ULM does a great job at advertising large Recognized Student Organizations. They show them at PREP, hold large events for them and sometimes send out emails about their student elections.

However, these RSOs aren’t the perfect fit for everyone. Me included. 

ULM needs to do a better job of showing minority RSOs to incoming college students. It will help new students find where they fit in.  

Coming to college I had a really hard time finding a place where I fit in. I didn’t know anyone. And the people I did know were nothing like me. I often wondered how there are thousands of students here, but I couldn’t find one friend. 

I think a lot of us struggle with this because we try to put ourselves into these organizations. Don’t get me wrong, they are great for many people, but not everyone. 

ULM has many RSOs it doesn’t show off as much as others. Many of them represent different minority groups that aren’t fairly represented on campus. 

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is an RSO that is a community for people of color that deserves more recognition. They offer a safe space for people of color while allowing their voices to be heard. They hold fun events that bring people together while educating them. 

If you are a woman, Ambitious Women’s Society might be the RSO for you. They seek to empower and unify women. Women can often be pinned against each other, but AWS strives to bring them together as one community. 

Being part of the LGBT community in the south can be hard. However, LAMBDA offers a community for LBGT individuals. They deserve to be recognized because of how much they help the LGBT community. They give recognition to people who are non-binary, asexual, pansexual and many others who are often underrepresented. 

And last but certainly not least is ULM’s new Cultural Diversity Council. They are a fairly new RSO to ULM but that does not mean they should be underestimated. They seek to serve students and empower diversity, and that is exactly what they do. They started off strong with the unveiling of the Black Lives Matter letters and aren’t going to stop there. 

These RSOs and many others deserve more attention from the university. They can benefit students tremendously. 

When we come to PREP, these RSOs need to be shown off alongside many others. The meetings they have need to be advertised more. Their hard work needs to be shown off to everyone. 

When you feel you know no one or have no one to turn to, check out these organizations. They are some of the kindest people on campus that will accept you with open arms.