This past weekend, the university celebrated the 100th anniversary of the class ring tradition with the annual Ring Banquet and Ring Dance celebration. This and other traditions shed an important light on the university motto of Ut Prosim, “That I may serve.”
Throughout Virginia Tech’s history many have reflected and spoken about this motto, as it is central to the university’s land grant mission, but also to its role within the community. Did you know that this motto was first developed under the auspices of President John McBryde more than a hundred years ago? Today we have the Ut Prosim Society as one of the four giving societies, we have an Ut Prosim newsletter through the Alumni Association, and recently, the month of April has been designated “Ut Prosim” month.
As I reflect about “Ut Prosim,” I am focused on how we, as members of this university, can become more engaged and excited in these challenging times. For example, for many student organizations, this is the time of year for officer elections as groups prepare for the next school year. Annual Student Government Association elections begin tomorrow. One of the challenges that student groups face is a lack of students that are interested in stepping into leadership positions. In other cases, you have the same few students serving as officers in multiple organizations. I do not fault these students because often these are the ones that are making a difference and are the reason these organizations survive. It saddens me that more students are unwilling to volunteer their time and efforts to get involved in leadership opportunities.
The interesting thing is that students are seeking new ways to get involved and we can see how students have galvanized around Relay for Life and other causes. If anything, these efforts provide a concrete and tangible focus for students. Perhaps we need to explore how student organizations are structured to provide more tangible opportunities like these.
There are many different motives for students to get involved. In my case, I was very active in high school so when it came time to go college, I decided that I just wanted to complete my degree as fast as I could. Once I started, I was focused on my coursework and an outside job, but something was missing. It was campus involvement. I made the decision to get involved and that forever changed my journey.
A version of this article appeared in the Mar 30 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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