Understanding Student Organizations: A Deeper Understanding of Student Engagement at Bryant University

Student life is a critical portion of a student’s college experience. The activities and resources that a college offers can vastly impact the enjoyment a student feels in their college career. Every college and university offer different student life experiences. This study will focus on active registered student organizations (RSOs) on Bryant University’s campus. This study will provide suggestions to Bryant’s student life faculty around how to recruit and retain students in organizations. Twelve Bryant University students were interviewed through a semi-structured interview that was created based off of information gathered during the literature review. They were chosen and categorized by their class year (first-year, sophomore, junior, and senior) and their participation in RSOs (not involved in RSOs, partially involved, and majorly involved). Thematic analysis resulted in the following themes: academic influence, career development, organizational structure, accessibility of the organization, community influence, membership into the Bryant Community, additional responsibilities, personal benefits, and COVID-19 influenced students desire to join and participate in RSOs.