Campus Life Night gives Grand Valley State University students a look into all of the clubs and organizations available for them to join. The event is held twice each year at GVSU, once during both the fall and winter semesters.

On Jan. 14, more than 300 registered student organizations and their leaders will have tables set up in the Fieldhouse Arena to explain the benefits of joining clubs and encourage student involvement in their organizations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on a number of organizations this past year, resulting in some being put on hold or shut down altogether. After a semester of relative normalcy compared to last year, many of the organizations that were put on hold are now ready to return to where they once were. One of those organizations is the Black Student Union (BSU) of GVSU.

“The group went separate ways during COVID,” said BSU President Trey Wyrick. “Come this semester, we will host events starting with the BSU week in February.”

Starting the week of Feb. 6, this event-packed week will be full of different speakers and events including movie nights, guest motivational speakers and sporting events. BSU has weekly meetings on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center that are full of open discussion.

Wyrick said that anyone who wants to be a member is welcome, and that they love the support “whether you’re Black, Brown or not.”

All students who participate in BSU have the opportunity to gain new knowledge and make friends. With BSU starting up again, their table at Campus Life Night is the perfect place to sign up.

“BSU is back, we want everyone to participate and show up for events,” said Wyrick.

While there’s an abundance of clubs at GVSU, many community service-focused organizations struggle to attract members. One of those organizations is the Campus Lions Club. Lions Club is unique in that it’s an international organization, said Lions Club President Cazmir Sarnacki.

“The fact that it has a global reach is what makes it so special,” Sarnacki said.

Lions Club puts on many volunteer events with an emphasis on vision projects. These projects include vision screenings for children all over the world and fundraisers such as “Dinner in the Dark” where volunteers experience what it would be like to eat dinner blind in order to raise money for those who are vision impaired.

The Lions Club focuses on other global issues in addition to vision, such as diabetes, hunger, childhood cancer and environmental issues, Sarnacki said. Events that they’ve put on to support these issues include helping animals at a zoo and giving members $100 each to help a struggling family. Lions Club is available to join through Laker Link.

Sarnacki said that Lions Club is a great way to earn volunteer hours even if you have a busy schedule.

GVSU students that join Campus Lions Club will gain experience helping those who need it and will have the opportunity to join the international organization. To take a deeper dive into all of the organizations and opportunities GVSU has to offer, students can attend Campus Life Night on Friday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m.