The Oakland University Student Congress and other student leaders hit the road recently for a Student Union Tour.

The purpose of the trip was to explore options on ways to continue improvement at Oakland and build on the membership of the student body.

The all-day event  included stops at Eastern Michigan University, Bowling Green University, Ohio State University and University of Akron.

OUSC, along with leaders of the OU student union, looked to draw inspiration from fellow collegiate institutions on ways to draw prospective college students and the surrounding communities to show interest in Oakland and the experience that an education at OU has to offer.

In a joint effort with the student organizations on campus, leaders of OU are looking to present the opportunity for the student body to have a voice on future changes that the university will look to make moving forward.

“This opportunity was a great way to show the how Oakland is looking to get students involved in decision making with the university,” said OUSC President Samantha Wolf.  “It really showed how great our administration here at OU is allowing students to have a voice  in what goes on here.”

Topics discussed included ways to improve dining options offered to students on and off campus.  Recreation activities were also highlighted with all the visited sights offering a variety of unique features for students in their down time and improvements to student services and organizations.

“It definitely served as a way to find more innovative ways to improve our campus now and moving forward in the future,”  said OUSC Director of Student Services Amera Fattah. “It made me realize just how lucky we are here at OU and opened my eyes to appreciate the little things we do well here.”

When it comes to attending college, school spirit is one of the most attractive ways to get students involved and build positive morale and leaders on campus look to drive members of the school to showcase their pride more than ever.

“I really loved the school spirit exhibited with Ohio State and Bowling Green,”  Wolf said.  “With homework and everyday life struggles, getting mascots more involved along with more involvement between organizations and fellow students will go a long way to bring the campus together as a family.”

New improvements are coming to Oakland with the recent approval of a $65 million project that will include a student housing facility, a four-story parking structure, an expansion to the Upper Fields, the expansion of Library Drive and a Facilities Maintenance building.