Transcript of Podcast #16: On Campus Activities
In Attendance: Aimee Jiang (she/her), Frances Li (she/they)
Aimee: Hello, everyone welcome to another episode of the GIC podcast. My name is Aimee Jiang. I am the International Student Support Officer for Graduate Division, and I’m excited to today to talk about on campus activities. We know a lot of students have talked throughout my time here, how to kind of build community, how to get connected, and some of the easiest ways to do so are by attending events or joining clubs and organizations, getting out there, and meeting new people around campus. I know, and some of our other podcasts we’ve talked about making friends and building connection and so this is one of those ways to do. We’re joined by Francis today, so I’m gonna pass it over to Francis to introduce herself.
Frances: Hi, everyone. My name is Francis, and I’m a rising second year in Clinical Psychology. Yeah, that, that’s my department and I’ve been a GIC mentor for like 4 months-ish so, starting this year. And to sum up my research interest, I study the intergenerational transmission of adversity in parent-child relationships and protective factors that buffer against that trans, transmission.
Aimee: Yes, Francis and I have loved to talk about psychology. So if you ever want to talk about psychology, both of us, really love those topics, so that’s always a fun way to connect to is just hearing about someone’s research, and interest in those areas, maybe how it aligns to some of our other mentors, too. I think a lot of our research transcends a specific department. So you’ll see like ICS majors maybe have similar interest to some of our Clinical Psychology majors. And so if there’s any program that you’re interested in, or you’re in one of those interdisciplinary programs. I think it’s always good to listen and see what some of our, our students are up to and build those connections. As just another way to get connected on campus but we’ll jump into some of the kind of bigger, more campus led ways to get connected, and I think there’s often a misperception by graduate students that most resources on campus or being involved in clubs and organizations is just for undergrad students. So can graduate students join clubs and orgs and can you share a little bit about that?
Frances: Yeah that’s a great question, that we keep getting from many different incoming students. The definitive answer is, yes, graduate students are more than welcome to join student clubs and organizations, and generally it is true that a lot of the clubs are primarily run or led by undergraduate students, but unless in very rare situations, when they specify that this is for undergrad by undergrad, then, without that specification they always are open to all the students and including most of the campus, like resources. Like the different centers on campus. They are serving both undergraduate students and graduate students together.
Aimee: Yeah, I definitely see it a lot in our cultural groups. So like we have like a I can’t remember what the name of it is, but it’s like an Indian Student association, and and I think it’s an Iranian student, It’s a Turkish one as well. So if if there’s like a specific population that you connect with that, you want to get involved with any other students. I know a lot of those groups and organizations have done cultural festivals and things. So I think that’s when a way some of our grad students have talked about like missing those things back home, but having a student organization here that helps them kind of navigate, but also can help celebrate some of those big festivals that maybe aren’t common here in the U.S. So if students are interested in getting involved, what kind of ways should they reach out to these clubs and orgs and where would most students find information on t
Frances: That’s also a great question, I would suggest the biggest way to start venturing out and at a general like a very broad way understand what clubs are out there, what are there vibes like, so like what are the people like is to go to the Anteater Involvement Fair at the beginning of the school year. So to my experience, going to that, fair an undergrad which was 7 years ago. It was like a big fare in the Aldrich Park, with, like basically all of the student organizations like boothing and like, or tabling over there and then they usually have fun activities that showcase what they do. Like for example, in Kendo Club, which is a Japanese Martial Arts Sports Club. They have their armor and their full equipment there for you to like try to see how it feels like. So I would say, the Anteater Involvement Fair is a great way to see what clubs are out there, and what kind of people are running it, and how, how are they like? So like some people, are very extroverted and then so that could be like preferred by extroverted people. But they’re also people who are more like passion driven. So they’re all, for example, very interested in rock climbing. So it’s more like geared towards that specific activity. So I would say definitely that the Anteater Involvement Fair is a great place to start.
Aimee: That’s a great place, I think, to explore when you’re not sure where you want to get connected. Maybe, like you mentioned, maybe there’s a new activity that you want to try. I’ve had quite a few international students that because of, and we’ll talk about the ARC a little bit later, but because of the ARC they started rock climbing, and then they’ve gotten really into rock climbing or bouldering and then they’ve ended up joining clubs and like traveling with them to go places to do that out in nature. So I think it’s a great place to see, is there something I just want to learn while I’m in California, you know. Maybe you want to try surfing, because maybe you’re not from a place that’s near a beach where we have such a surf culture. So there’s definitely a lot of ways to get involved in that way, and I think to outside the Anteater Involvement Fair, some of our students beforehand have mentioned, they just started like searching through social media. But a lot of the organizations have social media pages. What I will say about that is, if you reach out during the summer, a lot of our students are in internships, or doing research or busy over the summer, or the leadership is changing because of people graduating. So if you reach out during the summer and you don’t hear from them, don’t give up check and see if they’re at the Anteater Fair and definitely see if you get in touch with them another way, because we’ve had that issue with staff trying to like get in touch with some organizations, too, that are definitely busy during the summer.
Frances: Yeah, that’s a great point. And also, like some of the existing leaders or officers, that current clubs might be graduating. So they’re not accessing their emails as frequently. I would say most of the clubs has a page on Facebook. A lot of them has groups on Discord and they usually have like websites where, like social media, is a link to their Discord. I think that’s also a great way to find more information about them.
Aimee: And see how active they are, because I think some of them, during Covid kind of slowed down a little bit, or maybe kind of didn’t continue the club and there’s always space for new clubs, too. So if there’s something that you’re interested in starting, you can always try and get something started as well. I know we’ve had a couple of leaders who have started their own clubs because of an interest and maybe like climate change, I think, was one of them, cultural groups is another. So if you’re like, hey, we don’t have something and I think other students would be interested. Or there’s a couple of us that feel like this would be fun to do as a club. You’re welcome to try and start one, too, and I’m sure other students would want to get involved as well. Grad school is a time of limited time, so I think you, I know, have experienced that in your time here. But for those of you just starting time is very limited. But you still do want to take that time to go to activities and events. So what are some things that maybe don’t require a lot of follow up or a lot of your time out like activities and events that you can still do?
Frances: Yeah, that’s a great question. So I would say, one event, one type of event that could be very helpful if you have one of time is to go to activity that’s hosted by your housing community, that is, when you live on campus, like either in like Palo Verde or Verano Place, they would, the housing community have committees that throw events and plan for events that kinda help students get to know each other and de-stress. That could be a great way for you to just walk out of your door and participate in an event, and then go back to whatever you’re going in before and also a great way for you to know your neighbors. So in case you’re traveling, and you have like plants or pets to take care of, they can also land a hand. And another thing I thought of is activities that are hosted by your department, or like the graduate division or other like initiatives that’s in your school that supports graduate student wellness. For example, I think in the School of Social Ecology, which is the school that in they have a WISE PAC program where it’s for which is the wellness initiative for graduate students. They host a lot of events that’s like located around our department. So it’s pretty convenient to just walk to walk back to the office. I would say, these are great opportunities to look into if you have limited time. And another way for, especially for folks who might be living off campus or a little farther away, is to join those virtual events. Like this summer I met a writing accountability group that was hosted every week that meets virtually. I think, yeah, if anyone is interested in information about the writing accountability group feel free to also reach out to me. But basically, these groups meet virtually onZzoom and then everyone just have their camera on and start writing. This is also a virtual way to like, be productive, and also knowing new people. I would say, like those virtual events in combination with those in your housing community and in your department could be great opportunities to get involved if you have limited time.
Aimee: Yeah and I think there’s, the POWER initiative is a new group that graduate division sponsors and I’m trying to remember it’s peers something wellness with it’s a, it’s supposed to be for, like, you know, them creating activities surrounding wellness. And they’ve done things like star watching, I know they’ve had some like embroidery days, and those are like short little activities that you can come to that usually have, like a common kind of wellness theme around them. Yes, Peers Offering Wellness Education Resources, I think, is, is what it is but they’re they’re newer and so that is a new initiative from graduate division. So we’re always hosting in graduate division some different kinds of events as well. And there’s 2 ways you can hear about those. You can just go to campus groups which, if you attended any of our panels, you were on campus groups already to register for that but you also, as a grad student, will receive an email from the GPSRC every week. I think it usually comes out on Thursdays, and it tells you what activities are coming up for the next week that you can keep an eye out for and so so a lot of students that will, we get a lot of emails. I do, you all do as well and so there’s a lot of students that maybe will, particularly if they’re looking to get involved. Look at those emails. We are hoping to continue it but we did like a bagel breakfast once, once a month, where we’d have students just come, have breakfast with us, and hang out with some staff, and also get to see some other students in a very kind of casual environment. So I would look out there, and a lot of them will tell you if they have free food, and there is nothing better in grad school than a short event that has the ability to replace you having to cook a meal. So take a look out for those, I think we had even one event that was like, really big cookies like you could come get a really big cookie. So if you like free food. like most people, you want to try something new. I encourage you to look for those options as well. And because you get a lot of free food from a lot of those events like housing communities and things sometimes you want an event that’s maybe a little more active. So what are some events that allow you to be a little more active, and take care of your physical wellness, as well as getting out and meeting you people?
Frances: Yeah, I would say, being active, there’s no better place you can look from than the ARC which is our campus gym. The ARC has a lot of regular classes that meets once or twice a week, that’s either free of charge or at a very low cost. They include, like dancing, Yoga and like Aimee mentioned rock climbing, and those are like the regular classes that you can take during the week. The ARC also has, like, like those activities that are more like going, that venture out a little bit like. For example, there are like sunset paddle boarding or like kayaking, are really fun ways to like, go outside the campus and be more active. And other events that the ARC would have are like the late night, that I I hope they still host it, but because this experience comes from Pre Covid. But at the beginning of the school year, right, right before the school starts the ARC used to host like late late night activities where all the clubs and all the sports clubs and the intramural teams would host like activities there and have performances, and there will be like games for you to participate in. Those are really great activities, to like try out a bunch of different new things, and also see, like whether you would be potentially interested in being engaged, being involved in some of them. I’d say, those are great activities to start with. There are also, if you like, like a particular sport or activity. For example, like weightlifting or swimming or tennis. There’s also both intramural sports teams and also sports clubs. For example, the, so I really like tennis. So I only know the tennis one. So, for example, the tennis club at UCI, they have weekly practices that’s hosted by their club trainers/officers, and they’re open to both undergraduate and graduate students. I feel like those are great places to like do what you’re passionate about, and what you love and get to know more people, and especially, you know, with more younger people, which is also fun, that we don’t get a lot at grad school. So I feel like these are great ways for you to be more active on campus.
Aimee: And sometimes I think we spend so much time on campus that sometimes it’s nice to get out and explore the local community, and maybe without a car sometimes with the car. I know the International Center has quite a few events where they maybe take like a bus to explore SoCal. So can you talk a little bit more about off campus activities as well?
Frances: Yeah, the International Center has this great program like you mentioned Aimee called Explore SoCal. Basically, each year the location would differ by a little bit. But generally they would pick places in the LA area which you don’t really want to drive there. It’s a little hectic to drive over. So it’s nice to have a professional driver operating a bus that’s completely free of charge that goes to those places that are most famous for. Like some locations that they previously hosted Explore SoCal at include LACMA, the LA County Museum of Art, or like the Getty Museum, the Getty Villa, Hollywood and Venice Beach, Santa Monica, these places. And basically it’s like a one day trip where you meet up at (transcript unavailable) like at UCI and then you go to LA for a day, or like whichever destination it is and then, at the end of the day. You all get picked up by this drive back to UCI. This is one really great way to explore those popular destinations in Southern California and if you’re interested, check out IC.UCI.EDU for more of their programming information.
Aimee: Yeah, my friend, Sandy runs a lot of their programming. So they also have some on campus programming which I just forgot about until you were talking. But they do like International Coffee Hour, which is a really popular one for grad students. And that’s usually hosted and kind of the table area outside the International Center. I, I would say, that’s probably one of the programs I hear about the most. And then, are there any other off campus activities?
Frances: Yeah, other, another great way to get the more, to explore off campus more is to join clubs, especially Community Service Clubs. UCI has a lot of Community Service Club. The one I was involved in is called American Red Cross Club. Don’t let it fool you, it’s not just a blood drive. We do a lot of like weekly community service projects in local nonprofits like, the Second Harvest Group Bank, or like the co, The OC Coast Keeper. So like through these opportunities we can get more involved with our local community and see different areas. So like Coast Keeper, for example, is a program where volunteers will pick up trash at Huntington Beach. So this is a great way to also see Huntington Beach, while it’s not so crowded and also help beautify it, maintain our local environment a bit. And there are also Community Service Club on campus, such as the Rotary Club and I believe the name is Circle K. They all have, like different different structures and different, slightly different nonprofits that they support or go, or volunteer at, volunteer at, so feel free to explore all of these options.
Aimee: Yeah and I think that’s such a a cool way to get involved in the community, especially if you’re going to be here, some of our Ph.D. students are here from 5 to 8 plus years. And it’s a great way to meet community partners, maybe network a little bit with other people, because it’s not just generally UCI students that are going. Sometimes you’ll see other people from like the local community. So it’s a great way to network but also you, you take part in this community, giving back to the community can be a really great way to kind of take a break from school, and remember that the world is bigger than just your lab or your classroom, or your research project which we can kind of get stuck in that mindset. I know for me in grad school, it was like it’s like, I no longer had friends in the world didn’t exist outside of my research when, especially when I was finishing the end of my program. And so I think doing some of these off campus activities can be especially exciting, because you get to get out, breathe a little bit different air, meet some other people and just get away from campus for a little bit and let your brain, let your brain do something else. Do you have a favorite activity that you’ve done during your time at UCI?
Frances: This is a tough one, but I would say my favorite activity was being involved in campus departments as a, like a staffer. So this is not for like, just when you just started your program. It’s more like for your like, you can start looking into it in your first year to like, apply for available positions to be like working in different student affairs department as a staffer. Generally what it does is you can then help plan all those, some of those activities and also engage in your students as they’re adapting and transitioning to this new culture or just a new academic environment. I feel like being involved in these positions really help me understand, help me build self efficacy. So I know, like, not only can I get like more accustomed to the local culture, I can potentially help other people in this process. So I would definitely recommend folks who might be interested to try it out in their first year after they feel like they’re more comfortable with the campus to look into available positions for graduate students where they could like help new or incoming students to feel more welcomed.
Aimee: Yeah, that’s a great one. I also, I think, for me, I don’t, I wasn’t a student at UCI. But my favorite activity is always International Education Week. I’m co-chairing the committee this year, and so Graduate Division will be sponsoring an activity. That’s surprise for now what we’re planning. But keep, keep an eye out for some information on that, because it’s a great way for us to showcase the international student experience, which I think, I think in grad school often kind of gets overlooked. We are like, oh, you’ve been a student before everyone should know what they’re doing, but international students to experience different things. And we’d always like to showcase where students are from and to have our students take part in the different activities and and kind of just raise awareness that we have so many international graduate students here at UCI. So International Education Week happens in November. If you continue to read the GIC emails, you will hear more about it for me as we get closer and learn more information. But it’s the last thing that I’ll say, is grad school can be hard. It can be really exhausting. Many people don’t have the chance to go see their family very often and so I think it is really important that we build community as much as possible and so I said this in a few other ones during grad school, it’s not just about academics and professional development. You really need to make sure you’re taking care of yourself as well. I really struggled with that in grad school, and I wish that I had someone that was watching over me going, hey don’t forget you exist as a person in this time, too. So your relationships matter, your family matters, and, and your physical and mental health matters too. So getting out and doing some events and getting, you know, maybe into something at the ARC or something, try something new. Those things are really important for you to do during grad school as well. And thank you, Francis for joining us today. It was good to see you and loved hearing you share more about what we have on campus to offer.
Frances: Yeah, thanks for having me Aimee.
Aimee: Have a good one.
Frances: Thanks you, too.