{"id":7203,"date":"2026-10-30T14:37:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T19:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/?p=7203"},"modified":"2026-10-30T14:37:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T19:37:26","slug":"where-student-ideas-take-shape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/2026\/10\/30\/where-student-ideas-take-shape\/","title":{"rendered":"Where student ideas take shape\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Donor support helps student-led organizations expand access to opportunities for learning and engagement turn.<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Students met some of the nearly 205 registered student organizations during the Co-Curricular Fair.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From staging musicals to attending professional conferences and competing in club sports, St. Olaf College students are creating opportunities to explore their interests and build community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 1,800 Oles participate in the college\u2019s approximately 205 registered student organizations<\/a>, a level of involvement that stands out among peer institutions, according to Brandon Cash, assistant dean for student engagement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStudent organizations here are hyperactive,\u201d Cash says. \u201cOles get involved and are not shy to carve out their own spaces for involvement. This has shaped campus in a meaningful way that is a distinction of this place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student organizations are 100% student-led and initiated. They receive some funding through St. Olaf\u2019s Student Government Association (SGA)<\/a>. But donor support, including gifts through Here for the Hill \u2014 an annual giving event where students raise funds for campus student organizations \u2014 helps students sustain and expand opportunities beyond what those resources can cover.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond supporting student organizations, donors also help lower the financial barrier to participation. For the past five years, the Office of Student Activities<\/a> has been able to offer support to low-income students through the Co-Curricular Opportunity Fund. It\u2019s fully donor-funded and helps cover the cost of dues, experiences, or equipment, like required uniforms. In 2025-2026, the fund supported about 460 students with $29,000, which primarily went toward covering student organization dues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[Donors] are putting power in the hands of students to shape their experiences, and the experiences of their peers and campus, into something that aligns with what the students of today are looking for from St. Olaf.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Empty Theater<\/a> is a student-run musical theater group.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Creating space for everyone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Empty Theater is a student-run musical theater group where students can be involved in every aspect of producing a show. The organization stages a mainstage musical each fall, along with smaller productions and events throughout the year. This fall, nearly 35 students are involved in the group\u2019s production of Into the Woods<\/em>, serving as cast members, directors, stage managers, and costume, lighting, and sound designers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really fun that we\u2019re getting more and more people interested in opportunities in everything related to theater,\u201d says Wilson Lindberg \u201927, president of Empty Theater. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve been getting a lot of positive support for what we\u2019re doing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With no dues for students to participate, Empty Theater relies on fundraising to cover production expenses, including performance rights that can cost around $1,500 per show. For Lindberg, finding ways to support more productions means creating more opportunities for students to get involved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheater can be such a difficult thing to do,\u201d Lindberg says. \u201cIt can be stressful, and with the nature of auditions, some people get into things, and some people don\u2019t. I just want to make sure we can provide enough opportunities so that we can include as many people as we can.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Members of Aspiring Educators have the opportunity to attend the Minnesota Educator Academy each year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Learning beyond the classroom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Aspiring Educators brings together more than 100 students interested in education, regardless of their major or career plans. Co-presidents Kaitlyn Brown \u201928 and Katelyn Graham \u201928 are also working to strengthen the community among education students, creating opportunities for Oles across academic disciplines to connect. They host events throughout the year led by experts to discuss the opportunities, challenges, and realities of being an educator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy biggest goal is to build more of an education community,\u201d says Graham. \u201cYou get to know everyone in your classes, but you don\u2019t get to see the whole education community that we have.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown adds, \u201cBeing a teacher isn\u2019t like a solo sport. It\u2019s a team sport because we all need each other to teach.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A big priority of Aspiring Educators is to send students to the annual Minnesota Educator Academy conference. Support from fundraising helps cover expenses like conference registration fees, allowing students to participate in professional development opportunities without bearing the cost themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In past years, the connection made at the MEA conference has led to the Minnesota Teacher of the Year presenting at St. Olaf, an event that is also made possible through donor support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Members
St. Olaf rowing is a competitive club sport.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Building a stronger team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Competitive and recreational club sports have seen an increase in the number of teams over the last few years. Today, St. Olaf has 12 competitive club sports teams and 19 recreational teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With equipment and travel costs, competitive club sports are some of the most expensive student organizations on campus to operate. The students leading the St. Olaf Rowing Club have taken the lead to expand opportunities for their peers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA couple of years ago, we were in a bit of a slump,\u201d says Odin Milbury \u201927, president of the rowing club. After flooding damaged much of the club\u2019s equipment, members were left with just one functional boat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milbury and his teammates developed creative fundraising efforts, including a 24-hour Ergathon, during which members keep a rowing machine moving continuously to raise donations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the club has more than 30 members and three boats, with another on the way. That growth has allowed the club to expand its competitive opportunities while keeping dues relatively low. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their work also embodies the Ole drive to aid and help others.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would never want finances to be a barrier for anyone who wants to join the club,\u201d Milbury says. \u201cIt really is a fantastic sport. You build a lot of lifelong skills, and I want to make sure that everyone has the same opportunity that I did.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Donor support helps student-led organizations expand access to opportunities for learning and engagement turn. From staging musicals to attending professional conferences and competing in club sports, St. Olaf College students […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12610,"featured_media":7210,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[12,42,43],"class_list":["post-7203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","tag-giving","tag-student-life","tag-students"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/files\/2026\/10\/Empty-Theater.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12610"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7203"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7258,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7203\/revisions\/7258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}