After seeing a lack of student life on campus, Camosun College Student Society outreach and advocacy coordinator Michael Glover and clubs and events coordinator Tagg Kelt have created the Camosun Campus Life Guide.
The Camosun Campus Life Guide is a guide for students to learn about upcoming events and activities they can participate in. A handful of students were hired to design the guide, and now, it’s a centralized source for students to learn about events happening that could enrich their on-campus life.
“I spent a lot of time thinking about campus life, and I’m always struggling with this idea that there is no campus life,” says Glover. “And it’s really hard to create campus life here because it’s hard to get space… There are so many competing priorities at Camosun and not enough resources, so that’s a struggle. But there are always faculty and staff trying to create student life, but there’s no single place we can go and see where it all is.”
There are several reasons why Glover believes this guide will be important. He says it will help students meet new friends, create long-lasting connections, and help new students adjust and settle into Victoria if they have moved here from elsewhere.
“I think the connections you make in your early life are often when you make some of your deepest friendships, and that impacts your whole life going forward,” says Glover. “The other thing is now, about 15 percent of our student body are international students. And it’s hard enough if you come to Victoria and get yourself established in a community… They want to meet everyone and make connections.”
With rent and grocery prices skyrocketing, many students must work part-time or full-time jobs while juggling school responsibilities as well. Because of this, students are busy and they don’t have time to search for campus events, so Glover hopes the guide will make it easier for them to participate in student life.
“Students don’t have the time they used to have,” he says. “I’m stepping up to fill the gap, so they have to organize less to have the same experience. I have paid work experience that is running these interactions, as well as faculty and staff who are stepping up to run clubs.”
While listings for student events and activities are available on the CCSS website, Glover hopes that having a physical guide around campus will remind students to check out what’s happening around campus more often.
“The idea of having a physical guide is less about having a physical guide, but it will create awareness,” says Glover. “I can put it up in every department’s office and everywhere people will go, and it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah.’ It’s a physical reminder to go subscribe to our calendar, so you know what’s going on.”
The Campus Life Guide will be available around campus and as a PDF at camosunstudent.org.