Oakland University’s Center for Student Activities currently boasts 300 groups to choose from, with nine new organizations added as of the 2014 fall semester.

Students can join groups from a plethora of categories — everything from Greek life to academics, social awareness and sciences — all accepting new members who share a common interest and want to get involved with others on campus.

Among the nine new student organizations, The Michigan Council of Nurse Practitioners (MICNP), League of Engineers and Computer Scientists and The Journey provide some insight into their fledgling organizations for prospective members.

A niche for nurses

Peg Kennedy, registered nurse practitioner and president of OU’s Michigan Council of Nurse Practitioners, said her organization is excited to get itself off the ground and increase membership in the coming months.

“Our goal is to establish a valuable resource for OU nurse practitioner students and graduates,” Kennedy said. “That will provide information relevant to NP practice, networking, skills workshops and more.”

Although providing nursing students and graduates with a “home” on camps is a major goal of Kennedy’s, her biggest hope for the organization is to keep OU’s current and future nurses up to date on Michigan’s changing legislature.

“We will strive to provide many opportunities for nurse practitioner students to take an active role in their profession by advocating for legislative changes that will allow (nurses) in the state of Michigan to practice to the fullest extent of their training and education,” Kennedy said.

In addition to keeping OU’s students and graduates of the nursing program up to date on important legislative actions, Kennedy hopes the MICNP-OU will provide “mentoring, coaching and networking opportunities” for all group members.

The journey to fit in

In keeping with the idea of having a “home” on OU’s campus, Antionette Debose, mother of two, grandmother and student, created her group, The Journey, in order to give adult and nontraditional learners a place to call their own.

“I remember my first day at OU as a junior social work student,” Debose said. “Feeling out of place and really disconnected. Most students were cohorts coming from high school and had already completed two years of studies on campus.”

Debose said that this disconnect prompted her to speak with social work director Maria DeVoogd Beam about starting a group for nontraditional and adult learners.

Debose’s goal for The Journey is to serve as a link between the university and adult learners who are coming to campus in order to change their life’s path, and accomplish something great.

“We want to lay the groundwork for those who will follow us in this endeavor, and provide age-specific resources that will assist an older adult returning to college,” Debose said.

Debose conducted research and found that within the next 10 years, the number of adult learners on campus is expected to increase even more. This will provide the opportunity to continue The Journey’s “journey” as the group strives to serve as a resource for learners, ages 35 and up, on campus for the first time.

Making things happen

Computer science major Dominic Dabish is taking a more creative and fun-loving approach to his new student organization.

“It’s gonna be sweet,” he said.

Dabish is the founder of the League of Engineers and Computer Scientists (LECS) — a new organization that hopes to “join together idea-makers, programmers and engineers to make amazing new stuff,” Dabish said.

LECS will hold bimonthly meetings where members will work on exciting projects. Meetings will contain discussion of new and upcoming electronics, members will film YouTube videos showcasing the work that they’ve done within LECS, and resume-building coaching will also be provided.

According to Dabish, the end goal of LECS is to “explore, develop understanding and establish engineering and computer scientific enhancements and programs.” However, LECS won’t be stopping there.

“You’re reading it (in) The Post now,” he said, “but you’ll see it on skyscrapers.”

A space to call home

Student Cameron Hanson wanted to create a base on campus for students sharing interest in an area of study where Hanson saw a void in campus involvement: space, astrobiology and aerospace engineering.

Hanson hopes that The Astronomical and Planetary Society-OU will give like-minded students the opportunity to pursue research opportunities and internships, and reach out to the community.

“We welcome all majors,” said Hanson. “The love of space and science spans all kinds of majors.”

Hanson hopes that The Astronomical and Planetary Society will spur enough student interest over time to inspire an astronomy or astrophysics degree program at OU.