SPEA Ganza is an event welcoming SPEA students back to campus.
Originally, the event was planned for Wednesday, Sept. 9, but was postponed because of weather concerns.
Jennifer Forney, director of undergraduate programming for SPEA, said SPEA Ganza will be an event with cookout food, a disc jockey and the opportunity to connect with other SPEA students as well as faculty and staff.
Inside the building there will be tables with information about the more than 20 professional student organizations in SPEA.
Students will have the opportunity to sign up to attend callout meetings, and if students visit a certain number of tables during the fair, they can also receive free SPEA gear.
This is the first time the event will be geared to all SPEA students, whether they’re undergraduate, graduate or doctoral, Forney said.
“We do see ourselves as a large family in SPEA, so we hope that students first and foremost want to connect with the larger school community, be a part of our family,” Forney said.
Casey Crandell, a third-year masters student in SPEA and co-chair of the Student Life Activities Council, which organizes the involvement fair, said the event will be a good way to learn about the diverse student organizations that exist within SPEA.
Some organizations are open only to undergraduate students, masters students or doctoral students, but some are open to any SPEA student.
Organizations range from the Nonprofit Management Association to the IU Model United Nations to the Environmental Management and Sustainable Development Association.
The newest official student organization within the school is the Student Veterans Association at SPEA, which Megan Siehl, director of graduate student services for SPEA, said is intended to provide support and camaraderie for veterans and active duty servicemen and women engaged in an academic program.
“Really the whole gambit of any interest you could possibly have within the public affairs or environmental affairs arena, there’s something there to fit your interest,” Crandell said.
Crandell said the organizations that will be present at the fair might not have been present at the campus-wide student involvement fair. For this reason, Crandell said he feels it will be worthwhile to visit the SPEA involvement fair if a student is interested in public affairs or the environment.
Siehl said involvement in student organizations provides the opportunity not only to engage with others socially and to develop personally and professionally, but also to build a resumé.
Forney said, in SPEA, it’s considered a priority for students to understand the necessity of applying what they learn in coursework outside the classroom, whether that is through a student organization, a campus activity or an activity in the broader community.
“SPEA is very forward-facing and as future leaders for the greater good, which is part of our brand, we want our students to understand that developing and becoming a leader means really taking it outside the classroom and applying it to real-world settings,” Forney said.
