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Clemson | Culture

Leadership And Positive Change On A College Campus

Isabella Taylor Student Contributor, Clemson University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Clemson chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Isabella Taylor

Do you have any troubling social issues or problems that you’ve always wanted to address? Maybe you’ve seen things boiling up at your campus, and you want to get the word out about a solution sooner rather than later. If that’s the case, then I’ve compiled a couple of insights about change and leadership on a college campus that I think really help get the ball rolling.

As the current Editor-in-Chief at Her Campus Clemson, I have always appreciated change and leadership. I love steering a group of people in the right direction, especially if I’ve got a plan in mind.

No. One Statistics

Since it’s not always obvious how many college students are really into change, extracurriculars, or leadership in general, I’ve compiled some statistics from Inside Higher Ed to clear some stuff up! 

“Three in 10 students spend zero hours per week on extracurriculars, clubs or groups.”

“Half of students spend one to five hours weekly on extracurriculars, clubs, or groups.”

“More than four in 10 students say timing and locations of events limit social involvement in campus life.”

“About three in 10 students each say their campus involvement is negatively impacted by lack of knowledge about activities and events.”

“43% of students receiving financial aid say timing and location of extracurriculars and events hurts their ability to participate, compared to 31% of students with no financial aid.”

“About a third of respondents overall have held leadership positions in a sport, club or group since starting college.”

No. Two Issues Worth Addressing

Here are some ideas and issues worth addressing on your college campus, especially if you don’t have anything in mind at the moment, but you know that you want to make a positive impact.

Representation of Women: Women are still facing some troublesome statistics in higher education, and it’s definitely worthwhile to devote some time towards a petition of an organized group of like-minded people. For example, according to the National College Attainment Network:

“While women earn nearly 60% of all bachelor’s degrees, they receive only about 22% of engineering degrees and 19% of computer science degrees. The absence of female faculty and mentors in these fields discourages many women from pursuing careers in STEM.”

Environmental Sustainability: The environment is one of the most important aspects of human life to date, arguably the most essential thing for survival. Why not help make it beautiful, sustainable, and promote healthy change among those on your college campus?

Free Speech: College life is going to be one of the most confusing and liberating times you’ll ever be a part of. Therefore, people are always looking for ways to get their opinions out further, and depending on their opinions, they might be limited in some capacity. 

If you dislike book bans, any sort of restriction on free speech, or maybe just want to get your voice out even further, then I would recommend taking up a plan of action in advocacy for your opinion.

No. Three Plan of Action

Now, there is no right way to organize and plan leadership, but there are a couple of great ways to get started. First, you should aim to gather a group of like-minded individuals, and aim for a mix of undergraduate and graduate students, or a faculty member. Therefore, you can have the general voices of your student body, and some wiser directions.

I would also recommend maximizing efficiency, either by delegating roles/tasks to certain people, or creating some sort of system–potentially and Google Classroom page, or Flare–that keeps everyone accountable.

Once you have an idea and want to make a plan of action specific to your goals, you should lay out everything on one document or sheet of paper. Outline exactly what the problem is, your intended solution, and work with your team on how you’re going to get there. 

If you’re still having trouble with the “how,” then put up flyers around campus, asking people for their ideas. Include some way for them to contact you as well. A petition is also a great way to get change going around campus, especially if you can turn it into a member of the student government.

I hope these methods helped you brainstorm some ideas for making a positive impact on your campus!

Isabella Taylor

Clemson '29

Isabella Taylor is an undergraduate working towards her B.S. in Economics with a Political and Legal Theory Minor at Clemson University. She is a Lyceum Scholar and a member of the CUBS Living Learning Community at Clemson. Isabella's mother owns a lavender farm in Lenoir, NC that Isabella works on seasonally, so the idea of hard work is nothing new to her.

Isabella's late father was a decorated Captain in the US Air Force, and his unfortunate passing in 2012 has given her a strong desire to uplift those around facing similar hardships. She is also the middle of five daughters, all of which have always created a strong female network for her throughout her life. Without her younger sister, Olivia, Isabella wouldn't have made it as far as she has.

Isabella loves reading, especially books by Jane Austen and Sarah J. Maas. She is also an avid writer and lover of creative non-fiction, having developed this affection through reading her mother's many published personal memoirs. If not writing or reading, Isabella can be found studying at the library with friends, preferably with a PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) on her desk.