Despite the West campus’ large commuter population, campus involvement is on the rise as a result of the efforts of West’s Office of Student Engagement.

The organization, which changed its name from the Office of Student Life last year, has been present at the campus for more than a decade.

According to their Web site, the group “takes leadership in creating a student-centered campus community.”

“Our goal is to help every student find a way to get involved in the campus community, whether it is through attending events, joining a student organization or getting connected within their academic college,” Coordinator of Student Affairs Sheila Conner said in an e-mail.

The Office of Student Engagement supports student clubs and organizations and often works with the Associated Students at ASU West student-government group to support the student body, Conner said.

Recently, the engagement office has been involved in the creation of a Programming and Activities Board at the West campus.

The board is responsible for setting up activities and programs to promote school spirit, Conner said.

Events put on by the activities board so far this year have included a blood drive and the Café Chillax social event.

October will bring a Movie Fright Night on Wednesday and an upcoming trip to Westgate’s Twisted Big Top.

Bailey Carlin, a global business and marketing freshman who is assistant director of PAB West, said she was surprised by the board’s success.

“We are starting from scratch and trying to get our name out there,” Carlin said. “We thought our first two events wouldn’t get very many people, but we were packed.”

Carlin said the goal of the organization is to get students involved in campus life and to socialize with each other.

“We don’t want students to just come to campus and leave,” she said. “We want to make West a family and to get involved in each other’s lives. Stay awhile, chill out, and meet some new people in a fun way.”

Getting students involved in campus activities can be difficult, though, due in part to the West campus’ high population of commuter students.

While 368 students live in the Las Casas residence hall, more than 9,000 students live somewhere off campus, according to West’s information hotline.

But the organization’s efforts have been successful, Conner said.
“We’ve already seen greater interest in student organizations and increased attendance at campus events,” she said.

The increase in student participation may be because of a number of changes the office has made this year, including the use of information from the University Student Initiatives committee.

The committee identified issues students face as the semester progresses, and Student Engagement designed its programs as a response to those issues.

Reach the reporter at joshua.snyder@asu.edu.