College is one of the most exciting and most social times of many people’s lives. Yet it can also be hard to meet new people and find your community.
In the dining commons, plenty of students are hesitant to approach someone sitting at a table and ask to sit with them, so large tables are often occupied by just one person sitting alone.
But what if meeting new people over lunch weren’t so intimidating? What if it were encouraged? Even normalized?
That’s what Amiyah Elam, a second-year student and Student Government Association senator from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, wants to do with the “Join Me” initiative.
The initiative was launched earlier this month at Village Summit. Students can pick up a green placard that says, “Join Me!” when they enter the dining commons and place it on their table to signal that others are welcome to sit with them and talk.
“The Join Me initiative is a new collaboration between the SGA Senate and Auxiliary Services where students in the Village Summit dining commons are able to say that people are welcome to sit with them,” said Elam, who is double majoring in agricultural communications and social entrepreneurship for consu
mer well-being.
“We want to help students create new friendships while also alleviating some of the spacing issues within the dining commons,” she said.
At a university as large as UGA, it can be easy to assume everyone has already made their friends and has people to sit with in the dining commons. However, while the university offers countless opportunities for connection, it does not always come easily.
Join Me removes the tension and awkwardness someone may feel when approaching a table of strangers with a simple message: come sit with me.
The setting for the initiative — the Village Summit dining commons — is a key element because, despite the increased amount of technology in our lives, one thing remains a solid, physical connection between all of us: food.
“Food is something that brings people together, so I felt like this initiative was something that could solve multiple issues at one time. Join Me can create a positive experience for our students in the dining commons overall,” said Elam.
The initiative’s success will lie in the willingness of students to participate — to connect with each other and make friends. College is about putting yourself out there, after all.
“I feel like when students are aware of the campaign and the good things it can bring to our student body, they are going to use the green placards for sure,” said Elam. “One of the big things with students is conversation, and I think it’s easy for word to spread very quickly.”
Challenge yourself to put the “Join Me!” placard at your table or to sit with someone who’s already done so. You might meet friends you never would have otherwise.
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by Madeline Parker