The Revamped Off Campus Student Union
The concept of an off-campus student government-type organization has existed for quite some time, but the organization “Off-Campus Student Union,” affectionately known as OCSU, has been around for only a few years.
Starting off as an ad-hoc committee of the now defunct Undergraduate Student Government (USG), the OCSU quickly became its own entity and proclaimed itself an independent organization shortly after its creation.
Over the past few years, OCSU members have pursued many projects to make life off-campus better for students. Examples of these projects include pushing the borough for better lighting downtown, working with the borough to improve alcohol-related issues, and pairing up with the Smoke-Free Bars campaign.
The current executive staff of OCSU has worked very hard over the past several months to make OCSU a better resource for students and more prominent in the on- and off-campus community than ever before.
Our new website now offers students a wealth of information about off-campus issues as well as updates on what is going on internally in the OCSU. A few of the newly installed features include:
- The ability to rate and view ratings of apartments and jobs in the downtown area
- Contact information for over 150 different realtors in the area, as well as contact information for bus companies, taxi cab services, airport shuttles etc.
- A map and schedule of the Loop and an interactive map and schedule of the Centre Link
- A ride share board where you can post your need or offer for a ride to various locations
- Links to the Off-Campus Living Office of Penn State and the State College Borough websites
- Present and past copies of “News In Briefs” our off-campus version of Stall Stories along with past Collegian articles discussing matters dealing with the OCSU
Along with the new resources we now offer, OCSU is also in the midst of planning some very exciting events that will be happening over the next few months. A few of these events include:
- Downtown Tours: FREE walking tours of downtown State College highlighting artistic and historic landmarks
- Borough Forum: A chance for students to both listen to and voice their concerns to prominent members of the Borough Council in a uniquely personal setting
- Holiday Lights Tour: A trolley tour of fraternity houses decorate for the holiday season
- Triathlon for Transposition: A new philanthropy OCSU is hopefully going to have in late November which will help financially support children in need of heart surgery
Finally, though the OCSU has already filled its executive council positions, we are still looking for committee members! If either government, community, leadership development, enhancing student life, creating a positive image for the Penn State student body, or just being involved interests you- then you should certainly consider the OCSU! The following committees are accepting applications (due Sept. 28th):
Tour Guides:
Enjoy walking backwards? Talking to and leading groups of people? The OCSU is looking for tour guides to lead the Downtown Tours in much the same way as is available on-campus. Tour guides will also help with the Holiday lights tour. Training will be available…and fun J Please contact OCSUspecialevents@psu.edu for more information.
Communication Committee:
Have dreams of being a reporter some day? Do you enjoy writing? Have interviewing skills? The Communications Director, Pat Gordon is looking for individuals who want to inform the student body about different organizations and businesses both on- and off-campus. Your work will be featured in the bi-weekly publication of “News In Briefs” which is available to entire student body. Please contact OCSUcommunications@psu.edu for more information about the specific positions Pat is looking for.
Philanthropy Committee:
Give back to the community by serving on the philanthropy committee! You will be given the opportunity to help create and facilitate Triathlon for Transposition- a brand new philanthropic event at Penn State! You will also be included in the fundraising efforts for the Rocco Davis Fund, THON, and Relay for Life! Please contact OCSUphilanthropy@psu.edu for more information.
Residence Representatives:
Want to be the voice of your apartment building? Want to make sure your concerns are heard? We are looking to have a representative from each apartment complex/area in State College. We have hopes that apartment boards may be formed for each complex so the renters have a unified voice. Please contact OCSUhousing@psu.edu for more information.
Applications for the above committee positions are available on our site.
For more information about our growing organization or how to get involved with OCSU, please check out the OCSU website or e-mail us.
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