I would argue that what we see students doing is no different than what we see happening in our academic departments. I think that students who take an organization and an interest area and put a different spin on it are being creative. That is a good thing. I know that many of the groups will not survive and if they only exist for a short time, that is fine. If they exist for a long time and flourish, then they are obviously meeting a need on campus.
Student organizations are an educational and creative outlet for students.
I think we ought to be cautious to not dictate too much in terms of what organizations should or shouldn't exist on campus. The challenge is for us, as administrators, to ensure we have the necessary resources to support these groups on our campus. Be sure to include your name and affiliation. Legitimate requests for anonymity will be honored. The Chronicle maintains Colloquy as an open forum where readers can comment on issues.