What does it take to be an impacting organization on campus? There are many facets of an organization that make it stand out among the rest. Members must not feel like strangers, officers must be capable of understanding each other’s point of view. UF prides itself in fostering over 975 student organizations ranging from the Japanese club to the National Association of Music education.
This past school year, the student-led organization Islam on Campus (IOC) was the recipient of the Outstanding Organization of the Year award on behalf of student government.
An accolade such as the one received by this group is not easily conquered. So, what is it that makes a group stand out among the rest? In speaking with a former officer of IOC, I was able to get a glimpse inside the workings of an award-worthy organization on campus.
Rising junior, Amana Abdulwakeel, studies Microbiology and Cell Science at UF. With experience as the secretary for IOC in fall 2012 and treasurer in spring 2013, Amana knows firsthand the challenges that an organization can face as it tries to reach out to students on campus.
She explains, “This past year for IOC was very weird in that we had several members drop throughout the year and we held elections three times in one school year, even for pivotal positions such as president and treasurer.”
As with any organization, obstacles pose a distraction to the purpose of an organization, but the way the problem is handled is what sets a group apart from the rest. The maturity level of the IOC executive board allowed the group to move past difficulties as the leaders “put IOC as a top priority in their life.”
An exceptional trait that facilitated IOC’s success was their degree of openness to dialogue between members and the executive board. For all executive board meetings, general body members of IOC were allowed, and even encouraged, to attend meetings and give feedback to the decisions of leaders.
Abdulwakeel is grateful for the feedback of IOC members as they kept the leaders “grounded” and aware of what regular campus students would be interested in.
“Members were always there and that helped us immensely, especially in planning larger events like Fast-a-thon or Islam Awareness Month,” she said.
Having a wide array of opinions voiced allowed the group to proactively pursue goals that would facilitate the expansion of the general body.
IOC works toward gaining more prayer rooms on campus and a greater array of halal food options on campus.
In order for a campus organization to succeed, it shouldn’t remain impersonal, but members should feel welcome and comfortable.
This came naturally to IOC as the executive board members “acted like a family” and reflected that tight-knit familial characteristic toward general body members. Due to this amiable characteristic and openness to opinion, IOC acts a model for fledgling organizations on campus.
“Without a doubt, IOC can act as the voice of Muslims on campus,” she said.
