STUDENT INVOLVEMENT DESCRIPTIONS

The following are brief descriptions of some areas of interest on the Student Involvement Interest Form.

ATHLETICS & RECREATION

Blue Streak Spirit
An opportunity to work with the Athletic Department to help with the marketing, promotions and communications of featured home athletic contests. Plan to attend a weekly meeting on Wednesday afternoons for the chance to be creative and participate in JCU sports marketing.

Fitness Classes
The Recreation Department is pleased to offer the students, faculty, staff, administration, and alumni of John Carroll University the opportunity to stay fit through group instruction classes year-round. Classes include pilates, yoga, kickboxing, spinning, toning, circuit training, and more.

Intramurals
For those who enjoy the thrill of friendly competition, the Recreation Department offers intramural activities. Intramural programs allow students to participate against other JCU student, faculty, and staff in an organized setting. We offer leagues, tournaments, and one night events in more than a dozen sports.

PROGRAMMING & SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS/ACTIVITIES

Student Ambassadors
Working with the Office of Admission, student ambassadors are eager to show their pride and love of JCU and share their stories with others. They do this through hometown high school visits, telecounseling, assisting with personalized visits, showing their residence hall rooms, and aiding in campus-wide visit days such as the annual Accepted Student Celebration.

SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS/ACTIVITIES

American Cancer Society Relay For Life
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is an 18-hour overnight event in which teams of 10-15 people take turns walking around a track, symbolic of the fact that cancer never sleeps. The event takes on a carnival-type atmosphere with food, fun, live performers, games, and music, while also pausing to remember those we've lost and honor those who have survived the disease. All proceeds from the event benefit the American Cancer Society's research, education, advocacy, and service programs.

General Service/Volunteer Work
The Center for Service and Social Action believes that, through service, we can deepen our understanding of and be a conduit for positive change within our local, national, and international community. We offer a variety of programs to meet the needs of our community partners and the interests of our service participants, including Service Learning, Voluntary Service, Service Projects and Events, and service-based Immersion Experiences.

Immersion Experiences
Integral to a Jesuit Catholic education are immersion experiences which challenge students to engage the realities of the world while reflecting on the values of human dignity and respect for the earth. Students travel to domestic and international locations where they are exposed to issues of poverty and injustice while experiencing unique cultures and environments. They engage in direct service activities, participate in experiential learning, and make educational site visits -- while living in the very communities that they are serving.

JCUEMS
JCU EMS is a volunteer student-staffed Emergency Medical Services provider comprised of Ohio State First Responders (FRs), Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and Paramedics. When a medical emergency arises on campus, JCU EMS responders are the first to arrive on scene to provide initial treatment and stabilization. In conjunction with John Carroll University Campus Safety Services, University Heights Fire Department and the medical direction of the Cleveland Clinic Health System – South Pointe Hospital, JCU EMS strengthens the continuum of emergency care on the John Carroll University Campus.

Peer Educators
Working with the Health and Counseling Centers, interested students complete a training course designed to empower them with the training to educate, confront, listen to and help other peers to make healthy lifestyle choices. Each semester a new program is developed to meet the needs of the JCU community, followed by their presentations.

SPIRITUAL ORGANIZATIONS/ACTIVITIES

Christian Life Communities
Christian Life Communities (CLCs) are small faith communities grounded in spirituality, community, and service. Groups consist of 6-10 members who gather weekly for faith-filled conversations, prayer, and reflection as they seek to integrate their faith with the realities of everyday life. CLCs are facilitated by peer leaders.

Liturgical Ministry
Campus Ministry offers several opportunities for students to get involved with the liturgy as student ministers. Some examples of student ministers include Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Sacristans, Greeters, Mass Coordinators, Liturgy Committee Members, and Altar Servers.

Spiritual Retreats
Each year Campus Ministry offers a variety of retreat and reflective experiences - from a community-based First Year Retreat to an 8-Day Silent Retreat with individual direction on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Each retreat seeks to foster students' understanding, development, and expression of spirituality and faith. Since JCU is a Jesuit university, each retreat incorporates some elements of Ignatian spirituality; however, retreats are open to students of all faiths and all those who are actively searching for deeper meaning and purpose in their lives.

ARTS & MEDIA ACTIVITIES

Carillon Yearbook
The Carillon is the yearbook of John Carroll University. At JCU, the yearbook is a student publication - our book is conceived, created, and produced by JCU students. At the Carillon, we take pride in creating a record of the life of the university, its students, and community for each school year. Each edition of the Carillon includes articles and photographs celebrating our journey together - campus activities, sports, events, student organizations, your fellow students, and beloved professors.

The Carroll News
John Carroll's weekly student newspaper, The Carroll News (CN), has been a campus tradition for over 70 years. The advisor to the CN is an administrator and part-time faculty member in the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts. The CN has won national awards for reporting and design.

John Carroll Review
For a literary journal published only twice a year, the John Carroll Review generates a lot of discussion. Maybe that's because it's staffed by students, edited by students, and most important, filled with the poetry, short fiction, essays and artwork of students. Selected writers get to see their work distributed on campus -- not to mention, the best coffeehouses, bookstores and Mongolian barbecue restaurants in Cleveland. Those published in the Review read their work at an event each term that launches the release of each issue.

Music - Instrumental
The two largest organized instrumental groups are JCU's Pep Band, called the "Wall of Sound," as well as the jazz band. The Pep Band performs at football games, basketball games, and select other events, and is the official band of the NCAA Division III Final Four each year. The Jazz Band performs at a few concerts and other events throughout the year. Other opportunities exist to create small ensembles.

Music - Vocal
If you like to sing, there is surely a place for you at Carroll. We have the Schola Cantorum (select ensemble performing sacred and secular literature), Carroll Singers (ensemble performing Broadway, vocal jazz, and popular tunes), and Chapel Ensemble (ensemble performing liturgical music for campus liturgies and prayer services), all of which perform regularly, including at the annual Parents & Family Weekend Concert and Christmas Carroll Eve Concert.

Theatre
Through musicals, plays, and one-acts, students interested in acting, directing, writing, or even behind-the-scenes work have plenty of opportunities each semester. Performances are held in Kulas Auditorium or the Marinello Little Theatre.

TV-4
WJCU-TV is John Carroll University's student run television station. Students looking for a career in broadcasting or just looking to have fun will get the chance to gain hands on experience with the station's audio and video equipment. This co-curricular provides many opportunities to write, produce, direct, and star in shows which air on a closed-circuit campus television channel. Weekly productions range from newscasts and game shows to mini-documentaries. WJCU-TV makes for a great portfolio and resume builder, especially for the Communications major!

WJCU 88.7 Radio
WJCU is a noncommercial FM broadcast station owned and operated by John Carroll University, with both studio and transmitter facilities located on the JCU campus. WJCU’s mission is characterized by three equally important dimensions. First among these is a mandate to deliver unique and diverse radio programming that serves community interests and tastes. WJCU attempts to meet this goal by offering an eclectic mix of music, sports, poetry, ethnic, informational, and public service programming not found elsewhere on the dial. Another of the station's key functions is to provide an opportunity for students to gain real-world experience in an ongoing media production and delivery process. With the exception of a professional director, all day to day management and operations are performed by student managers and directors appointed by their peers. Finally, WJCU serves as an important link between the University and surrounding communities. Not only does the station carry news about university programs, special events, and activities - it also provides free air time for community broadcasters who serve the unique needs of diverse ethnic and cultural groups.