Ella Skye Heisel | Staff Illustrator

Lately, I’ve noticed students are unafraid to promote their own clubs or events, often in situations which feel random or abrupt. This phenomenon has been coined the “shameless plug.” Shameless plugs can feel like trivial diversions from a group’s focus, but they actually prove to be more helpful than one might think.

Shameless plugs are important to me because I simply don’t know what’s going on at WashU. I play on the varsity softball team here, and like many of the other athletes, I often feel disconnected from the rest of the student body. 

It is difficult to maintain friendships with people outside of athletics. When I went through the recruiting process, my club softball coach described college life as a triangle with three points: social life, athletics, and academics. I remember him saying, “You can only ever choose two points; one will always be left out.” 

With a season under my belt, I can confirm his words are true. There are simply not enough hours in the day to accommodate all three, especially when an athlete is in season. That is why I believe the athletic community stays very internal — other athletes get it. We often prioritize athletics. Hence, we are left with odd hours of availability for things like campus events or hanging with friends. Plus, we’re always in the Athletic Complex.

Our commitment to athletics doesn’t stop us from wanting connection and community outside of sports. When I went to recruitment camps at various schools, one of the most common questions was, “Are athletes here able to hang out with the rest of the student body?” Part of the reason I decided to go Division III was because I wanted the chance to do something outside of softball.

But many athletes don’t know where to start. With our social life based in the athletic community, we share little information about student groups, clubs, or events in our conversations. Due to this limited information, a lot of athletes assume that groups on campus are exclusive and require hours of commitment that we don’t have. 

I believe that’s why a lot of athletes are a part of social or professional Greek life — it’s an established and well-known way to meet others that usually does not require a lot of time. But many athletes choose not to partake in Greek life and would love to be a part of something else. They just don’t know what’s out there.

Last spring, K.A.R.L. Improv had an upcoming performance that was shamelessly plugged during one of my classes. A group of my teammates decided to attend: We loved it. Soon enough, a small softball improv fanclub was born, and we continued to attend their performances throughout the semester. This obsession continued into last fall, when we met some of the K.A.R.L. performers in passing. Recently, we gathered for an improv session with K.A.R.L. Now, we play improv games as a part of our pre-game ritual. This seemingly random mix of students created so much joy, opening up doors for us athletes to meet new people.

Shameless plugs are an essential part of community building at WashU. The rise in these abrupt promotions have given others, including me, the opportunity to attend more events on campus. In effect, I feel closer to the community as a whole. From a drag show in the DUC to an academic discussion between an atheist author and a Catholic New York Times columnist, I’ve come to realize this year that WashU does have a lot of accessible campus life events — you just have to look for it.

So keep plugging your craft night in the DUC, your a cappella concert, or even an upcoming assembly series speaker — you may just open a whole new world for those around you.

Speaking of, WashU softball has home games for the next two weekends, and K.A.R.L. has upcoming performances on Feb. 26, April 11, and April 26 — I recommend coming to softball for a good time under the sun and going to K.A.R.L for some early evening laughs! Maybe you should even write for Student Life.