Are Students Becoming too Involved at Texas Lutheran University?

Following the  article “When is Being Involved, Too Involved?” I gave a random survey to 50 students on campus at Texas Lutheran University. The students were asked what gender they associated themselves as, their age, if they feel stressed, if they feel over committed, and how many organizations they are currently involved in on campus at Texas Lutheran University. 

I ended up with 43 surveys. These students were randomly selected and should represent the diversity of students on campus at Texas Lutheran University. There were 21 students who identified themselves as male, and 22 who identified themselves as female. The age ranged from 18-38, but the average age of survey takers was 21.  

Upon calculating the amount of students who were stressed, and the amount of students who considered themselves over-committed I was amazed. A shocking 75% of students labeled themselves as stressed.

Furthermore, half (49%) of the students identified themselves as being over-committed. If about half of the student population feels they are over-committed then TLU has some work to do. “Most of the people I know are involved in multiple organizations, and it seems that most of the people I know at bigger Universities aren’t involved in anything,” states student Dylan Pique. 

Dylan Pique
Photo taken by Chaney Hill.

What makes TLU students take on so many on-campus activities that they feel too involved and stressed? Is it the obsessive need to stack ones resume three pages thick with on-campus involvement or co-curricular activities? While involvement is not in and of itself a bad thing, when taken too far, it can hamper students more than help them. “I work 20+ hours per week for TLU, which can sometimes leave me tired and less motivated to do school work,” states Pique.  

Often times when students become too involved (Refer to the “When is Being Involved, Too Involved?” to see if you are too involved) their judgment is clouded and they loose sight of what they really want to do with their lives and their careers. Often times the pressure to become involved comes from all sides, parents, professors, peers, and faculty. This over involvement can cause feelings of disparity in students because no one student can do everything.  

If you are a part of the 49% who feel they are over involved, or the 75% who consider themselves stressed, maybe it is time to reevaluate your involvement on campus. Decide which activities are most important to you and will benefit you most in the future. If you cannot see a certain organization benefiting you, it may be time to drop it.  

Chaney Hill, Reporter