UDance Executive Board Spotlight: RSO and Student Groups Team
Today we are spotlighting our RSO and Student Groups team on the UDance Executive Board!
WHO IS ON THE RSO AND STUDENT GROUPS TEAM?
The RSO and Student Groups team is made up of an RSO and Student Groups Director, Julia Fusco, and an RSO and Student Groups Chair, Alexa Rial.
MEET JULIA, RSO AND STUDENT GROUPS DIRECTOR
Julia is a senior psychology student at the University of Delaware. This is her second year on the UDance Executive Board. Last year, Julia served as a Donation Chair on the Finance team and progressed to become the RSO and Student Groups Director for UDance 2022.
MEET ALEXA, RSO AND STUDENT GROUPS CHAIR
Alexa is also a senior psychology student at UD, and it is also her second year on the UDance Executive Board. Last year she held the position of Fundraising Chair on the Student Engagement team and also switched over to the RSO and Student Groups team this year.
WHAT DOES THE RSO TEAM DO?
The first half of the week for the RSO team consists of preparation for their rep meetings on Wednesdays. Each RSO (Registered Student Organization) and Student Group that is involved with UDance has one or more representatives from their respective group to serve as the liaison between UDance and their organization. Julia and Alexa meet with these reps regularly at their meetings on Wednesdays and additionally hold office hours for their reps throughout the week to come in and ask questions. The RSO team assists their reps in planning their own UDance campaigns within their own organizations, and also plans events and campaigns revolving around all of the RSO and Student Groups on campus and their UDance fundraising efforts.
RSO AND STUDENT GROUPS INVOLVEMENT ON CAMPUS
Student involvement on campus can be divided into several large groups: Greek Life, Athletic Teams, Residence Life, and RSO/Student Groups. Although UDance was founded by two Greek Life organizations, that’s just one third of the campus involved in UDance! Engaging other organizations outside of Greek Life allows participation from other students involved in a variety of different activities and interests on our campus. Some of the reps from these organizations return for years to come, and have been consistently involved with UDance and the fight against childhood cancer. Other reps are joining the UDance community for the first time this year. Regardless of the level of previous experience from reps and RSOs, they all have Julia and Alexa to lean on and help them encourage their organizations to participate.
RSO AND STUDENT GROUPS CAMPAIGNS AND EVENTS
Our first in-person UDance event since Covid struck in March 2020 was an RSO and Student Groups event called Reps Raceway. This event was part of a week-long RSO and Student Groups Campaign called “Ready, Set, Go RSO”. Pre-covid, this was an annual event called “Reps for Ransom” where representatives from all different branches of student organizations including RSOs, Student Groups, Athletics, Residence Life, and Greek Life participated by standing in a barricade outside of Trabant Student Center and could not leave the barricade until their respective group reached their fundraising goal for UDance. This year, Julia and Alexa revamped this event with a Raceway theme to match the rest of the week’s campaign. Everyone dressed to the theme and the two members of the RSO Team emceed the event. After the event, the UDance Executive Board received a lot of positive feedback that this event was so much fun and made them excited for an in-person UDance experience. It was a great chance to show students what UDance typically looks like in a normal, in-person semester and how much fun it is. UDance Executive Board’s Production Chair, Rachel North even explained that sitting in Trabant and witnessing this event in previous years is what drove her desire to be involved with UDance. If you missed the Fall 2021 Reps Raceway, don’t worry! The RSO and Student Groups Team will be hosting this event again with a new theme in Spring 2021. Stay on the lookout for more information on how to be involved in this fun-filled event in the Spring!
WHY DO UDANCE?
Julia and Alexa are both incredible examples of passionate and driven members of the UDance Community without personal ties to childhood cancer.
JULIA
When asked why they chose to be so involved in UDance, Julia explained, “I’m very fortunate that I don’t have anyone directly related to me or close to me that has been affected by childhood cancer. But my freshman year I heard Joe McDonough speak at my sorority new member meeting, and I remember him telling Andrew’s story and talking about Andrew’s sister, Ally. Ally had just gotten married and her son was going to have Andrew’s name as his middle name to honor her brother. He explained how for their entire family, it always felt like something was missing, and that something was Andrew. I’m a twin, and my twin sister is my best friend in the entire world. All I could think about in that moment was my sister. Andrew’s family is affected by his passing everyday. Ally didn’t get to have her brother at her wedding. I just thought about if I had to go through life without my sister, and she wasn’t able to be at my wedding, and it broke my heart.” She continued, “I dance for the siblings of children affected by cancer. Watching a sibling go through that or having to go on without your sibling is horrible. I dance to keep families together.”
ALEXA
When Alexa was prompted with the same question, ‘Why do UDance?’, she responded, “My freshman year of college, I knew a little bit about UDance. My friend Nina who lived across the hall from me, and is actually on the board as our Greek Life Director was a Brand Ambassador (Now Media Relations Representatives). I began fundraising as an individual fundraiser, and went to the day-of UDance. I immediately fell in love. I remember seeing all of the B+ Heroes, and hearing Joe and B+ Families speak, and I found it so impactful and inspiring. These kids go through such a hard time and endure so much, but continuously remain positive. I remember seeing the Executive Board on stage and I wanted my college experience to look like that. Everyone can go through college participating in certain activities for themselves and their personal experiences, and I knew I wanted to do something that helped other people. Whether it's fundraising $100 to keep their electricity on at home, or even $500 to help a family transport their child to the hospital, just small things like that are really impactful to these families. No child should hear that they have cancer, and I think it’s incredible that us as college students can help these families and hopefully decrease the number of children that hear those words day by day.”