OSI Can You See?!?

Have you ever been to Original Burger down in the HUB to get a nice cold milkshake, some hamburgers or onion rings? Have you ever wondered what the big room that looks like a workspace is right across from Original Burger or as my friends and I like to call it “OB” for short? Well that space is called the Office of Student Involvement and is where many of the offices of University Life and student organizations are located.

            When you first walk into the Office of Student Involvement or “OSI” for short, the student desk assistants there greet you, hopefully with a warm reception. The assistants can help you find forms to run for offices, give information to people working in OSI, or even get tickets for many of the events that happen at the Patriot Center, at a discounted price. So if you are interested in going to the Aziz Ansari show next month, you now know where to go to get discounted tickets.

            Beyond the welcome desk, there is a large room filled with cubicles and tables to allow people to work for their respected organizations. There are also several offices for the administration that lead organizations that are located in OSI. Several of the organizations that are present in OSI are the Student Government, Patriot Activities Council, or PAC, Weekends at Mason, OSI Films, Fraternity and Sorority Life and many more organizations.

            Weekends at Mason, or WAM, helps create events on campus or find events off-campus to help give the student body fun activities to do while staying on campus during the weekends. WAM has offered half-priced tickets to many DC attractions, as well as hayrides and trips to Kings Dominion. PAC is responsible for putting on the concerts, comedy shows, and other events on campus. They are also responsible for helping make Patriot Day, Homecoming, and Mason Day what they are. They are really awesome events that everyone should go to regardless if they are a freshmen or a senior. As they are super fun and help boost the Mason community both on and off campus.  

            If you are ever bored on campus on a Friday, Saturday, or even Sunday night, provided you finish all your homework, you should try to catch a film presented by OSI Films in the JC Cinema. They show movies that are about to be on DVD for free, so if you could not catch every movie this past summer or do not want to spend any money on a movie ticket, because they are pretty expensive, then you should definitely go.

            Student Government has a large presence in OSI, as they are comprised of class officers, the election and disputes committee, the executive board, the student senate, and of course the executive cabinet of student officers. This entire organization helps support the students here at Mason and were created to state our opinions on what we want on campus. If you are actually interested in being a voice for the student body, there will be fall elections coming up pretty soon for any freshmen and transfer students. After these elections, any upperclassmen is eligible to be involved in student government as long as they go through appointment.

            All in all, OSI helps the student body be entertained, be voiced, and be informed, which is what we, as college students, should try to attain to as we grow up. If you feel like becoming more of a part of the Mason Nation, then I encourage you to go into OSI and ask, “What can I do?” It will be one of the best decisions of your life, coming from a former student senator. So now you know what actually goes on in the HUB a little bit better and you can thank that all to the PATRIOT!!!!