Want to join a club or student organization but aren’t quite sure where to start searching? Look no further. A&E rounded up some of the most interesting, fun and downright wild clubs on campus to help get your search started.
Campus Meme Society
Memes have the power to bring us together. Amid the dark times we find ourselves in, this University organization offers a sanctuary for all. Campus Meme Society is a place where students can share and connect over the universal language of memes. The club functions as a forum for students to engage in the ever-evolving social media culture.
The group’s president, Andy Columbus, mentioned that in the past, the group would typically meet in person but is currently making plans for virtual meetings in light of COVID-19.
“We are right now thinking about doing online meetings a couple times this semester and hopefully to transition to a physical meeting once the spring semester rolls around,” Columbus said.
Canoe Battleship
If you’re craving excitement, looking for a new community and don’t mind a few water balloons thrown your way, this is the club for you. Canoe Battleship is a water combat sport like no other with the goal of building a team and besting the enemy.
Previously, Canoe Battleship has held battles in large indoor swimming pools with various crews in canoes attempting to sink their opponents boats with buckets and squirt guns. This year, however, the group will exclusively be hosting land battleship competitions.
The game functions as a life-size recreation of the board game Battleship, in which a large tarp is hung dividing a portion of the field in two halves. Players on either side of the tarp remain stationary in spots of their choosing — while remaining socially distant, of course — and attempt to hit the players on the other side with water balloons.
Enlistment officer Hannah Bui sees the club as a quality place for people looking to have some carefree fun. “You don’t really have to expect much,” Bui said. “You’re just going to get really wet, but you’re also just surrounded by a bunch of other maniacs who are just about having fun.”
Dungeons and Dragons Club
Who could say no to a short break from reality in times like these? Dungeons and Dragons Club is open to anyone and everyone looking to play the popular fantasy roleplaying game. Whether it’s your 50th campaign or you’ve never even rolled a die in your life, the adventure is open to all interested parties. The group mixes in other tabletop role-playing games as well.
Happy Accidents
In a semester of Zoom lectures, late assignments and social distancing, we all could use a way to relax and unwind. The answer? Bob Ross, obviously. Happy Accidents is a community painting club, a place for students to destress while painting along with legendary PBS art instructor Bob Ross.
In the past, the group met in person over coffee and snacks but is currently in the process of arranging socially distant Zoom sessions. The co-founder and president of Happy Accidents, Katie Daly, sees the club as a fun, low-pressure environment to make art and meet friends.
“It’s pretty low-key,” Daly said. “I’m not very good at painting. It’s not professional, it’s just an amateur art club. It’s nice to give yourself a break from doing school.”
Mindfulness for Students
This club is a nondenominational meditation group. Members practice kindness and connection toward their bodies, minds, spirits and community. The group accepts all new members interested in guided meditation and mindfulness.
For fall 2020, the group is hosting weekly Friday Zoom meetings from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. and has a Slack channel available for member communication. The group’s president, Maria Arriola, finds the club to be a useful outlet for students at this time.
“I figured it would be important to still have the club running so people could connect,” Arriola said. “It’s still really focused on having the opportunity for people to have a sense of their in-community and that people are intentionally showing up to a Zoom link that’s not just for classes.”
Music Sharing Club
Listening to the same three playlists? Looking for some new tunes for the fall semester? Look no further than the University’s Music Sharing Club. At weekly meetings, each member gives another member an album to listen to and consider over the next week.
When assigning albums, each person explains what made them choose that album and why it is important to them. The group starts each meeting with members discussing the album that they were assigned, including thoughts, highlights and favorite tracks.