Comprehensive Guide to Student Leadership and Engagement Programs

Overview of Student Leadership and Engagement

  • Main Mission: Facilitate opportunities for undergraduate students to get involved, build community, pursue personal passions, and develop skills beyond classroom learning.
  • Organizational Structure: The office operates under three primary functional pillars ("buckets"):
    • Community Engagement
    • Leadership Development
    • Engagement Activities
  • Office Location and Amenities:
    • Located in Room 4210 of the Tally Student Center (4th floor, directly at the top of the stairs, two floors above the ground floor).
    • Facilities include open collaborative study and lounge spaces for students during operational hours.
    • Professional staff are available on-site for guidance and support.
    • Student organization services provided include organization mail handling, dedicated storage lockers, and executive assistance.

Teambuilding Procedures and Icebreakers

  • "Find Someone New" Activity Structure:
    • Format: One-minute rounds guided by prompt slides.
    • Execution: Participants locate a peer matching the given prompt, discuss displayed questions, and rotate upon signal.
    • Specific Prompt Examples:
    • Personal Trivia: Identifying peers named after media characters (e.g., named after a character in Bram Stoker's Dracula because it was a parent's favorite childhood movie).
    • Shared Traits: Identifying peers sharing the same favorite color (e.g., purple or yellow).

Pillar 1: Community Engagement

  • Pack the Polls & Voter Engagement:
    • Core Objective: Educates the student body on the importance of voting, voter registration mechanics, and methods for voicing opinions in campus, local, and state governance.
    • Historical Impact: The Fall 2024 early voting location processed over 20,000 voters.
    • Location Details: Early voting previously operated out of Tally Student Center; currently relocated to the nearby Community Center (accessible by walking or campus bus transit).
    • Involvement Pathways: Students can join the volunteer advocacy crew, assist with non-partisan voting drives, or participate in the annual spring civic trip to Washington D.C.
  • Mystery Service Saturdays:
    • Program Setup: Bi-weekly service events held every other Saturday throughout the academic semester.
    • Structure: Participants are transported in vans to an undisclosed mystery destination in the local Raleigh area to complete community service with a local partner organization, followed by a free recreational outing.
    • Preserved Example: A service trip volunteering with Rise Against Hunger followed by an outing to the State Fair.
    • Access & Cost: 100% free for all participants (covers transportation, service materials, and outing expenses); registration is highly competitive due to limited seating.
  • Community Engagement Service Database:
    • Directory Features: Houses information for over 150 local non-profit organizations within the Research Triangle Area.
    • Platform Functionality: Outlines organizational missions, specific internship postings, upcoming volunteer events, and registration portals for office programs (searchable via "Student Leadership Engagement").
    • Hour Tracking: Automatically logs and verifies individual student volunteer service hours upon attendance.

Pillar 2: Leadership Development

  • Academic Leadership Coursework:
    • Offers formal course credit tied to practical leadership roles (e.g., students who serve as team trip leads for Alternative Service Break can enroll in dedicated academic classes).
  • Rising Leaders Program:
    • Eligibility & Cohort: Exclusively for first-year students and first-year transfer students, accommodating a cohort of 100 to 120+ participants annually.
    • Facilitation Model: Over 70% of the curriculum is led by a team of 16 peer mentors (upperclassmen who previously completed the program).
    • Curriculum Schedule:
    • Fall Semester: Low-intensity commitment consisting of 3 formal meetings and a dedicated Day of Service.
    • Spring Semester: High-intensity commitment featuring mandatory weekly meetings held on Tuesdays.
    • Key Features & Retreats:
    • Includes a free overnight retreat in January hosted at the Eastern 4-H Center near the Outer Banks.
    • Peer Mentor Pairing: Pairs participants with upperclassmen sharing similar majors or academic colleges to provide guidance on major requirements, course selection, professor selection, dining options, and overall campus transition.
    • Program Costs & Materials: Entirely free of charge; includes complimentary merchandise and program supplies.
    • Application Deadlines: Standard deadline closed September 1; extended deadline closes at 11:59 PM on the day of the presentation.
  • People of Color (POC) Leadership Initiative:
    • Eligibility: Exclusively for sophomores and graduate students (not open to first-year undergraduates).
    • Status: Currently in its second year of operation, focusing on advanced leadership development and identity work.
  • One-Time Leadership Workshops:
    • Format: Free single-session workshops open to all students, focusing on individual leadership identity and skill enhancement.
    • Subject Example: Workshops detailing