Your neighbors aren’t your community.
Well, they can be a part of it, but the term ‘community’ encompasses a whole lot more than the people who live next to you or the people who raised you.
According to Merriam-Webster, community can refer to a group of people who share a place, characteristic or interest. It can also describe a feeling of caring about and wanting to interact with others. In other words, community isn’t about who’s around you. It’s about who you connect with and who you can rely on.
At the start of the fall 2025 semester, SVSU reported 6,906 enrolled students. That’s nearly 7,000 people who have the chance to meet that otherwise wouldn’t have. These thousands of students also share a powerful characteristic that gives them a chance to build meaningful relationships: they’re Cardinals.
Students have even more opportunities to connect through their majors, classes, student organizations, jobs, and interests. SVSU and the college atmosphere creates the perfect conditions for people to make friends, socialize, and build networks of people to rely on when times get tough.
But being surrounded by people doesn’t automatically create a community.
The problem is students are typically young adults and may not have the tools to take advantage of these perfect conditions. From experience, being a new adult is hard. I didn’t know how to manage a personal calendar, so planning hangouts in advance just didn’t happen. It’s hard to learn how to cook, so inviting people over for dinner isn’t always an option unless you have money for pizza. And college students aren’t exactly known for having extra money or free time.
Even when students have plenty of opportunities to meet people, it can be surprisingly difficult to take the first step.
I’ve noticed an unusual quiet when a class begins at SVSU. Unless somebody already knows someone, no one is making casual conversation with the person sitting next to them unless they’re grouped together in a project.
But why does it matter if people keep to themselves during a class? They’re there to learn, right?
Well, what happens when you miss a class when you’re sick? Who will be there to help you fill in the gaps? The professor might be, but a classmate may be able to quickly tell you what you missed or share notes from the lecture.
The same idea applies in life outside of the classroom walls. Maybe you need a friend to drive you to MBS International Airport. Maybe someone in your professional network knows about a job opening. Maybe you need someone to help you move or somewhere to go when you’ve spent too much time alone.
Community isn’t just about having people to share laughter with or make memories with. It’s also about having people to turn to when you need support and being willing to offer that support in return. It’s what makes having a community so valuable.
The people who make up your community don’t all have to be your best friends. They can be the person you say hi to in the hallway, the classmate who sends you notes when you’re absent, or the classmate who thinks of you when they see an internship opening.
The people in your community don’t have to be at SVSU, either. Saginaw is part of the community surrounding this university. There are local events and organizations that students can participate in and contribute to; for example, Old Town Saginaw just held the 2026 Art Fest this past Saturday, Sept. 13 that had food, art vendors, and live music. Take advantage of your college years to go to events like that and really become part of the place you’re living in for four years.
Community takes time to build, and most of your peers will only be at SVSU for a few years. So start small. Talk to the person sitting next to you. Invite a classmate to study. Go to an RSO meeting. Attend an event in Saginaw. Share an opportunity when you find one.
You don’t have to become best friends with everyone. You just have to give yourself, and maybe a peer, a reason to not go through college alone.
