By Alexa Devore
A new student group at Youngstown State University is promoting student involvement in clubs and sporting events.
All students are welcomed to join the Woo Crew, which was founded by James MacGregor, Jenna Parkany, Brittany Hoon and Rachel Davis to cultivate more school spirit.
MacGregor said he helped form the group because they wanted to increase students’ participation in university events the way Penguin Pack does for sporting events.
“[Before] we did not necessarily have a group to promote student engagement at commencement or the orientation programs,” MacGregor said.
Erin Driscoll, director of Student Activities, said the Woo Crew is engaged with orientation programs such as SOAR, and volunteer at events such as Penguin Nights.
The organization will also host events like First Friday, a monthly event where they host activities, games and contests.
“We want to get students motivated and excited to be on campus [and] promote Penguin Pride and campus engagement,” MacGregor said.
Parkany said the group serves many purposes, from getting involved on campus to meeting new friends.
“I joined the Woo Crew because I enjoy being involved on campus and it was a perfect opportunity to help promote spirit, not only to students, but campus wide,” Parkany said.
A perk of joining this group is gaining volunteer hours that can be exchanged for campus gear, which shows support for the campus.
“Volunteering is all on your own time,” Parkany said. “You get the chance to connect and work with other departments and receive credits that are exchanged for Youngstown State gear.”
Having this student organization will change how people perceive the campus and improve school spirit, Parkany said. One reason for the lack of student participation on campus is because YSU is a commuter campus, so it can be difficult to keep students around after class.
Freshman can sign up for the organization at orientation and current students can contacted a member if they are interested in joining.