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. 

The Student Union (SU) Spring 2026 Activities Fair took place on Friday, Jan. 16, in the WashU Field House, the largest indoor space at the university. While 220 student organizations tabled at the event, several student groups were unable to table at the event due to space constraints, according to SU Vice President of Engagement Ella Scott.

We hope this Staff Editorial can serve as a reminder that this winter break, all students deserve to take time to rest and acknowledge everything they’ve accomplished this past semester.

Student Union (SU) financial leadership plans to be stricter with giving additional funding in the current 2026 fiscal year’s (FY) quarter 2. The move comes after a 54% increase in appeals funding allocated to student organizations in FY2026 Q1 compared to FY2025 Q1.

Amid attacks on student visas and increased ICE arrests in Missouri, junior Jaqueline Marquez Salgado founded Response in Action: Students for Immigrant Justice (RAISE), a new student-led organization at WashU “dedicated to uplifting immigrant voices,” according to its Instagram bio. Marquez Salgado, the acting president of RAISE, said she was motivated to start an immigration justice club this semester after reading headlines about ICE arrests over the summer. 

Often, in order to apply to clubs, prospective members are expected to have the skills that clubs should be teaching them to develop. Student organizations should provide members with the toolbox they need to succeed within their community. Activities need to meet students where they’re at, whether that be supporting an already advanced member or a complete novice.

Going into this semester, I feel like I never got a chance to actually get involved on campus. I went to a bunch of meetings the first couple of weeks of school, but classes got in the way last year, and now I feel kind of behind. I have a lot of interests, but nothing has stood out to me yet. How do I find the right club, and is it too late??

Starting college may be the first time your sense of self feels truly challenged, but understanding who you are is a lifelong task.

By any metric, last year was not the outcome that the 13 juniors in charge of the ThurtenE carnival had envisioned after months of meticulous and intensive planning.

One year later, a new class of juniors has taken over the parking lot for setup week, spending 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. outside Simon Hall to coordinate the arrival of carnival rides and supervise student groups as they build their booths. 

In the midst of Student Union (SU) Treasury’s diminishing Budgets and Appeals account, some student organizations have expressed concern about putting on student programming, while others feel that they will be able to continue their regular programming in the spring.

For some groups, SU’s current financial situation does not impact their funding for the rest of the year. SU has three tiers of recognition for SU-funded student organizations: CAT I, II, and III. Student organizations known as CAT I organizations make up 59.3% of all SU-funded student organizations — these organizations are the only SU-funded clubs that can appeal for money during the year to fund events.