Zoom meeting with all the student leaders of the “Building Your Buckeye Community.” Credit: Courtesy of Connor Jones
Whether you’re looking for friends or help finding a job, the new Buckeye Connections Cohort is working to make up for the shortage of opportunities caused by the pandemic.
After results from a universitywide Student Life survey reported students lacked the ability to socialize and build their career networks in the fall, Ohio State launched Buckeye Connections Feb. 1 in collaboration with Buck-I-Serv and Buckeye Leadership Fellows. The six-week program has two tracks, one focusing on social and community connections and the other on networking and career advice.
Connor Jones, program coordinator for Buck-I-Serv and leader of the community track of Buckeye Connections, said 182 students signed up for Buckeye Connection’s initial run.
Originally, the two tracks were created separately — Buck-I-Serv creating a community network and Buckeye Leadership Fellows creating a career network — Beth Johnson, assistant director of Buckeye Leadership Fellows and leader of the networking track, said. The organizations realized the two could combine, and Buckeye Connections was born.
Applications for the community track were planned to open Monday but have not, according to the Buck-I-Serv website. Students interested in the networking track can contact Johnson at [email protected].
“Any student who is looking to continue to build community and continue to leverage their network, this is a program they should definitely participate in,” Johnson said.
The social track, called Building Your Buckeye Community, emphasizes creating casual settings for participants to talk to and develop relationships with each other, Jones said.
Jones said throughout the six-week program, students will meet in groups of about 10 for an hour to an hour and a half each week. The groups are led by other students, mainly leaders involved with Buck-I-Serv and other student activity organizations who will guide the conversations with ice breakers and prompts but ultimately let the conversations flow naturally.
“It’s kind of a natural extension of what Buck-I-Serv does,” Jones said. “It’s building something that really supports people who need it at that time.”
Jones said he expects the community track of Buckeye Connections to be mostly comprised of first-years and second-years, but all are welcome to join the program.
The Building Your Buckeye Network track focuses on three tiers of connection including peers, Ohio State faculty and staff, and professionals beyond the university, Johnson said.
Participants in the networking track will meet every other week for an hour and work on additional assignments during weeks they don’t meet, Johnson said. Meetings will be led by Johnson and Rob Jech, director of the Buckeye Leadership Fellows Program.
“A huge obstacle for students is building a level of comfort and efficacy as it relates to their own confidence and being able to do outreach and network successfully with other professionals,” Johnson said.
The peer-to-peer section of the networking program consists of simple strategies for connecting with students and other young people, such as working on elevator pitches and networking over coffee, Johnson said.
Johnson said the faculty and staff level involves meetings to discuss letters of recommendation, references and part-time jobs on campus.
Johnson said the networking track will culminate in a networking event with alumni and professionals to provide students a place to use the skills they develop.
“Every student and any student who is seeking an opportunity to enhance their skills, build more connections across campus has an opportunity to do it,” Johnson said.
Jones said he hopes the program will continue into the future and beyond COVID-19 because the core principles of the program are vital to Ohio State students regardless of the state of the world.
“There are always going to be times when people struggle for connection, even when they’re able to physically connect with people,” Jones said. “And they may not have the tools or the resources to do so.”
