Music plays outside the Memorial Student Center, or MSC, while students gather in groups next to colorful banners, recruiting members to different organizations Texas A&M offers to allow new (and old) students to get involved in something different.
Every fall, students are invited to apply for Freshman Leadership Organizations and Sophomore Leadership Organizations, or FLOs and SLOs, respectively. These organizations — 25 FLOs and five SLOs — strive to teach students important life skills such as leadership, service and courage while making lifelong friends.
Experiencing how special FLOs can be for a college student’s educational experience is something Peyton Bornes, Freshman Leadership Advisory Council executive director and business management junior, witnessed through her role.
“[FLOs are] a year-long program where they all have different kinds of things, but most are usually for service or social or just getting the freshmen integrated into Texas A&M,” Borens said. “Each FLO is very unique in what it does.”
Borens applied for Freshman Aggies Spreading Traditions, or FAST, after seeing the organization advertised on campus, as campaigns typically begin in September.
“Recruitment is basically [when] every FLO will banner around campus for about two weeks,” Borens said. “They banner at the MSC and Sbisa, and the counselors are out there in tank tops.”
FLOs and SLOs can vary from strictly service to social or be a mix of the two, similar to Greek Life at A&M. While Greek Life is a great way to integrate into college life, Borens said both offer different opportunities.
“You could definitely do both,” Borens said. “I am in Delta Gamma and I joined that freshman year and also joined [FAST] freshman year. So it’s definitely doable and honestly it’s a great balance … most FLOs are co-ed. It’s a nice balance of getting those really good friendships of both like boy, girl.”
FLOs and SLOs prioritize helping out the community, with each contributing in various ways. Borens said their philanthropy events teach students not only the importance of helping others but also to be assertive when needing to get jobs done.
When the members are not servicing the community, Borens said they are finding different ways to get to know one another and other organizations.
“A lot of FLOs really put an emphasis on making their own little service retreats,” Borens said. “They also like to put on other stuff that’s more fun within the FLOs. I know there’s FLO Bowl, MSC FISH puts that on.’”
Borens said these organizations allow people of all different backgrounds to come together and help out the community in unique ways while having fun and getting to know one another.
“I feel like FLOs have such a good opportunity to have such different people with diverse personalities, and I think you really learn how to get along with people that are different from yourself,” Borens said.
Due to the lasting impacts FLOs have on students, several stay involved with their organizations as staff after their membership ends the following year.
“It’s just a matter of finding the FLO that you love and fits well with you and then figuring out how to get your way up,” Borens said.
Allied health senior Taylor Trinh was unable to join a FLO her freshman year due to COVID-19. When students were welcomed back on campus, Trinh joined Sophomores Leading and Motivating, or SLAM to finally get involved.
“We get a lot of transfer students and we get a lot of people that joined FLOs,” Trinh said. “I think SLOs are a really cool opportunity for people to get involved if they weren’t able to their freshman year.”
Similar to FLOs, SLOs have a passion for helping people, Trinh said.
“Our philanthropy is Voices for Children,” Trinh said. “We have fundraising events and other services to philanthropy events supporting them.”
Trinh said she was grateful for the people she met from her organization after not being able to feel involved her freshman year.
“I probably never would’ve met them if it weren’t for [SLAM] just because we’re all so different,” Trinh said. “It really introduces you to so many new experiences and personalities and you learn so much about yourself and other people.”
Because of the impact SLAM had on Trinh, she — like several other students — continued to be involved and become a leader for other members. Trinh currently serves as SLAM’s president.
The social aspect of FLOs and SLOs is also important in the organization’s goals, Trinh said.
“Every week we have socials and we have a spring retreat,” Trinh said. “We also have a big fundraising event, which is our bake sale. And a lot of sophomores really get to know each other and know other people outside of their committee.”
A&M provides students with the ability to meet other students who are undergoing similar situations. Any of the on-campus organizations can provide students with life-lasting friendships to those who are brave enough to try, Trinh said.
“[Don’t] let your fear of rejection or the fear of the unknown keep you from applying — just go for it,” Trinh said. “You never know what can happen and the impact that these orgs make on you is so crazy to think about.”
