Increasing Student Participation in College Organizations :: Business

Increasing Student Participation in College Organizations Student participation in the annual Business Society Haunted House is essential for the future of this great event. Penn State DuBois has nearly one thousand students attending classes, but on average only fifteen students volunteer their time each night over the five-day period. This presents a problem for the Business Society. If student participation continues to decrease, this event will only be a memory. During our search for possible solutions to this problem, we used several research tactics. These tactics included distributing a student survey on campus, conducting personal interviews with the co-advisors and officers to the Business Society, and also with students who were involved in past years. We also researched journal articles and made contact with department heads to show the significance of student involvement in on campus activities. If students are aware of their ability to be involved in the Haunted House, they are more likely to participate. One way to accomplish this is by increasing advertising on campus. If students are offered incentives for participating, they will. Gift certificates from area businesses and free food will entice students to donate their time. Faculty involvement is crucial for the success of the Haunted House. Our findings indicated that students would volunteer if faculty offered class points to them for doing so. INTRODUCTION Background When Halloween rolls around it means ghosts, goblins, and scary creatures come to life. At Penn State DuBois it also means the annual Business Society’s Haunted House. The Haunted House is a smashing success every year, raising thousands of dollars for local charities. These charities include the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and the United Way (Muth). The Haunted House is a five-day event. There is a day of set-up that transforms the campus gymnasium into a spooky and frightening Halloween Haunted House. The completed Haunted House is then open to the public for three evenings. The fifth and final day is teardown, in which the gymnasium becomes recognizable again. Problem Description The same problem arises every year, lack of student participation. The lack of student volunteers is a continuous problem for all organizations, yet for the Haunted House it’s especially problematic. In a student survey conducted on the Penn State DuBois Campus, 88% of students said they were aware of the Haunted House; however, only 35% of students said they participated in it (Questionnaire).