Greek organizations, athletic teams, clubs, bands, and other student groups have enormous power to transform campus culture. When connection becomes organizational identity, it spreads exponentially.

Organizational Culture Shift

Frame Smile, Greet, Engage to members this way:

“The skills that will make you successful in your career and life are not just learned in classrooms. They are practiced in hallways, dining halls, and chance encounters. Every time you smile at someone who looks lonely, greet someone you don’t know, or engage someone in conversation, you’re not just helping them – you are training yourself for the interviews, the client meetings, the team dynamics, and the relationships that will define your future.”

“I personally think these are the most important assignments I’ve ever done in all my education. They are more important for developing real life skills rather than just completing an assignment.”

Meeting Welcome Protocols

How leaders greet arriving members and visitors signals organizational culture:

• Door Greeters: Assign two members to stand at the entrance, smile, greet everyone by name, and welcome newcomers personally.
• New Member Introduction: When visitors or new members attend, pause the meeting for personal introductions. Have each person share their name and one interesting fact.
• Connection Buddies: Pair new members with established members for their first three meetings.
• Pre-Meeting Mingling: Start meetings 10 minutes early with music and encouraged socializing – no business until the official start time.
• Post-Meeting Follow-Up: Text or email every visitor within 24 hours thanking them for attending.

Inter-Organizational Competitions

Create friendly competition around connection:

• Connection Challenge Week: Track documented greetings and conversations across organizations. Award the most connected organization.
• No One Sits Alone Day: Challenge organizations to ensure no one in the dining hall sits alone for one designated day. Assign members to community tables.
• Cross-Org Mixers: Partner with a different organization each month for joint social events. Break silos.
• Campus-Wide Smile Day: Coordinate with Student Government to declare an official Smile, Greet, Engage day with participation tracked by organization.
• Random Acts Competition: Challenge organizations to document random acts of kindness. Share stories and award winners.

Community Tables in Dining Halls

The “No One Eats Alone” initiative, now sponsored by the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation, has reached over 1.5 million students nationally. Adapt it for your campus:

• Designate Tables: Work with dining services to create clearly marked “Community Tables” where anyone can sit to find conversation.
• Table Hosts: Schedule organization members to sit at community tables during peak hours, welcoming anyone who joins.
• Conversation Starters: Place cards with icebreaker questions on community tables.
• Monthly Events: Host one No One Eats Alone Day per month with special activities and incentives.

“This is actually my favorite part of the month and my school year. To me, it means that you can bring more people together and that people can start making new friends if they really want to.”

Words and Phrases for Student Engagement

Students often struggle not with willingness to connect, but with knowing what to say. Here are tested conversation starters:

For Fellow Students:

• “I’m [name] – I don’t think we’ve met. What’s your major?”
• “That’s a great [laptop sticker/shirt/bag] – what’s the story behind it?”
• “How’s your semester going so far?”
• “What’s keeping you busy these days?”
• “Have you found any good spots on campus to study?”
• “What are you most looking forward to this week?”
• “What brought you to this university?”
• “Mind if I join you?”
• “What class is this for?” (when seeing someone studying)
• “Any fun plans for the weekend?”

For Professors and Faculty:

• “What drew you to this field originally?”
• “What advice would you give someone considering this career path?”
• “What’s the most interesting development in your field right now?”
• “Is there anything you wish you’d known when you were starting out?”
• “What skills do you think are most important for success in this profession?”

For Staff:

• “I see you around a lot – what department are you with?”
• “What are some of the things you do?”
• “How long have you been working here?”
• “What’s been a bright spot in your week?”

For Anyone, Anywhere:

• “I don’t think we’ve met – I’m [name].”
• “That looks interesting – what are you working on?”
• “How’s your day going?”
• “I like your [specific item] – where did you get it?”