Organizations are an important part of any college, because they offer students a chance to engage in activities they enjoy with other students who also enjoy the same things.

Two student organization leaders offer their opinions as to why they feel people join their clubs.

Program Board president Madison Clapsadle said she feels students join and participate in Program Board because of the different events and activities members host.

“I think a lot of the freshmen join because they want to get involved, make a difference and find friends,” she said.

She said there are currently 23 Program Board members.

“The members that we have now and return after each semester all come back because they have fun planning the events and getting to hang out with their friends at the events that they planned.

“I think the ability to plan an event is a great experience that all of our members have the option to do,” she said.

“That, with the friendly environment and enthusiasm we have for our events, is why people are so interested in joining Program Board.”

Clapsadle said that, although most students join during the first activity fair held every fall semester, some students still sign up during the activity fair held every spring.

Business Club president Phoenix Stratemeier said he feels people join the business club because the club offers opportunities for students.

“The reason people join the Business Club is because we do our best to provide value to our members,” he said.

 “Our dues are $20 a year and even cheaper than that in the spring semester. 

“Our members get a Business Club T-shirt, beautiful graduation cords for seniors, a Business Club sticker, access to our exclusive GroupMe, and access to our incredibly useful meetings.

“That’s an insane value. It’s literally the best $20 or less you can spend on campus. 

“Being a member in the Business Club looks great on your résumé and we provide leadership opportunities, networking opportunities, internship opportunities, opportunities to lead on campus, opportunities to give back to the community and opportunities for professional and personal growth.”

Stratemeier said Business Club members usually get most of their members from classroom recruiting, but they typically get good responses from the activity fairs as well.

“The activity fair is a nice event where students can come find us,” he said.

“I’d say we average around 25-40 sign-ups at the activity fair each semester. 

“Attendance for this year’s activity fair was considerably lower than usual, so we had far less sign-ups for this semester. 

He said there are currently around 70 Business Club members and that he hopes to have 100 members before the end of the semester.

He also said the Business Club plays an important role at Pitt-Johnstown.

“It’s a shame that not everyone is taking advantage of what we have to offer,” he said.

“We develop your soft skills that you don’t get from doing coursework. 

“We fill in the professional gaps that you don’t get from your education so that we can turn you into a well-rounded individual. 

“Hard and technical skills are important, but they’re not going to get you anywhere if you can’t land a job. 

“If you don’t have interpersonal skills, communication skills, self-awareness, social awareness, or a well-tuned professional portfolio, I hate to say it, but you’re not going anywhere. 

“It’s the things that you do outside of the classroom that set you apart from others.

“A huge misconception about our club is that we’re just for business majors. That is not true,” he said.

“We also have nursing students, engineers, (computer science) majors, multimedia and design majors, and hopefully many more soon.

“If you plan on getting a job after graduation, the Business Club is for you.”