STUDENT FEDERATION
The organization known as the Hillsdale College Student Federation exists to allocate student fees for the purpose of improving campus life; to approve of and regulate student clubs, organizations, and honoraries; to act as a Federation in which students can participate in self-government; and to support the College in its mission of calling students toward the active cultivation of intellectual and moral excellence, humility before our Creator, courage in pursuit of justice, and diligence in performing the duties of scholarship. Its authority is derived from the College’s Board of Trustees.
Social Life
The Student Activities Board serves the Hillsdale College student community by providing fun, safe social events and opportunities that encourage the growth and development of friendships on campus. These include all-campus events such as the Welcome Party, Homecoming Week, Garden Party, Day of Thanks, Thanksgiving Dinner, President’s Ball, Centralhallapalooza, and a variety of smaller events like Concert on the Quad, Fall Fest, Gingerbread Wars, Ski Trip, bowling nights, Last Class Bash and more. The campus also hosts a wide variety of other social activities, such as visiting artists, plays, faculty and guest lectures, choral and orchestral concerts, intramural, club, and NCAA sporting events, film viewings, and other engagements.
STUDENT CLUBS
Hillsdale’s student clubs offer diverse opportunities for individual involvement from club athletics, intramurals, student-led club and honorary societies, fraternities and sororities, publications, spiritual groups, debate and forensics. The College believes that the social collaborations and contributions of its students are vital to a complete liberal arts educational experience, and that developing student leadership is integral to campus life. A small sample of student clubs includes Club Soccer, Creative Writing Club, Swing Club, Pep Band, Jazz Combo, Tower Dancers, Federalist Society, American Chemical Society, Catholic Society, and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, to name a few.
VOLUNTEER SERVICE
The GOAL program seeks to create opportunities for Hillsdale College students to know, love, and serve the members of our surrounding Hillsdale community. Through sacrificing for the good of others, students will develop and pursue a stronger faith and greater character. The 25 student-led GOAL Programs are broken into four teams for ease of involvement: Education, Mentorship, Ministry, and Community Partners. Programs include Adopt-a-Grandparent, Buddy Reading, Community Sports Outreach, Hospital Volunteering, and Young Life, to name a few.
FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES
Greek organizations are a vibrant part of Hillsdale College life. Four fraternities and three sororities have a presence on Hillsdale’s campus. In fact, over 20 percent of students are members of Greek organizations. As a group, they’re among the College’s highest achievers. Hillsdale fraternities and sororities stress the importance of academics, character, leadership, and service to the community and the mission of the College.
Through their affiliation with Greek organizations, students have the opportunity to take on leadership positions and gain knowledge and confidence in leading their peers and developing healthy group environments. They volunteer in the community, plan educational programs, host faculty dinners, organize annual social events, and learn to balance their time and their commitments.
By living with each other in the Greek houses, they discover how to work together toward common goals and how to undertake governing and fiscal responsibilities. Because of the hard work and sacrifices the members make together as they serve the College and their chapters’ high-minded purposes, they build community and form friendships that last well beyond the college years.
The Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council (or IFC) help to govern the sororities and fraternities. These two councils are composed of elected student leaders whose responsibilities include setting standards of excellence, creating guidelines, and developing academic, philanthropic and social programs.
VARSITY AND RECREATIONAL SPORTS
Hillsdale College is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Division II, and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Members of the conference include Ashland University, Cedarville University, Kentucky Wesleyan College, Lake Erie College, Malone University, Northwood University, Ohio Dominican University, Ohio Valley University, Trevecca Nazarene University, University of Findlay, Tiffin University, Ursuline College, and Walsh University.
Hillsdale College sponsors varsity basketball, cross-country, swimming and diving, softball, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, and volleyball for women, and varsity baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, football, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track and field for men. The College also sponsors a competitive shotgun team.
Hillsdale enthusiastically supports men’s and women’s intramural sports programs, which include flag football, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, racquetball, dodge ball, sand volleyball, special events like Intramural Games, and an ever-growing number of additional activities. Hillsdale also encourages and supports club sports, and currently has 14 recognized club sports—men’s rugby, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, firearms club, men’s golf, women’s volleyball, men’s volleyball, equestrian, cheerleading, co-ed tennis, baseball, co-ed crew, archery, and men’s swimming.