The African American Voices Gospel Choir poses on the stairs. Credit: Courtesy of Briana Anthony
At first glance, Ohio State can seem intimidating, but finding a home in the right student organization can help students make connections, build relationships and make a large campus feel a little smaller.
Ohio State’s main campus is home to about 1,400 student organizations. With options ranging from major-specific to those that highlight art, politics, religion, identity, sexuality, culture and language, choosing just one to explore might be the real challenge.
“When I was an incoming freshman, I was kind of at loss with this huge campus and kind of wanted to find my people,” Angela Li, a third-year in neuroscience and president of Dance of the Soul from China, said.
Li, who joined Dance of the Soul from China her freshman year, said the organization aims to create an environment for people who love to dance and have fun, regardless of cultural background or prior dance experience, by creating, practicing and performing cross-cultural dances at events such as Lunar New Year and Taste of OSU.
In addition to hosting workshops for multicultural carnivals, Dance of the Soul from China also brings in outside choreographers to teach in different styles ranging from traditional Chinese fan and ribbon dance to more modern dance, Li said.
The club meets Friday from 7:30-9 p.m and Sunday from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Ohio Union. Those interested in getting involved are encouraged to email Li at [email protected].
“Whether or not you want to learn the Chinese culture, learn Chinese dance or just want to make more friends, it’s absolutely more fun when there’s more people with different backgrounds and you have more ideas on the table,” Li said.
For those who would rather sing than dance, the African American Voices Gospel Choir has been bringing Ohio State students together to celebrate God through singing and rhythmic movement for the past 30 years, Briana Anthony, a fourth-year in philosophy and president of AAV, said.
“We uplift things of hope and positivity and encouragement,” Anthony said. “We are a Christian organization, so the Christian God and Jesus are common themes also in our music.”
Anthony said she joined AAV as a freshman because she was interested in seeing other Christians on campus and building up her own community. She said the choir, which meets Wednesdays at 7 p.m., is about 40 members strong and majority African American.
“We do have students who come from different racial backgrounds who attend our meetings and are part of the choir, which is cool, but we usually are majority African American throughout the years,” Anthony said.
Anthony said AAV usually performs at the MLK Day of Service, African Night, African American Heritage Festival, Gospel Fest and any events held at the Hale Center. Those interested in getting involved with AAV can email [email protected] or send a DM to their Twitter or Instagram accounts.
One of the oldest student organizations on campus — established in 1875 — is the Men’s Glee Club, which has been making music at Ohio State longer than any other group, Jarrod Hay, a fourth-year in neuroscience and president of the Men’s Glee Club, said.
“If you are coming to OSU, it’s a little scary because there are 60,000 students here,” Hay said. “But the biggest part of what we are is community. It’s a group of brothers. It was very impactful for me as a first-year and through all my years.”
The Men’s Glee Club travels around the country to perform, sings at events on campus and performs community service in Columbus, Hay said. They hold meetings Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4:10-5:05 p.m. in Hughes 100.
“We do tailgates on all the Saturdays before home games during football season,” Hay said. “We go over by Oxley’s, and we just sing all of the Buckeye tunes and have a really good time. That’s honestly my favorite thing we do as the Men’s Glee Club.”
For incoming freshmen who are passionate about singing and building community, both the Men’s and Women’s Glee Club are a quick way for them to find a home, Hay said. Men’s Glee Club hosts auditions during the first two or three weeks of each semester. Information on the club and other campus choirs can be found on the Ohio State Choir page.
For LBGTQ students looking for their on-campus community, joining a student organization like Pride could help them feel more comfortable and accepted, Ross Gilson, a third-year in environmental science and president of Pride, said.
“For a queer freshman, it would be a really great way to meet other queer people, especially if you lived in an environment like me where you didn’t have a lot of people,” Gilson said. “Before I was at college, I wasn’t out at all, and now being in Pride for coming up on three years now, it’s made me feel a lot more accepted and comfortable with myself.”
Gilson said Pride is a safe place for queer people to come together and build relationships with other queer students while having a good time on campus in a more relaxed environment. Gilson said Pride hosts events such as game nights, trivia and queer history nights, as well as a tie-dye event at the end of the semester.
“Mostly, our mission is just to make people feel accepted and included, not just on the basis of being queer, but any type of person from any background,” Gilson said. “We do our very best to be as inclusive as we can and make it a safe environment.”
Gilson said anyone interested in joining Pride or attending a meeting can email [email protected].
Incoming freshmen can make their way to the Autumn Student Involvement Fair either in person or online Aug. 22 from 4-7 p.m. to scout out potential student organizations and meet other involved students.
