Two weeks ago, I traveled 19 hours with the Grizz Gang to Tulsa, Okla., to watch the men’s basketball team compete in the NCAA Tournament against the University of Texas.

Though we didn’t win the game, the event was still victorious — it marked a turning point in my personal journey here at Oakland University.

Each of my two years at OU has been drastically different.

Picture me last year. I was the type of student who only ventured the 15 miles to OU just for class, sprinting out the door to return home right as class was dismissed. I made no effort to attend any of the events offered on campus, and the only friends I had were leftover from my high school years.

Fast forward to this year. I’m the features editor of The Oakland Post and the founder of The Muggle Quidditch League of Oakland University, a social organization that currently consists of 50 players and counting. I am on campus every day, often for more time than I would ever commit to, and I go to a majority of events, even hosting some of my own.

But this editorial isn’t about me, it’s about you.

The recent proposal to increase the student activities fee by $5 — from $25 to $30 a semester — could immensely help students obtain the proper OU experience by making it easier for students to get involved.

An approval of the proposal would allow organizations to devote more to the events that are on campus almost every day like Casino Night, European Night and a celebration of the Chinese New Year, which were all free of charge for everyone.

With an increase in student funds, students will be able to get additional monetary relief from some of the more elusive trips like the upcoming day trip to Chicago, offered for only $10 a student, $15 for guests.

For $35, students were given tickets to two NCAA games and enjoyed the luxury of a chartered bus all the way to Tulsa, which only heightened the appeal.

The extra money would also help bring more speakers and concerts to the school.

In the past, OU has had people including the likes of Oprah Winfrey, former President Jimmy Carter, Mitch Albom, Jimmy Fallon and Al Roker visit students, not to mention the more recent appearance of rapper Lupe Fiasco that was made possible by the Student Program Board and a group of students on Twitter.

Other than events, concerts and speakers, there are nearly 220 student organizations on campus, leaving a wide-open area for students to get involved. On the off chance there isn’t a club that you a re interested in, that extra $5 would help you create an organization of your own, as I did this year with quidditch.

I have heard a lot of students complain about OU saying that it is “boring” or “uneventful” or that they can’t make everything that’s going on because they commute, but that’s no excuse.

As a commuter myself, I often find the time to come out to the events.

People have also complained to me about the $25 fee saying it didn’t affect them because they weren’t involved in anything, but then I watched them consume some of the free food that was offered at a movie screening, food that was made entirely possible by the funding.

Already a part of every student’s tuition, there really isn’t a reason for students to vote “no” on the proposal. The funds are what allows OU to have the university appeal that too many students ignore.