Get Involved
Here at Roger Williams University, we have a strong belief that the college experience includes more than just attending classes. We believe that our students have the ability to find ways to make a difference, bring excitement through our events, and creative positive change throughout the greater campus community. Simply put students need to get involved in our community. Getting and staying involved is one of the most important things you can do while in college. “Involvement” is defined as any activity outside the classroom which enhances and contributes to student learning (Astin, 1993). Studies have shown that college student involvement is related to positive academic performance, cognitive development, well-being, leadership, and multicultural awareness.
Benefits of Getting Involved
Studies have shown that getting involved helps you discover new friends with similar interests or you find ways to challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone. There are benefits and skills that your campus involvement will provide including:
- Recognize your Leadership skills for future employment
- Expand yourself outside your major to be a more well-rounded and marketable professional.
- Develop your communication skills and learn how to think critically
- Increase your ability to network with other students through involvement.
- Manage your time by balancing academics and student involvement
- Effectively manage conflict, interact with and respect diverse personalities
- Involvement is an avenue for guaranteed enjoyment of your college experience!
Ways that you can become involved
Getting involved looks different for each student; here are some examples on how you can be involved at RWU:
- Join a Student Club or Organization
- Download the Roger Link App to see what is happening on campus
- Attend campus events and athletic competitions
- Apply for a work study or payroll position
- Volunteer in the local community
- Go to the tutoring center or start a study group for one of your courses
Student Media
At RWU, student media is more than just our YouTube channel and University-sponsored video snippets. Our students run the radio station, create short stories and poetry, publish a newspaper, use filming, audio recording, and editing tools to create an on-campus news broadcast, and create their own digital shorts. With state-of-the-art technology like green screens, a broadcast room, and editing suites available on campus, students can create just about anything you can think of.
Mount Hope, RWU's student magazine, is published twice yearly at Roger Williams University in Bristol RI.
The Hawks's Herald is RWU's student-written, -edited, and -printed newspaper. All the RWU news that's fit to print...and then some.
Hawk Link
Hawk Link is a centralized web host platform that connects students to organizations, programs, and departments on campus.
Hawk Link has been built using the latest technologies to create an online community for Roger Williams students to improve communication, information sharing, and collaboration between students, faculty, and staff. Hawk Link can streamline day-to-day operations, minimize paper usage, increase student engagement, and track all co-curricular involvement data. SPLO can utilize the data collected in Hawk Link to assess the impact of student involvement and co-curricular programming on overall student success and retention.
Hawk Link allows Student Senate-Chartered Clubs and Organizations to:
- Be sustainable by moving all organization forms online for easy access and storage of collected data
- Complete SPLO forms for room reservations, van requests, supply requests, and special events
- Promote events using the Calendar feature
- Communicate with group members or other groups via email, discussion board, or text message
- Store files for easy officer transitions from year to year
- Create an organizational website
- Browse all registered student organizations and recruit new members
Roger Link
Roger Link is our new all-encompassing App.
Within Roger Link, students can connect with organizations and clubs on campus, as well as directly communicate with their peers on campus! Start making connections on Roger Link now by searching "Roger Link" on the app store, or by going to the Roger Link website.
Roger Link allows you to:
- Connect with students, faculty, and staff at Roger Williams
- Stay updated on campus news and events
- Meet others who share their interests
- Browse organizations to follow / join
- Explore and RSVP to campus events
- Discover new opportunities to succeed
- Set co-curricular goals and get connected to campus resources
What if I am in the Law School or on the Providence Campus?
Events and organizations can be filtered to see just the events happening on your campus. For events go to the events tab by clicking "Events" in the bottom navigation bar. From there click the filter button in the top right by the search bar. Using the branch drop down, select your campus, click "done," then click "apply filters." For organizations, navigate to the organization search page using the "Discover" bar in the bottom navigation bar. Click "Orgs." From there click the filter button in the top right by the search bar. Using the branch drop down, select your campus, click "done," then click "apply filters."
How can I access my event pass?
When you open the app click on the three horizontal bars in the top right corner to open your user drawer. Click "Event Pass."
What is the difference between profiles and pages?
Profiles are linked to individual users. Pages represent organizations on the app. If you are an admin of an organization page, you can post on behalf of that organization in addition to posting as yourself.
Do I have to be a student to access the app?
No, but you must have an SSO within the RWU community. All users must sign in with their RWU (@students or @rwu) credentials.
How do I create a group chat in general or for my organization?
To create a group chat, go to the chats feature and click the blue plus button in the bottom right hand corner. Follow the prompts to create your chat.
Who can I add to a group chat?
You can add any user to a group chat even if you're not connected with them. Users can leave a group chat at any time. If you're not connected with a user in your group chat you can communicate with them in the group chat, however you cannot direct message them.
Who can direct message me?
Only users from your network can direct message you. If you ARE a Primary Contact of an organization on Roger Link - anyone can message you.
How do I connect with other users?
Go to the Discover Page and click People. Then, click the discover icon on the top right, which will take you to a page with new potential connections as shown to the right.
What happens when I connect with another user?
When you connect with another user, they will receive a notification about your request and can choose to approve or deny it. When connected, you can direct message that user, and their posts will appear on your My Network feed.
How do I edit my profile?
Go to your profile button on the bottom navigation bar and click "edit" next to "about."
How do I make a post in the feed?
Go to the home page of the app. Click the blue plus button in the bottom right hand corner to craft your post. If you want to post as your organization, click the "posting as" drop-down button to select your organization (otherwise you will post as yourself).
Reporting inappropriate or inaccurate content.
If you identify a post as inappropriate or inaccurate, you can report it by clicking the three information dots on the post shown to the right, which will prompt you to submit a report. Reports go to the app admin, developers and Student Programs, Leadership, and Orientation for review