Website: http://fish.tamu.edu
Email: [email protected]
Fall Application & Informational Schedule: https://flac.tamu.edu/schedule/
MSC Freshmen in Service and Hosting (FISH) is a Freshman Leadership Organization at Texas A&M University. FISH provides leadership opportunities aimed at enhancing its members purpose and identity by engaging in community service and program development on campus and within the community.
Why apply to MSC FISH?
Freshmen should apply for MSC FISH because we are dedicated to providing freshmen with leadership opportunities aimed at enhancing their purpose and identity by engaging in community service and program development on campus and within the community. Freshmen will participate in weekly service in the Bryan/College Station area, as well as out-of-town weekend service experiences.
Freshmen also get hands on programming experience through the production and implementation of several major on campus events. Two of our events are targeted directly at the FLO community. FLO Bowl is a powderpuff football and cheer competition that serves as the major fundraiser for Kyle Field Day (KFD). Service FLO Down is a one-day service event at Rudder Fountain where FLOs are asked to host booths for students to participate in small service projects. Kyle Field Day, is a one-day service event within the concourse of Kyle Field benefiting over 50 nonprofits and organizations. Over 2000 students, staff, and community members attend this annual event to actively engage in service as well as learn about ways to stay engaged in the community. FISH also hosts Run The Ramps, a 5K through Kyle Field with over 500 attendees.
MSC FISH provides a unique opportunity for freshmen to build a community at Texas A&M that will carry them through their first year of college and beyond by participation in social events, retreats, road trips, and football games facilitated by their small groups and big-little pairings. At the same time, we develop freshmen’s professional skills such as communication, project management, marketing, and team-building which will equip our members to be successful students and members of society after Texas A&M.
To provide a glimpse into what the experience of being in ASSIST looks like, the FLO’s Student Leaders completed an assessment of their previous year. The following should be used as information to help you make an informed decision about being a member of AFC, but please note that your experience may look different.
What does a “week in MSC FISH” look like?
In a normal week of MSC FISH, our freshmen members will attend a general committee meeting and subcommittee meetings, complete subcommittee work, and participate in weekly service. Freshmen are required to complete 18 hours of hours of service in the fall and 23 hours in the spring. This averages to the freshmen completing 2 hours of service every week.
Subcommittee Meeting: 1 hour (Sundays)
General Committee Meeting: 1 hour (Wednesdays)
Subcommittee Work: 20 minutes – 1 hour (depending on the time of year)
Weekly Service: about 2 hours (freshmen sign up at their own discretion)
What did the remote experience look like due to COVID-19?
During our time away from campus, MSC FISH stayed committed to maintaining our sense of community and purpose in an online format. We were able to uphold our pillars of service, leadership, and social despite the circumstances.
Kyle Field Day was transitioned to an online event and was posted on the Family Weekend website, providing the public with access to small scale service projects for various non-profit organizations. We also began a program called “Afternoons at the Aquarium” executed by freshmen. Members would facilitate a project via Zoom for families in the Bryan/College Station area to give parents a resource to engage their children in creative activities while at home.
We continued to have weekly meetings to engage and grow our freshmen. Among these meetings, a former MSC FISH member spoke to us about her current experience as an ICU nurse on the front-line with COVID-19. We also allowed one of our freshmen to present leadership styles, and hosted an online banquet style meeting in which the annual awards were presented in a fun and lively way.
Adhering to the social distancing measure set in place, we still wanted to give our freshmen members a community they could engage with at home. In order to achieve this we set up online game tournaments, Netflix watch parties, and fun Zoom calls to engage our members. Our efforts included a weekly online pictionary game, periodic Jackbox games, and weekly “fire-side chats” to interact with one another via Zoom. Thanks to the MSC, we were able to assist any and all of our members by offering services (like internet support) to ensure a smooth transition to online courses. We also ensured all of our members had a safe environment away from college to return to, as well as meals and financial stability.
Organization Size:
| Position | Freshmen | Counselors | Executives |
| # Students | 80 | 16 | 8 |
Being involved with MSC FISH I can expect to pay…
| Dues & Known Costs | · Fall Semester: $85
· Events: $55 · Apparel: $100 |
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| Financial Aid
(if available) |
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FLOs are evaluated yearly based on several factors. Three of these factors are Leadership, Service, and Social. Here is what last year’s members experienced in these areas:
| Leadership | · Freshmen Led General Meetings: 4-6 times a year; freshmen present topic of their choosing
· Internal Workshops: 4-5 times a year; topics range from professionalism to diversity · Leadership Roundtables: 2-3 times a year; a small outside group is invited to a servant leadership presentation by a guest speaker · Winter Service Retreat: before spring semester; freshmen plan and run out of town service retreat with games and icebreakers · Run the Ramps: spring semester; freshmen plan 5K in Kyle Field · Outreach Subcommittee: all year long; freshmen seek out monetary/physical donations and sponsorships for other subcommittees or programs · MSC FISH 20th Birthday: Fall 2020; planning 20th reunion · Professional Mentorship Program: spring semester; freshmen organize mentorship pen pal program with alumni · Lauren Meyer: before spring semester; speaker at Winter Service Retreat about how MSC FISH is relevant to her professional life · Subcommittee/subsub meetings: all year long; counselors and executive present a wide range of topics to the freshmen |
| Service | · Service FLODown: fall semester; FLOs are invited to host their own service booth
· Kyle Field Day: spring semester; one-day service event within the concourse of Kyle Field benefiting over 50 nonprofits and organizations · FLO Bowl Donation Drive (Carly’s Way): fall semester; partnered with Carly’s Way to host drive for dog food/toys · Jones Elementary Lunch Buddies: all year long; freshmen visit Jones Elementary to have lunch with the students · Afternoons at the Aquarium: Spring 2020 (possibly recurring); freshmen facilitate a project via Zoom for families in the Bryan/College Station area · Fall Project (Isaiah’s Place) |
| Social | · Co-FLO Service Project: once a year; project planned and hosted by MSC FISH to serve with ALOT and FLI
· FLOBowl: once a year; powderpuff football tournament with all FLOs hosted by MSC FISH” “Sock Game: spring semester; internal game organized by staff for freshmen · Weekly Lunch buddies: fall semester; each week freshmen are paired up with a random member to eat lunch with. · All-Group Bonding Events: 5-6 times a year; themes range from a Halloween costume party to S’mores at Lake Bryan · Fishentines: spring semester; freshmen boys volunteer to be assigned a willing girl to perform an act of service for as a Valentine’s. · Intramurals: all year long; freshmen play on intramural teams · Participation in Digs and Gigs, FLO Cup, Mr. FLO, and All-FLO Picnic |
Does MSC FISH have a Big/Little Program? Yes
What does the Big/Little Experience entail?
Freshmen and Bigs are able to get to know each other over the course of a week or two. Afterwards, both the freshmen and bigs pref each other, and the staff member in charge will work to pair people with their highest prefs. During the week leading up to Rev Night, bigs surprise their littles with gifts. At Rev Night, freshmen are told to dress in a theme, which will match their bigs. Throughout the year, bigs are to invite their freshmen to hang out with them, choose at least one General Committee Meeting to attend each semester, and attend any All-Group Bonding events they are invited to. In the Spring semester, Bigs will also participate in a Big-Little Service Project at Brazos Valley Food Bank with their littles.
Want to learn more?
Attend the FLAC Coordinated livestreams, informationals, and reach out to the student leaders using the contact information available on this page.
Find the full recruitment schedule here: https://flac.tamu.edu/schedule/
Want to Apply?
Go to: https://flac.tamu.edu/apply/