who has a passion for environmental studies is encouraged to participate in the geological club.

MUGS is involved with various activities. Perhaps some of the most exciting activities that the members of the club get to experience are taking various field trips.

Some of the places that members of MUGS have ventured to include Red River Gorge and Mammoth Cave.   Over the 2005 spring break, the group took a trip to Utah and participated in a workshop within the geology department.   The trip was lead by faculty advisor, assistant professor Brian Currie.  

MUGS is organized by student officers, along with a graduate advisor and faculty advisor.

Watanabe, who has been involved with MUGS since 2001, said that she doesn't have to do much with the organization of the club because the undergraduate officers do such a great job with all of the organization responsibilities.

The student officers of MUGS include a president, vice-president, treasurer, and a secretary.   The student officers have individual responsibilities, but collaboration with one another is important to keep the club successfully organized.

The officers of MUGS clearly exemplify the leadership components necessary to have a functional student club within the university.

Read more of Natalie Weygandt's articles:

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