The Office’s of Student Life continue to support Pierce College students. Their food and hygiene pantry program has been rising in popularity. So has the ORCA cards, free bus passes and student IDs for Winter Quarter, 2024. They also have more snacks to give away than ever. All of this success is possible because of those who have worked to get things up and running.

The Coronavirus Pandemic created many challenges for the community of students here at Pierce College, including the loss of social interaction between peers, faculty and campus staff. That loss greatly impacted the OSL.

“It was just a super ghost town at that time,” said Joey Adams, Director of Student Life at Fort Steilacoom campus, “everything’s online, no students on campus, just nothing going on at all… and there were several kinds of failed attempts at [coming back] because, you know, new COVID strains came out.”

Up until this point, the OSL was in dire straits, but now in 2024, four years after the pandemic started, the OSL is shining bright once again. Adams calls the OSL team,  “Wave Creators”, as they all hold important roles in their relaunch of Student Life. The team is divided into four sections; Student Media, Activities Board, Clubs & Organizations and Student Government.

Director of Student Life at the Puyallup campus, Miguel Akira “Aki” Smith, talked about the challenges of having to guide the Activities side of things due to a full-time staff vacancy; “Right now, I feel like I am divided into 17 pieces of needing to manage, different people, and I would say that’s probably one of the biggest challenges, because I have to manage up, down, and laterally in my job.” Smith also talked about the current Activities Board events and their positive effects on students.

“I think the impact that it has had on our students employees is the realization what they do matters to more than just them, and so I believe that’s where the true value is.”

Engaging student interest in clubs is a difficult task that Iopu Ignacio, the Student Engagement Manager, tackles with excitements. When asked about the success of clubs, he was ecstatic about the progression.

“You know, from eight clubs last year… like 32 clubs [in 2024], I would say it’s significant gap that you cannot ignore,” Ignacio said. According to Ignacio, his main goal is to keep clubs afloat, reminding them there’s resources if they need them, and overall making sure every club is getting what they need.

Not many students know they can take an active role in the policies enacted in the college. Student Government is just the place to suggest ideas. Their main goals are making sure students are getting the resources they need to succeed and that their voices are heard in policies that are passed, as well as expanded focus on inclusivity on campus, according to Student Government president Lily Yokoda and Vice-President Liliana Somnuk-Eigenseher.

To check out everything the OSL offers, feel free to come down to the College Center Building Room 210 in Puyallup or Cascade Building Room 418 in fort Steilacoom and see what their office offers or to talk to one of their front desk staff, you can call: 253-964-7372 (Fort Steilacoom) or 253-840-8416 (Puyallup).

Have a fantastic winter quarter!