{"id":228661,"date":"2025-04-23T07:01:34","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T11:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=228661"},"modified":"2025-04-28T10:48:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T14:48:40","slug":"student-activities-building-a-sense-of-belonging-at-uconns-regional-campuses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/04\/student-activities-building-a-sense-of-belonging-at-uconns-regional-campuses\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Activities Building a Sense of Belonging at UConn\u2019s Regional Campuses"},"content":{"rendered":"

To watch Aylanie Bonilla in action as a UConn Waterbury student ambassador, it\u2019s easy to imagine she\u2019s always been the sociable go-getter who leads campus tours, meets with high schoolers, and participates in multiple clubs.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s those very activities she credits with giving her a sense of belonging at UConn, where the Storrs campus felt so large to her in her first semester that she transferred to her hometown campus in Waterbury.<\/p>\n

Like thousands of other students at UConn\u2019s four regional campuses<\/a>, Bonilla \u201926 (CLAS) found her voice and her community through student clubs, an on-campus learning community, and other extracurricular activities.<\/p>\n

She jokes that she\u2019s not sure many of her high school teachers would even remember her name since she was so shy and barely spoke up in class. They\u2019d certainly be surprised now to see her comfortably chatting with strangers, joining clubs, and serving as a program assistant for the Walkbury<\/a> community initiative.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I became an orientation leader on campus, I just started talking, and I haven\u2019t really stopped,\u201d says Bonilla \u201926 (CLAS). \u201cIt was really easy to get involved here and to make friends in the clubs and the classes. The feeling is like being part of a big family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Women
UConn Avery Point Women’s Basketball team practicing at UConn Avery Point. (Sean Flynn\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Overall, about 5,100 of UConn\u2019s estimated 19,800 undergraduates count one of those locations as their home campus.<\/p>\n

With the vast majority of all regional campus students being Connecticut natives, those locations offer the benefits of a UConn education with the convenience of being in communities where students can live, work, and socialize.<\/p>\n

Like the flagship Storrs campus, the campuses in Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford, and Waterbury each have student government groups, academic and social clubs, and a range of formal and informal activities.<\/p>\n

Regional campus students can also participate in many of the clubs based at Storrs, including having local versions at their own locations. The events are tailored to the unique goals and experiences shared by regional campus students, many of whom balance their classes and clubs with jobs, family obligations, and community activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is widely known from student development research, along with the experience of our own students, that engagement in clubs and organizations has dramatic and positive impact on a student\u2019s experience. They also help UConn to attract increasing numbers of top students to our campuses,\u201d says Nathan Fuerst, UConn\u2019s vice president for student life and enrollment.<\/p>\n

Having robust campus activities also helps UConn retain and continue to improve its strong retention and graduation rates as students meet peers, mentors, and others to whom they can turn for help if they\u2019re facing obstacles.<\/p>\n

UConn has prioritized a commitment to expanding its regional campus offerings as part of its Strategic Plan<\/a>, building on each location\u2019s strengths to make them destinations for students interested in specific majors or programs.<\/p>\n

The clubs are a perfect complement to that work, and part of a wider network of services that also include more advising support and expanded on-site Student Health & Wellness<\/a> offerings such as nurse navigators, mental health clinical care case workers, and health promotion programs.<\/p>\n

\"One
Students playing a game of chess at UConn Hartford. (Sean Flynn\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to the academic and social clubs, each regional campus offers library and research resources, small courses with experienced faculty, and programs to help students engage with the communities in which the campuses are located.<\/p>\n

Each campus offers clubs in which students connect with each other through common cultural backgrounds, volunteer activities, religious affiliations, and other attributes. The clubs also build on the academic, social, and community ties unique to each regional campus.<\/p>\n

At UConn Avery Point<\/a>, for instance, clubs for sailing and paddling, scuba diving, and marine sciences help students take advantage of the waterfront location and resources \u2013 in addition to clubs for learning, relaxation, and cultural connections.<\/p>\n

UConn Hartford<\/a>\u2019s location in Connecticut\u2019s capital city provides an ideal setting for clubs helping students advance their aspirations in business, social work, healthcare and other professions, while also offering fun opportunities to connect through gaming, dance, and other pursuits.<\/p>\n

At the Stamford campus<\/a>, students participate in a variety of political, cultural, and professional clubs that take advantage of its curriculum and location, and they can also have some fun in groups for debating, K-pop music, sports, and other activities.<\/p>\n

Bonilla, the UConn Waterbury<\/a> student, has been active in the K-pop group on that campus, where students participate in clubs that range from a business society focused on networking and professional development to ping pong and improv drama.<\/p>\n

The campuses also provide many informal opportunities for students to connect, be it through casual slime-making sessions or building Chipotle-style burrito bowls \u2013 recent activities at UConn Waterbury that drew scores of students, including a line that stretched down the hallway for the burrito bowls.<\/p>\n

\"Students
Students celebrate the opening of the new Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE) at UConn Stamford (Sean Flynn\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bonilla is transferring to UConn Stamford this fall and expects to remain just as actively involved there, finishing her degree in communications and looking forward to finding the same sense of community that she discovered in Waterbury.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to be in a new area and meet new people, and to look for an internship in my field,\u201d she says. \u201cI know it\u2019s a bigger campus than Waterbury, but I also feel like I have a good start and it\u2019ll be fun to get really involved there like I\u2019ve been here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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