Community provides a sense of belonging and support allowing greater ability to cope
with life struggles.
Being part of a community provides a sense of belonging and emotional support and brings joy and fulfillment. This can be crucial during stress or crisis. Having people to talk to and share experiences with helps reduce feelings of isolation, homesickness, and loneliness. Participating in community activities and events introduces social engagement and provides opportunities for positive social interactions, which benefit mental health. Being part of a community also helps individuals feel connected to something larger than themselves, imbuing a sense of individual identity and social belonging that can enhance mental well-being. There are too many things going on around campus for us to put it all here. We'll point you in a few directions; it's up to you, however, to go and engage in community. That can be scary sometimes. Often, it's more frightening in our heads before it happens... then, when we have already mustered the courage to go and are out there enjoying ourselves, we look back and realize how much more easy it was than we first believed.
Click through the stack below to see some ways to engage with the community:
Connect with your community
CAMPUS ACTIVITIES BOARD
CAMPUS ACTIVITIES BOARD
“EVENTS ALL YEAR! Hosts the majority of student-led events on and off campus. These events include TGIT, Groundhog, Fall Fest, Prima Faira, Spring Formal, Music on the Mall, Quiz Bowl, Wine Down Wednesday, and more!”
MALL APP
MALL APP
“With the Mall App's BannerWeb connection, you can keep up with UD events, clubs, and organizations, as well as classes, grades, financial aid, and more.”
CAMPUS MINISTRY
CAMPUS MINISTRY
“Campus Ministry also offers a variety of activities and other ways for students to get involved in the University of Dallas community. Offering various ministries and retreats, free dinners, pilgrimages, services, and missions, or just a place to hangout between classes or study. Located on the 2nd floor of SB Hall (rooms 254).”
50+ CLUBS & ORGS
50+ CLUBS & ORGS
“UD has over 50 student-run clubs and organizations to meet various personal, social, political, recreational, and religious interests. Active participation in clubs and organizations is recommended and encouraged for all students to develop the whole person: body and soul, heart and mind.”
UD RECREATIONAL SPORTS
UD RECREATIONAL SPORTS
“The Office of Student Activities & Recreational Services offers a variety of recreational programs for participants of all fitness levels and interests. Opportunities include extracurricular recreational classes, weekend and one-day tournaments, as well as a variety of intramural sports competitions. Students for students organize all rec programming events and activities! You can check out how you can get involved in Rec Programming by clicking on Get Involved to the left.”
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
“The Student Government Senate is made up of elected representatives from the different communities on campus. Senate elections are held during the first few weeks of the fall semester and again at the beginning of the spring semester if there are vacancies. The Executive Council consists of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, who work to communicate with the administration about the affairs of the Student Government.”
FOCUS Missionaries
FOCUS Missionaries
“Don’t let your college years be ordinary. An extraordinary opportunity of faith and friendship lies before you—all you have to do is embrace it. Find out how.”
THE CAP BAR!!
THE CAP BAR!!
“Located in Haggar Center and founded by Patrick “Pat” Daly, alumnus, Rome assistant, Rome Director and VP of Admiration. He brought a piece of Rome to the Irving Campus. Enjoy your favorite coffee while visiting with your fellow students.”
THEATER
THEATER
“Under the direction of the Drama Department, the University Theater is an extracurricular organization that presents a series of major productions annually. While each production's acting company and technical crew is composed of students from every university program, those pursuing the course of study in drama have found that this opportunity to put their theoretical knowledge into exciting and challenging practice is essential to their growth in this field.”
MUSIC
MUSIC
“The UD Music Department ensures a vibrant musical presence on campus. Students can participate in the UD Chorale, which performs a diverse repertoire from Gregorian chant to contemporary works. Additionally, they can take applied lessons in piano, voice, violin, cello, guitar, and organ. Monthly student recitals, special concerts, liturgies, and campus visit weekends provide performance opportunities2.”
LITURGY
LITURGY
“Students can attend religious services and daily Mass at the 500-seat Church of the Incarnation. The church also houses the St. Thomas Aquinas Eucharistic Chapel. Because it is centrally located and open 24 hours daily, students are only a brief walk away for prayer and reflection.”
SERVING THE COMMUNITY
SERVING THE COMMUNITY
“Love for one's neighbor is a virtue students make manifest through many opportunities to serve those in need in Irving, in the wider Dallas-Fort Worth community, and beyond. At UD, we are deeply committed to the transformative power of serving others. Rooted in the rich tradition of Catholic social teaching, the University of Dallas is a faith-filled community where students, faculty, and staff enjoy many opportunities to engage in charitable works of mercy to aid those in need.”
Discover Dallas
Discover Dallas
“With its central location, low cost of living, warm weather, and abundant leisure activities, it's no surprise that Dallas/Fort Worth leads the nation in job growth. There are plenty of personal and professional opportunities for students in the nation's fourth-largest metropolitan area. UD's Irving campus is about 20 minutes from two international airports and world-class venues for sports, arts, entertainment, and culture, all easily accessible by public transportation.”
AND MUCH MUCH MORE!
AND MUCH MUCH MORE!
“Not seeing your cup of tea? Well, there's plenty more on campus and around the giant metroplex. All it takes is some exploration, openness, and patience on your part to find where you fit!”
Yeah, but...
OK, so a lot is happening around campus for students to engage with, feel connected to, and enjoy time within the community. However, some students find it challenging to connect with the community, whether this is due to anxiousness, depressiveness, phobias, a lack of confidence in social skills, avoidant tendencies, or other struggles. College students with these concerns often struggle to connect with the community in healthy ways, leading to the potential of engaging in harmful or unhelpful behaviors. These struggles can indeed affect students' academic performance and personal lives. The Wellness Map hopes to address social anxiety among college students and enhance their community engagement by connecting them to the appropriate level of care to address their needs. However, only some people must jump up to Steps 6 or above. Some just need help to move up to Step 3 and increase their skills to better connect with the community.
Some suggestions include promoting positive social media use to improve communication capacity, alleviate social anxiety, and lead to real-life, in-person connections (see connections to various student-engaged social media pages in the slider above). Implementing coping strategies programs has effectively reduced rejection sensitivity and social anxiety among college students, enhancing their psychosocial adaptation and interpersonal communication (more on this in Step 3). Additionally, improving family and friend connections has been identified as a mechanism to reduce social anxiety among college students, thereby boosting their psychological resilience, easing social anxiety, and deepening Purposeful Intentionality.
These challenges may pose significant difficulties for college students engaging with their community. By implementing interventions that focus on improving social skills, addressing unhelpful or harmful behaviors, promoting positive coping strategies, and strengthening support systems, colleges can help students overcome these struggles and actively participate more fully in community activities. This is what we will start to address when moving up the Steps.
PURPOSEFUL INTENTIONALITY
The first step, though, is to try. Pick one thing. Tell yourself to try that one thing. Maybe it will be great, perhaps it’ll just be OK, maybe it will suck, but at least you will have made a step towards having more social support. You may also glean important information that would be helpful for you to know- why it is that you struggle to connect socially. That gives us something to work with. This can help set your steps on more stable ground in the future. Be patient with yourself; you can do this, and we (your community) can help.
If you have information about why connecting is a struggle, you can try to develop the necessary skills (Step 3), talk to your peers and people of support (Step 4), or access additional resources (Steps 5+) to get you to the point where you feel comfortable and confident engaging with your community.
If you continually struggle to connect socially, maybe you need a little extra support. Please feel free to contact our Case Manager if you need more help.
