“Student Government Association. Sounds a little intimidating, especially for an incoming
freshman, but let me tell you about the time I joined SGA in my second week of being a college student. My name is Rachel Berns, and I am a health sciences major with minors in nutrition and our university honors program from Covina, CA. Putting yourself out there and getting involved in college may seem overwhelming, but the process was actually easier than you might think. In the summer, I attended an information session hosted by our Department of Student Engagement about ways to get involved on campus, and I learned about SGA and the process of “running for senate,” surprised to see it was open to first-year students. As fall semester approached I did a lot of stalking of the organization’s Instagram account, read up on the Lowerclassmen Senator position, decided it was what I was most passionate about, and just ran with it! The campaign process was exciting, anxious, and everything in between. After a quick week and a half of Instagram posts and constituent signatures, I suddenly had a new official title as Senator Berns (still sounds funny to say out loud).
So what does a college student government even do? In SGA we have an executive branch,
judicial branch, and a senate; each member has a designated purpose to advocate for certain groups, organizations, or departments on campus. Our job is to amplify the student voice, act as a bridge between the student body and administration, and most fun of all, we get to work on position specific initiatives that directly benefit our constituents! Some of my favorite projects I’ve worked on include establishing a fund to financially support students as they take graduate school entrance exams (i.e. the GRE, MCAT, etc.), and serving on the school’s Curriculum Task Force, which oversaw the development of our Ethnic Studies minor and has been working on implementing a diversity GE requirement. Beyond the initiatives, some of my favorite memories have simply risen from our weekly senate meetings every Friday, where we get suited up in business attire and discuss ways to better support the Chapman Community. In team bonding and holiday events, we’ve shared more laughs than I can count and created so many inside jokes just through the Zoom chat.
Now, heading into my sophomore year, I have been elected to serve as the Crean College of
Health and Behavioral Sciences senator, and am excited to continue doing all the behind the scenes work that makes our university function as successfully as it does. I came to Chapman with a drive to create meaningful, positive change, and SGA has given me an outlet to do just that. Once you are a Panther, you’ll never have to worry about not knowing how to get involved or what to get involved in - the opportunities are endless enough that your only worry should be about getting over-involved. But if you still don’t believe me, come to the student involvement fair, follow clubs on social media, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, and the opportunities will present themselves on silver platters to you. Look into SGA, how you can join, and what we can do for you when you get here! You won’t regret it.”
- Rachel Berns
“Hi Everyone! My name is Marjan Moshiri and I am a senior sociology major with and emphasis in social work and a music minor with an emphasis in voice from San Carlos, CA! I am a part of the Chapman University ChapTones. We are one of five a cappella groups on campus. I have been a part of the group since my freshman year and will be serving my second term as president in the 2021-2022 school year. The ChapTones have been a huge part of my Chapman experience since day one considering I auditioned for the group on my birthday. We sing a lot of really cool music while also getting to know each other and create a community on campus. The cool thing about a cappella at Chapman is that all five groups hang out and sometimes even perform together.
I joined the ChapTones because I sang in choir and a cappella groups in high school and knew that I wanted to continue in college. Some of my favorite memories with the group have been competing in ICCAs (The competition that they do in Pitch Perfect), going to different schools to participate in their festivals, and throwing our own festival, TonesFest! It has been so cool to travel with some of my closest friends to places like Arizona and almost Oregon (Thanks Covid) and also be able to put on an entire festival with other groups from different schools.
Getting involved with the ChapTones was one of the best experiences I have had with Chapman and I would recommend joining organizations that interest you. Some of the best ways to get involved are going to the clubs fairs, asking your OLs and friends and just keeping an eye out! Welcome to Chapman everyone!
- Marjan Moshiri
"Hello incoming Panthers! Whether you're into screenwriting, surfing, improv, philosophy, coding, self-care, or even jump rope, Chapman is sure to have the club/organization for you! As you know, Chapman is in Sunny Orange, California (just minutes away from my hometown of Fullerton!) With such an eclectic and prime location, no wonder Chapman offers a wide variety of clubs - so many that it can be intimidating. I understand how overwhelming it can be. As a Business Administration major (marketing emphasis/analytics minor), I'm all about making the right decisions - which is why it was so difficult to actually join a club. However, coming from a senior who spent half of her college experience during a pandemic, please heed my advice when I say: "Join as many clubs as you can now!"
The first club I joined at Chapman was during my sophomore year. Why sophomore and not freshman year, you ask? Well, I can come up with a list of reasons I told myself: I don't have time. I'm still adjusting. It's at an inconvenient time. I don't know anyone. I'll go next week. The truth is that I didn't know what to expect, and I let that fear get to me. I don't have many regrets, but not joining clubs my freshman year is one. Sophomore year, I finally built up the courage to attend a club. I decided to join Kapamilya, Chapman's Filipino Club (Kapamilya meaning family member). Out of the over 200 clubs Chapman offers and the long list of clubs that I was interested in, I decided to join Kapamilya out of familiarity. Being of mixed heritage, I grew up with various cultures, including the Filipino culture, which I gravitate to due to the welcoming values at the community's heart. One of my favorite things about Kapamilya is that it is a place to embrace and explore the Filipino culture and welcome people of all different cultures/backgrounds - it is inclusive, not exclusive. The first semester of Kapamilya, I absolutely loved! I met fun people (I met, who would become, one of my best friends), ate good food, and had fun during meetings and outings. The club also has their version of bigs/littles (we call them: ate/kuya/ading), which was interesting as my big/ate was studying abroad during the reveal! We even started learning a traditional Filipino dance, Tinikling, shortly before the pandemic.
I had so much fun in Kapamilya that come spring semester, I was ready to join more clubs! As I previously mentioned, however, half of my college experience was during a pandemic. If you haven't done the math by now - yes, it began my spring sophomore year. That said, as the world stood still, so did all my plans for clubs. Fortunately, Kapamilya still held meetings the following year, but being active through zoom can have its challenges, as many of you may know. Incoming Panthers, however, you have no excuse - we are back in person. I wish I could press rewind with my club engagement, especially as some clubs are no longer with us (e.g., Pagan - anyone interested?). My final note: Join clubs/organizations, go to events, be active, meet new people - whether liked-minded or different-minded! Explore and have adventures - don't be afraid and don't wait until later, because later, you may not have a chance. You only have one chance at being a freshman - Make it count!"
- Nina Valdez, ninaazalea.com