Spotlight: 6 Student Orgs at UCR

UC Riverside is home to over 350 student organizations. With so many to choose from, it can be hard to determine which to join. I was the girl in high school that held some type of officer position for every club imaginable. But as college students, choosing one or two organizations to put our effort into is much easier to handle in the long run. Graduate schools and future employers are going to be interested in the quality of work you invested in a group, not the quantity of orgs you were involved in. Below, I’ve listed organizations on campus that I or friends have enjoyed being a part of during our short time here at UC Riverside.

Mujeres Unidas

Mujeres Unidas is an organization on campus primarily made up of Chicana and Latina college women, though men and people of other ethnicities are always welcomed to join. MU helps members gain friendships much like a sorority, without the necessity of having to pledge. They host events, do community service throughout the Inland Empire and host the Mujer Conference at the end of each year. Their main goal is to empower women while simultaneously building lifelong bonds among themselves and the community.

Source. The ladies of MU with Scotty during Homecoming Week.

Her Campus UC Riverside

If you are like me and love to write but don’t really like being told what to write about, Her Campus UCR is the organization for you. HCUCR is a branch of Her Campus, an online women’s magazine written for college students by college students. Their articles include Campus Cuties, Campus Celebrities, Campus News and blogs. If you love to take photographs or do publicity, HCUCR could be a great way to get involved on campus as well.

Habitat for Humanity

If you love to do volunteer work then Habitat for Humanity at UCR is the club for you. They work within the Riverside community to help low-income families maintain adequate housing. Apart from working together to help the community, they host a wide array of socials to help the org members get to know one another. Some of the socials they hold are bowling fundraisers and hikes to the C.

Source. Members of Habitat UCR during a Helping Hands event.

American Sign Language

American Sign Language Club is a new organization on campus that hopes to teach members language skills, the history of deaf culture, and deaf community awareness both globally and locally. This organization is open to any UCR student or staff member, as well as members of the community. Their long term goal is for UCR to offer ASL courses for students.

Source. Their first general meeting is tonight at 5:30 in HUB 265!

909 Hip Hop Dance Troupe

If you love to dance, 909 is the group for you. While there are other dance organizations on campus, 909 is the most active and performs in many arenas other than UCR. You can often find them practicing near the Student Rec Center and they are very friendly and approachable if you have any questions. They held auditions this past weekend, but I spoke to a current member and they at times hold auditions mid-year.

Source: 909 Hip Hop Dance Troupe performing at Block Party 2011.

UCR Alumni Association

If you enjoy networking and attending UCR events like Block Party, UCR Alumni Association is the org for you. They work to help students new and old network with alumni, and they often offer services for current students to interact with alumni with similar career goals as them. Another benefit of joining UCR Alumni Association is that members have the opportunity to continue to attend campus events such as Block Party and Spring Splash!

-Rubi