When it comes to campus life, I know that I was very lost. I did not know what resources we had available. I did not know where to find the clubs, and I also did not have any friends at all. I was entirely alone the first month of the semester when I started.
Honestly, it was a bit upsetting. I had to go find resources myself. I had to talk to people to find out if we had any clubs or not. Soon enough, I did find friends though, and even joined a fun club. I just wish that the first month I was in college, I should not have to spend it alone. To avoid that problem in the future, I feel like my campus specifically should be more open towards the students. Rather than sending emails, especially when half of the students are overwhelmed by the amount of emails they receive. Most do not check them. QCC should regularly update their QCC connect app. Students already use the app to sign in when arriving on campus, and most check their schedule there too.
I feel like another way to engage more activity, more events should happen. Not just once a week events, but for example: opening the gym for more hours, and making that known to students. Or opening the pool again with more accessible hours. I feel like most of the events that happen are only club hours. Students have to sacrifice what they want to do, and most end up feeling demotivated that they missed out on a fun event! I know for sure that my friends and I have definitely been upset before over missing some cool events on campus.
Then comes making the campus more accessible for students with disabilities. I had a friend in the spring semester of 2024, who had broken his foot. He STRUGGLED getting everywhere. Whether it was his classes, or the student lounge, even club! QCC is built on steep hills, which made it extra challenging since he was on a wheelchair first. Going up the hills was tiring for him. When it snowed during the spring, or even rained, he did not bother coming to campus at all. Then comes the elevators. Most of the elevators on campus did not even work. He had to do most of his classes on either zoom, or at the library with the help of the Office of Accessibility Services. At first, I did not understand emotionally how much he struggled, until I ended up twisting my ankle over the summer semester.
So imagine this, most buildings are not properly accessible for disabled students, but the campus itself is in bad shape. The steep hills, and the very uneven sidewalk. I had twisted my ankle over a big pothole on the sidewalk. There was no one around, so I had to limp my way to an officer booth to get help. Help was called, and I was taken to the hospital. They told me my ankle was severely twisted. Now my entire summer was wasted as I had to wait and heal. That was not the worst part. I had a science lab class to attend as well, which was on the fourth floor. I could not even attend that lab properly due to the elevators not working properly, and to this date, as I post this, most, if not all, are not working/not in good condition. As students, who are paying hundreds of dollars to attend the college, we are definitely entitled to a campus that is in good condition and works properly. To top it all off, when I had returned in the Fall semester, they placed a TRASHCAN. A stupid trashcan over the pothole where I fell. They did not repair it at all.
If we are paying the college so much money, why not repair the campus for students?