Analysis of Dickinson's Social Action Groups

The following analysis is based on the results of the Social Action Group Questionnaire as well as an interview with Gretchen Symons, Director of Student Activities.

Interview with Director of Student Activities

How effective do you think the social action groups on campus are?

It depends on the group and what their mission statement is. Most of the groups are very effective, but in very different ways. Each group has a different audience and a different message. The most powerful groups are good at knowing what they want to do as a group. Successful groups are also good at reaching out to other organizations.

Do you think Dickinson students are aware of the events and issues that many of the groups raise?

It varies from group to group. When something happens in the news, students tend to pay more attention if there is a group on campus that deals with that issue. We saw this most with Hurricane Katrina. Some of the most successful fundraising efforts on campus were for raising money for Katrina because students were aware of the issues surrounding it. Students tend to mirror society in their actions. However, students aren’t aware of other issues that aren’t as well known in the media, but that’s the nature of society.

Do you think that the groups work together? And do you think that groups would be more effective if they worked together?

I would really like to see more diversity in groups. There are some clear natural partnerships that regularly occur, but I’ve seen that the most successful partnerships have been unlikely partnerships, such as Sigma Alpha Epsilon working with the Muslim Students Association on the Fast-a-thon. The event gained a lot of recognition from a number of different groups on campus because of the diversity of the groups involved. Unlikely partnerships will almost always gain a bigger audience and I think that’s when events and groups are most successful, so yes, I’d like to see more diversity and partnerships within the groups.

What do you perceive the biggest problems of social action groups on campus to be? There are three main problems I see: advertising, partnerships and time. Time and advertising kind of go along together. Because there are so many events going on, there are always tons of flyers everywhere. It’s hard for students to distinguish between the flyers because they are bombarded with them. Along with that, students are involved in a lot of those events, but don’t have time to attend all of them. So attendance because of time is a major problem. And finally partnerships, like I said before, a lot of groups tend to partnership with similar groups when I think they would be most successful if they worked with unlikely groups.

There are a disproportionate number of groups on campus that deal with race issues, all in different capacities. Do you think there should be more groups dealing with gender or sexuality issues?

I think groups need to pay more attention to these issues because it exists within all races. Once again, I think partnerships need to come into play here. For example, if a group that deals with racial issues worked with Spectrum, there could be some very interesting discussions that arise. But in general, I think it’s difficult to talk about sexuality and gender issues because of what people will say, and that’s just a larger societal problem. However I think that the issue of respect and understanding differences is something that all groups should work on. Even if two groups have different viewpoints, a respect and understanding of one another is something I think needs to be worked on.

What about classism issues?

I would like to see issues of class discussed more in the world in general! But once again, class, just like sexuality and gender, is something that affects all races, and I think it needs to be talked about. Even if it starts within a single organization, like within a single greek organization, it definitely needs to be talked about so that everyone has a better understanding of those around them.

Do you have anything else you would like to add?

Certain students can be leaders, but they shouldn’t be the only ones. It’s their purpose, but if they want to advance and be successful they need to branch out to other students.

Key Take Aways

• Branch Out! By working with an organization that has a different membership type, you will expand your horizons and even more likely, your effectiveness on campus.
• Work Together! Instead of competing with an organization that has a similar mission to yours, work together to create an even more successful event. Students are more likely to attend if you have one event supporting one cause rather than three events for the same cause.
• Look Within Your Group! Issues related to gender, sexuality and classism can be discussed within your group. Before looking to other groups to discuss similar issues, learn more about them with people you feel comfortable with.
• Respect and Understanding! Everyone has different views but every group will be more successful if we create a common understanding and respect for one another.