At Langston University, there has been an uproar about last minute communication from administration and registered student organizations. Students are saying that they are not being informed about events unless they are already near the area the event is being held or hearing about it word of mouth in close proximity. There has to be a change with how soon communication is sent out.
Kashia Cha, a senior agribusiness major, feels as if events aren’t being advertised the way they used to be pre- Covid. She thinks a helpful way to increase timely communication is to explore other options to promote events. “I think that individuals can send their event flyers and even if they don’t have a flyer, just send the event to the Office of Public Relations because they’re the ones who send out mass emails to all of us.” Cha also believes there is a lack of communication amongst organizations and administration. “I think a lot of it actually stems back to the pandemic because people are graduating and we can’t host events, or easily have meetings without full attendance. Sometimes people aren’t learning how to operate in their position, so it just kind of falls on the organization’s activities and structure.”
As far as people being passed the torch on positions, it should be highly encouraged for previous members to teach upcoming members how their positions work. By doing this, peers will become prepared and it seems like on campus a lot of students are not being prepared for their roles. So it would be best if the Office of Student Life hosted a workshop (in person, not virtual) to demonstrate how to use lion links, the website where events are approved and schedule, and also have one-on-ones with people in positions that are preparing to leave and those wanting to take on those positions so that they can be aware of how to run a successful organization.
Kayla Smith, a junior agriculture science major, feels like events are not being supported how they should. “It can seem like people are putting in events at the last minute, but also at the same time the events are not being as prioritized as other organizations that may have events going on.” Throughout the campus, it is common for organizations to mainly use social media to spread the word about their events. Smith feels that individuals will only come to events if it is posted on the Langston U Drip Instagram page and if it isn’t then no one will really show up. Smith also believed that there is another way events can be promoted besides social media.
“Events can be highlighted by having an alert system like we get when storms are coming but instead it can be for events occurring on campus. I know there are great organizations that don’t get the same coverage compared to other organizations like the Ambassadors, we have a lot of people behind us, you know, so at least when it comes to other clubs like ASLS and others, they don’t really get the same coverage from the same impact.”
Samiya Robinson, a sophomore business finance major, thinks events are not being attended as highly because of campus engagement. “It’s been an issue throughout the semester where students just really don’t come out for a lot of different things because they aren’t informed about them. And they get notified the day before or the day of. So they just feel like oh, well, nobody else must be coming. So I shouldn’t go and some individuals still miss out because they do not have social media.” Robinson also shared how she feels communication can improve. “ I just feel like if we continue doing word of mouth and placing flyers across campus will allow the campus to become visual and talkative again.”
When it comes to ways to promote events, Langston definitely should return to word of mouth and hosting campus socials to engage the campus with the organizations. This will be helpful because it will allow students the chance to know what the various organizations are about and would serve as an opportunity for that organization to promote any upcoming events. Relying mainly on social media has proven to not be an effective way to gain support for events. It helps with promoting but that should not be the only resort.
Communication that occurs sufficiently early and promptly is referred to as timely communication. According to Full Sail Leadership, “For communication to be truly timely, it should not only be useful but also occur at an opportune time. People in organizations need information early so they can act promptly. Moreover, when communication is timely in an organization or enterprise, its leaders can make the most of every opportunity.” Basically timely communication can give an organization the opportunity to plan effectively and as for students will allow them to make arrangements to attend an event.
Moving forward, our campus should remember that we are the population that makes our campus active. The purpose of organizations is to help build community and if there is a lack of communication, there will be a lack of participation.
Sharodon Jenkins
Staff Writer
Sharodon Jenkins is a junior broadcast journalism major
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The Gazette serves as the student voice of Langston University. It is produced within the Department of Communication as a teaching tool and local news source for the campus community. The views and opinions expressed within are those of the writers whose names appear with the articles and do not necessarily represent the views of Langston University.
