Representatives from eight of the College of Business’ student organizations set up shop Tuesday afternoon in Austin Hall’s Masterson Family Marketplace for the college’s Club Fair.
Members passed out information — and in some cases, candy as well — and answered questions regarding membership and club activities and expectations.
Represented Tuesday were the Marketing Club, Management Club, Sales Club, Enactus, DAMchic (fashion magazine), Beta Alpha Psi (accounting) and the Institute of Management Accountants.
Links to detailed information about all of the college’s student groups are available here.
High-fives from Nicaraguan children were among the highlights for the OSU Enactus group.
For eight members of OSU Enactus, winter break meant a trip to someplace warm, but not to rest and relax.
Enactus is an international group through which university students work to discover their own potential while helping to improve the economic situation of others, and the Beaver chapter of the organization sent a contingent to Nicaragua for continued work on a microloan program there. OSU Enactus has made multiple journeys to Nicaragua, including one last July.
“There were many heartwarming stories that gave us contentment for all of the hard work that had been put in,” Garret Flowers reported on the OSU Enactus blog.
One of them involved a woman named Andrea Sanhante, who has a business that sells tortillas, beans and cheese to community members.
“We were inspired by her work ethic and her ability to multitask with her career and her family,” Flowers wrote. “It is amazing to see how the program impacted her small business. She has said that she has increased her profits by nearly 50 percent.”
Their plan was to start a youth sports program for children with disabilities. While the win received the headlines, over the past year the group has put the plan into action and quietly improved the lives of dozens of children in the Corvallis area.
“The progress has been gradual, but the small changes, the excitement of the kids when they’re making goals or seeing their friends, those little things are just as great,” said OSU College of Business student Alli Stangel, a project lead.
The idea was conceived by the OSU Enactus entrepreneurship club, of which Stangel is a co-president. Called STAR Sports, the program meets once a week at the Corvallis Sports Park, which donates space and equipment for the program.
Activities focus on team building as well as how to play sports such as soccer and basketball.
“The ultimate goal is to have them be able to participate with their peers at school, so they know what the sports are, the rules and what behaviors are expected,” Stangel said. “We just want to make it a real low-pressure environment and encourage everyone to participate.”
Around 15-20 children take part each week, with a nearly one-on-one volunteer ratio. That involvement was part of what made the plan a success at the social business challenge. The Oregon State team saw the supply of active, engaged students in a college town as a resource the venture could use to its benefit.
“Sometimes it’s overwhelming the number of people who want to come. Sometimes people just have to come and watch or support,” Stangel said.
There have been challenges, though.
With the space and equipment being donated, sometimes times and location change, which can be difficult for families. While college students are great volunteers, occasionally classes can interfere with activities.
“It’s hard explaining what midterms are to a 5 year old,” Stangel jokes.
Still, the program has been a success. This year a STAR Sports session fell on Halloween. One mother told Stangel that she gave her three kids the choice of Trick or Treating or going to STAR Sports.
“They chose STAR Sports,” Stangel said with a smile. “Just to hear that was incredible, and makes all the hard work so worth it.”
