Center for Student Involvement

At the Center for Student Involvement Vaqueros can participate in leadership development opportunities and get involved with the community. Students can form networks by joining student organizations, fraternities, and sororities or represent the student body in the Student Government Association. Explore issues of social justice and diversity through the intercultural program offerings. 

Fraternity and Sorority Life membership in a values-based organization provides opportunities to form bonds and friendships that last a lifetime. Having the opportunity to interact with other Vaqueros and the greater community is one of the main reason’s members choose to join. 

Community Service connects students with service and volunteer opportunities that promote awareness of community needs while engaging students in meaningful action. Check out the Engagement Zone where volunteer needs and events are posted in real-time by community partners. Students can find requests for volunteers by interest, date, region, and organization.  

Diversity and Intercultural Programs promotes an inclusive campus culture through events focusing on diversity and intercultural subjects and themes. 

Leadership Programs are available for all students at UTRGV. 

The Freshman Leadership Academy empowers freshman to become ethical citizens through engagement in community activism, leadership workshops, service, and community development.

Through the Student Leadership Academy students will obtain meaningful leadership development opportunities that compliment academic learning and enhance personal growth.

The National Society of Leadership and Success is the largest leadership honor society in the United States. The NSLS chapter at UTRGV is part of the national organization with 700+ chapters and over 1.4 million members.  

The Involvement Ambassadors are a diverse team of students who connect fellow students to involvement opportunities across UTRGV campuses through one-on-one consultations and group presentations on the benefits of involvement.  

UTRGV Family Involvement is dedicated to helping families with their transition into the University by offering support and information. UTRGV Family Involvement offers opportunities for family members to closely partner with the University in learning about services and resources that support our students.  

The Student Government Association (SGA) serves as the official representation of the entire student body. SGA’s purpose is to address student concerns and petitions and participate in the overall policy and decision-making processes of the university community. 

Student Organizations: Student Involvement oversees more than 250 student organizations that support the growth and development of students through a variety of interests, values, and opportunities to experience leadership development, networking, professional growth, and volunteering. Student organizations help students discover and nurture their unique passions and individual potential. 

Visit V Link to get involved and stay up to date with student life. Students can search for student organizations to join, events to attend, and keep track of their involvement. The Corq app can be used to connect to V Link through a mobile device. 

Student Activities

Student Activities works together with university departments and organizations to provide exciting experiences for the Vaquero community. The department produces major campus events that enhance the collegiate experience and strengthen the ties to the university and community. Vaqueros can look forward to events like The Stomp, Spirit Week, Homecoming and Charreada throughout the year and find opportunities to become civically engaged in the community through Vaqueros Vote and the Civic Engagement Alliance. 

The Campus Activities Board (CAB) is the largest event-planning student organization on campus that provides a well-rounded university experience. CAB brings entertainment, movies, cultural events, and road trips to the student body year-round. 

The Civic Engagement Alliance (CEA) is a student driven non-partisan organization aiming to unite political and non-political student organizations and individuals on campus. CEA helps students become more active in the community through service voter registration, education, and engagement. 

The Distinguished Speaker Series (DSS) is a signature program under the leadership of Student Activities, that aims to provide the university and surrounding community with world-class speakers and lecturers. DSS hosts public events with priority seating for UTRGV students, faculty, and staff. The series has brought in notable speakers such as former leader of Russia Mikhail Gorbachev, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, author and civil rights activist the late Dr. Maya Angelou, Emmy award-winning CNN host Larry King, and Grammy/Oscar award-winning R&B artist John Legend.  

Spirit Program: Be loud and proud right alongside the Spirit Programs by representing UTRGV pride through cheer, dance, the Vaquero mascot, and The Herd spirit organization. UTRGV Cheer, Dance, and Mascot teams pride themselves in being the leaders of V Nation. The Herd is the official student section for UTRGV Athletics. They promote Vaquero pride, value good sportsmanship, and cultivates home court advantage.  All together the Spirit Program strives to encourage crowd participation, focus on student-athlete development, sportsmanship, maturity and above all, school pride.  

Pride and Signature Events: Student Activities contributes to the traditions and experiences at the university that instill a sense of belonging and pride within the Vaquero community.  Students will meet new people and be in the middle of the action at any of the university events hosted by Student Activities. They will be able to experience a welcome to the school year like no other at Best Week Ever and feel the rush of school pride through UTRGV Madness and Homecoming. Celebrate the Mexican culture and the longstanding tradition of Charro Days in Brownsville through the university’s own Charreada event. Through signature events and the different activities students will make UTRGV their home in the Rio Grande Valley.   

Visit V Link to get involved and stay up to date with student life. Students can search for student organizations to join, events to attend, and keep track of their involvement. The Corq app can be used to connect to V Link through a mobile device. 

Student Media 

In Student Media, Vaqueros can stay informed and connected by reading The Rider newspaper, listening to UTRGV Radio, watching UTRGV-TV, and reading Pulse magazine. Student participants gain valuable insight and experience for media professions. 
 
Vaquero Radio is an internet-based radio station that broadcasts programming 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The station also creates professional-level multimedia products, provides entertainment and DJ services for events on campus, and produces a weekly news report for the UTRGV community as well as the broader Rio Grande Valley. Students produce stories that inform, educate and enlighten the audience. Vaquero Radio provides students with exposure to and experience in all aspects of the radio industry, including programming, promotions, news and entertainment. 

KVAQ-TV is an internet-based television station is a student-driven media platform that publishes news, weather, sports and special programming on its website and social media. The station stimulates professional growth via practical applications and year-round advisement to give student employees and contributors a competitive edge in all areas of television production, including research, writing, filming, lighting and video editing. 

Pulse Magazine produces online content and an annual print publication for the UTRGV campus and community at large. Pulse also provides a creative venue for student news and creative writing, photography and graphic design, connects academic experience with practical applications and gives students valuable experience that can make them competitive in the professional environment. 

The Rider Newspaper provides timely news and information to students and employees of the University of Texas Rio Grande. The newspaper strives to include fair, complete, balanced, and accurate coverage of events and issues impacting the university, with emphasis on matters that most directly affect students. 

Visit V Link to get involved and stay up to date with student life. Students can search for student organizations to join, events to attend, and keep track of their involvement. The Corq app can be used to connect to V Link through a mobile device.