Welcome to the new semester, Golden Grizzlies. It’s a brand new semester — different courses, new people and a heck of a lot more experiences are heading your way if you haven’t already started to see them seep into your life. It’s a great time of the year.

In fact, it’s the best time to be at Oakland University because of how easy it is to get involved. Many people will tell you how the beginning of the school year is the easiest time to meet new people and get involved, but if you ask me, I’d say right now is.

What’s that? You don’t know how to get involved? Or where to even go for all of that? You’re clueless about it all? Well, I’ve got some good news for you —I’m here to help.

Whether you’re a new Grizzly this semester, a middle-aged Grizzly with the experience of multiple semesters, or you’re a full-grown seasoned veteran at OU, there’s never a wrong time to get involved.

Set aside the fact that there are more than 200 student organizations at OU. Let’s say you don’t know you can start your own organization here. Let’s say you have zero knowledge on how to get involved.

Now, let me tell you that everything I just wrote is true. There are over 200 student organizations on campus. You can start your own organization. And a lot of you don’t know how to get involved. Here’s how you start.

First things first — come down to the basement of the Oakland Center. Quite a few student organizations down here can help you find a way to get involved.

For example, Student Congress (OUSC) is here to be the voice of the student body on campus. Student Program Board (SPB) is here to provide entertainment opportunities like Casino Night or the annual concerts to the students and sometimes the surrounding community. WXOU radio station is here for all of those who would like to pursue further opportunities in broadcasting, and they also cover OU athletic events and provide entertainment at events. The Oakland Post (which is what you’re reading right now, in case you didn’t know) is here to provide information to the campus community on events, breaking news and trends.

Further on down the hallway, you’ll find the Student Technology Center (STC), which is a place that computer-oriented students can go to get involved, and you can also check out the latest gadgets for your schoolwork. Across from that is the Center for Student Activities (CSA) where any and all students can go to find more places to get involved. Student Video Productions (SVP), located in the basement of Varner Hall, is here for when you want to learn all about video production.

The best part about all of these is that there are ample opportunities to get involved, as little as joining a committee to becoming a regular member of the organizations.

How do you do that? Take the first step. That’s all that it takes. I look forward to seeing you around.