Community and Recreation
Geneseo offers an extensive Athletics and Recreation program that includes varsity as well as club and intramural level participation. No matter what your ability or level of commitment, Geneseo has a program to fit both the serious and recreational athlete. While college and club level sports do have tryouts, anyone can form a team to compete in intramural leagues, tournaments or special sporting events. Programs range from the usual, including soccer, baseball, and rugby, to the less conventional, including dodge ball, ultimate Frisbee and broomball. Check out the Athletics and Recreation website for more information.
The election of Class Officers for the first-year class takes place in October. Traditionally, the first event sponsored by this class is MidKnight Breakfast, a December evening activity in which faculty and staff serve up breakfast food to the students. Previous first-year classes have also planned spring events such as t-shirt sales and Game Night. Class Officers are also active participants in Class Council, the association of the leadership from all four classes.
Looking for a way to get involved? Geneseo has over 150 different clubs and organizations to fit just about every academic, volunteer, musical, and recreational interest that you could imagine. Involvement in clubs and organizations is a great way to get involved in the Geneseo community and meet new friends at same time. Have an interest that isn’t already covered by a club or organization? Groups of Geneseo student can start their own club, apply for recognition, and receive college funding to see their interest manifested. Want to talk to current members about a club on campus? The Student Organization Expo, which happens at the beginning of every semester features, displays by all the co-curricular activities that Geneseo has to offer.
Geneseo faculty, staff and students have become increasingly aware of and interested in a commitment to sustainability and locally grown organic food. Students and faculty have joined together to create a community garden located in the arboretum in the southern end of campus. In collaboration with local community efforts, Geneseo has created a sizable garden spot where students not only can learn how to grow fresh vegetables and herbs but also share in the harvests of the garden.
Deliberative Dialogues provide a way for community members of diverse views and experiences to seek a shared understanding of a problem and to search for a common ground for action. They are an ideal vehicle for students to engage in formal discussions outside the classroom to broaden their understanding of issues along with the local and global implications. Dialogue participants work through an issue by discussing each approach, examining what appeals to them or concerns them, and considering what costs, consequences, and tradeoffs may be incurred in following each approach. Currently one deliberative dialogue is offered each semester.
Dante House, located in Wayne Hall, is Geneseo’s first residential college house. One third of the spaces are to be reserved for new College Honors students and one third for new international students. Thirty spaces are open to new students who apply directly to live in this unique community on a first come, first serve basis. Dante House is reserved for those students who have a dedication to the community standards of quiet hours and study time. Those students who choose to live in Dante House are encouraged to think about civic engagement, community service and service learning as a part of their lives as global citizens.
So you’ve heard that Geneseo has countless opportunities to offer you, but sometimes learning about all the available options can be difficult. Not at Geneseo. Every semester the College Union hosts several different expos and fairs that showcase the many ways you can get involved on campus. These include the Volunteer Fair, Study Abroad Fair, and the Student Organization Expo. To start getting involved early, look for advertisements for these fairs and expos in the beginning of each semester.
Each semester, the Geneseo Opportunities for Leadership Development (GOLD) program offers more than 125 hour-long workshops that students may take individually or as a series leading to a certificate. In addition to the core leadership skills, there are also specialized programs in such areas as volunteerism, diversity, and civic engagement. First-year students are encouraged to jump right in and sign up for these workshops. A sampling of topics includes time management, running effective meetings, database searching, office etiquette, fundraising, ethical dilemmas, negotiation skills, and schmoozing.
First-year students must wait until their second semester to join a fraternity or sorority, but that doesn’t mean you can’t check these groups out earlier. In your first semester, you may attend the recruitment activities that are put on by the Greek organizations. During that semester, you’ll have time to note the types of events that each group sponsors. About 11% of Geneseo students choose to join a fraternity or sorority, which can result in lifelong friendships and close ties to the college.
Geneseo Student Television is a student-run campus television station that provides alternative programming for the entire college community. GSTV is a closed-circuit station, meaning that programming can only be accessed through campus cable. If you’re on campus between the hours of 12pm and 10pm, tune in to channel 4 to watch news, original student programming and broadcasts of Geneseo events and activities. GSTV is always welcoming new members, so if you’re interested in appearing on campus television, visit the GSTV website for more information.
There are a number of Honor societies on campus, some college-wide and some specific to a major. Nearly all majors have an honor society that issues invitations to those students that have taken a minimum amount of credits within a certain discipline while also performing at a high level of academic excellence. Most honor societies at Geneseo have an initial fee; however, once inducted membership is granted for life. Perform well throughout your first year at Geneseo, and you can expect to be invited to join honor societies in your sophomore year. Students who do well in their first year at Geneseo are invited to join Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society as sophomores. Other college wide honor societies on campus include Golden Key and Phi Beta Kappa.
Geneseo’s official student newspaper, known as The Lamron, is a weekly periodical that is written by students for students. It covers Geneseo sports, campus and local news, as well as promotions and reviews of events that are occurring on campus. In addition to the paper copy that appears on campus every Thursday, The Lamron also has a website which not only posts all the articles of the current issues, but also contains message boards and comment areas. This gives Geneseo students the opportunity to share their own opinions on articles, reported news, and general events occurring at Geneseo. Paper copies of The Lamron are available on Thursdays in most public areas including the College Union, Milne Library, academic buildings and the resident halls.
If you’re looking for something to do on a Friday or Saturday night, Geneseo LateKnight (or GLK for short) provides fun and free events for all students. Always hoping to keep things fresh and exciting, GLK programming includes a variety of events such as musicians, comedians, crafts and dance parties. LateKnight events occur all around campus, though primarily in the College Union, and run from 10 pm to 2 am on Friday and Saturday nights. Have an idea for a great program? GLK awards grants of up to $300 to students and organizations to provide programming on weekends. To be up to date on all the upcoming events check out the GLK website.
In addition to the countless activities happening all around campus, students will find that they don’t even have to leave their buildings to attend certain programs. Resident Assistants (RAs) are committed to engaging residential students by creating thoughtful programming designed to encourage personal growth as well as create socially welcoming environments. While these free programs are planned with residents of a particular hall in mind, programs are open to all students. With 97 RAs and 16 resident halls, students are likely to find a myriad of different and engaging programs to attend.
Wonder where your mandatory student fee ends up? The fees fund Student Association (SA) which oversees a wide variety of services for students. Tech support, election of class officers, the vacation buses, legal services, and campus movies are just a few of the programs run by “S.A.”. More than sixty clubs and organizations are funded by SA. The eight students who form the Executive Committee would be happy to talk to you about suggestions for student-centered programs or events. Drop by their office in the College Union.
Geneseo has two distinct ticket box offices on campus, each with its own function. Tickets for student theater, dance, and other art performances that will occur in the Brodie Building can be bought at the Brodie Box office. At the Student Association Box Office, located in the College Union, you can buy tickets for college sponsored concerts and professional performances, as well as tickets to ride the Vacation Bus. Both venues have on-line ticket sales.
WGSU 89.3 FM, “The Revolution”, is an independent radio station located on campus and broadcasting throughout Geneseo. While WGSU mostly features Indie Pop/Rock, it also has a wide variety of specialty music shows, as well as news and sport coverage. Love going to Geneseo hockey games, but have too much studying to do? WGSU broadcasts commentary and play-by-play action of Geneseo’s hockey team, the Ice Knights, which is also available via a live stream on their website. Want to be a DJ yourself? WGSU also holds interest meetings at the beginning of every semester to recruit new student DJs to join “The Revolution”. To learn more, check out the on-air schedule at the WGSU website. Don’t forget to tune your dial to 89.3 FM to hear the latest in indie and college rock.