Things we love about Illinois: Student Organizations

(Photo courtesy of UI Alternative Seasonal Breaks)

At UI, the opportunity to join student organizations doesn’t just knock. It leans on the bell and cries, “Come on out, get involved, and have a good time, too!” Students are receiving the message loud and clear. Some 1,400 registered student organizations currently operate on campus, some springing to life seemingly overnight. Their number has swelled by 25 percent in the past three years alone.

Any student with sufficient determination—and five like-minded friends—can establish an SRO, assuming the concept is appropriate. Further, SRO status confers logistical and monetary support funded by an activities fee included among University levies. Once established, SROs function autonomously, overseen by the Illini Union, an entity independent of campus administration.

Their pursuits range from art, music and dance to skydiving, drone-flying and underwater hockey. Longtime SROs count pre-professional and academic clubs among their ranks, in addition to honor societies, philanthropic and religious organizations, and the Greek system’s fraternities and sororities. Among the fastest-growing is the Illini Boxing Club, established in 2013 and boasting a membership of nearly 100.

Did we miss one? For more in this series, search “Things we love about Illinois.”