Q&A: The Ins-and-Outs of Involvement at Emmanuel

What does it mean to get involved at Emmanuel? Find out from the source: learn all there is to know from Luci Delgado, Senior Associate Director of Student Involvement, about getting involved in student life on the Emmanuel campus, how the Office of Student Involvement (OSI) supports that ecosystem and what it means for students to get their ROI - Return on Involvement - from their Emmanuel undergraduate experience!

You’ve been instrumental in shaping student life at Emmanuel. How do you see your role in building a culture of involvement?

I view myself as the point person that is here to help students understand the bigger picture of involvement. I think students tend to see that we’re planning, but I want them to see that it’s a lot more than that. It’s about creating a sense of belonging and community for students who participate.

Also, for the students who are putting in the event request or doing the budget submission, they’re gaining skills even though they don’t always connect the dots! Every time we do trainings, I want them to make that connection, so I see myself as that bridge between “I’m a student leader, and I do events,” and also, “How can I think about this in terms of career readiness and the person I want to be?” That’s what I see my role being – connecting the bigger picture for students.

How do student clubs and organizations shape the sense of belonging on Emmanuel’s campus?

When speaking with the Student Government Association (SGA) about approving a certain club or idea, the argument I’ve made is that it doesn’t matter what the club is. If there’s ten people that want to get together and talk about Taylor Swift, so be it! It creates community they now have with those ten people, and those people can literally be the vehicle that changes a student’s perspective about college, or Emmanuel specifically. 

If there is student who is disconnected, and then they find the Swift Society, or the Asian Student Association, for example, it gives them a sense of, “I have my small community.” Student organizations are really essential to creating that life outside of the classroom.

What do you think is unique about the about the student involvement culture at Emmanuel compared to other colleges?

Our clubs and organizations are driven by the interests of students. We have EC Dance Marathon, which has transitioned to HaloThon. It keeps going because the students have their drive to support Boston Children’s [Hospital]. The Swift Society wouldn’t have been created a couple years ago if the students didn’t want it, or Tabletop & Alternative Gaming, so it’s really driven by what the students want. We try to make it constructive, creative and innovative in the way we guide them with the event planning, but we don’t make decisions on what’s approved. The decision ultimately goes through the SGA and is student led, and that’s really unique.

For new students, what’s the best place to start if they’re not sure which club or organization suits them?

The first step would be our Engage page, that’s the hub we want students to be interacting with, but also SGA would be the resource of what different organizations exist, how to get involved. Obviously, there’s our office as well, but I really want this to be peer-to-peer conversation, so I always turn students toward their class board, and if you really feel like you need more help, then you can come to us.

What advice would you give a student who’s hesitant to join a club or org because they don’t know anyone yet?

Go to events! We do a great job of having something going on every day, so if they’re thinking of joining something, attend the events to see if it’s an interest of yours, and then speak to the executive board about what they do and if they have open positions. The first step is going. Sometimes first year students say, “I don’t want to go alone,” but if you go, you won’t be alone because there’s people at the event! This idea that, “If I don’t know people I shouldn’t go,”—I really want students to step out of that.

How have you seen students grow through the involvement in clubs and leadership roles? What is the “Return on Involvement” at Emmanuel?

The students I work very closely with, like the Emmanuel College Event Team, we’re always having conversations about the connection between overseeing a huge budget to preparing for a career. We talk about managing conflict – what does that mean when you get into the workforce? 

Our last board president of the board wanted to go into health care. Oftentimes our conversations were about, “how can this translate into that field?” Sometimes your patients might not always be the easiest people to work with. Or we talked about the idea of being culturally competent, so how can we have more events that are accessible to everyone? That also translates into the health care field, you want to be accessible to your patients, you want to be thinking about equity and inclusion. Even if it’s on the event team, that thought process already translates into you being a professional. There definitely is a return on involvement, we just have a bigger responsibility to help them understand what that is.

Can you share a story or example of a club that’s had a significant impact on the Emmanuel community?

Thinking about HUELLAS because it’s very top of mind right now. Latin Explosion has been happening for 25 years. It’s in the middle of Latin Heritage Month, and it’s an opportunity for families to come to campus and see their student getting involved. This year, I was talking to a father of a student on the executive board, and he was so pleased, actually very much in awe, saying, “I can’t believe my daughter is doing all of this this. She’s able to program and plan great events, and she’s also an RA. She’s really branched out!” I also talked to a parent of a sophomore who said it’s amazing that his student can come to this campus and be affiliated with students who are from the same culture as her and connect. Having conversations with those parents is very rewarding. I’m proud that Emmanuel has been doing something like that for the last 25 years.

How can student leaders learn to balance the demands of being a college student?

I think students grew up with this idea that they always have to be busy and balance so many things. What I tell students is that I’d much rather they do two things, do them extremely well, and dedicate the majority of their free time to those two things. Think, “what brings you joy?” Do you like doing these five clubs, or do you only want to do the one that makes you happy, makes you feel good about yourself, and lets you bring your skills to the table? If it’s five things to do just because you want to be busy, then it’s not that important. It’s going back to that “why,” and then, “what keeps you here?”

What role does collaboration play between clubs, or between student groups and staff?

If two organizations are able to collaborate, you’re bringing a different audience together to have conversations or enjoy something they might not have gone to themselves. It’s really important to expand peoples’ perspectives but also expand the varieties of opportunities we offer, and to highlight some of these student organizations. A prime example: we had our Programming Board, which has a large budget, pair with the Muslim Student Association (MSA) on one of their programs last year, and it was a huge success! It elevates the MSA because they don’t have as big of a budget. They’re able to dream big when it comes to that event and showcase a lot more than if they were only programming on their own.

How does being in Boston expand what’s possible for student organizations?

I always say to students, “We’re in a great space. You can always do programming on campus, but how are we making things accessible for students to do things outside of campus?” We’ve done tickets to the Celtics, the Bruins, but we’re discounting it so students are able to go and enjoy a game. It’s a perfect place for us to be able to tap into the resources, culture and events of Boston in general and be able to provide students with that experience. I think we have a responsibility to take students out in Boston in a safe way! As much as we want to have them here [on campus] we want to push them to explore what’s out there as well, especially if they’re not from Massachusetts.

How do you see student involvement evolving over the next few years? Are there any student interests shaping involvement right now?

There’s a growing interest for recreational programming with a fitness piece to it. We have our EC Fitness Club, Field Hockey Club. There’s a need for students to not only be involved, but active in a way that is taking care of their health and wellness. We’re seeing that it’s not just Athletics that is responsible for having this, it’s shifting to how we can make spaces for students who just want to play tennis or field hockey. Just as well as gaming and e-sports, that’s something that’s just as huge, and I’m seeing students ask about how we can create a space for gaming. 
 

If you could describe the Emmanuel student community in three words, what would they be and why?

Our students are eager, ambitious, and dedicated. Oftentimes I’m so impressed by what they are doing in the classroom – because I’m mostly involved in the activities piece of it – when I get to sit down and talk about coursework, research, or internships, I see how devoted that are to their academics. I get to realize how much it means to them to learn and how hardworking they are.

What’s a moment that made you think – “this is why I love my job.”?

I have a note that a student wrote to me two years ago, and I keep this on my board because it’s a constant reminder of why I do what I do. When I’m losing touch of that, I get to come back to this!

This is a student we interviewed for an Orientation position, who barely wanted to talk in the interview, but I could see that he wanted a place where he could feel like he belonged, where he could express his leadership qualities. I could see that he was a leader. I went back to my team and said we have to hire him, he’s looking for a place where he can thrive, so we hired him. He came back the second time around, and now he’s an Admissions Ambassador! So, when I see him around, I’m like, “where would he be if I had not taken a chance on him?” It brings me back to what I’ve been saying: we have a responsibility to push students a little bit and to see what they’re not able to see in themselves.