The day started out looking gloomy; a few clouds crowded the sky and brought up worries that the upcoming event might be ruined. Thankfully, by the time the Clubs & Organizations Ice Cream Fair began, the sun shone brightly, dancing on everyone that came.
Unlike last year, Student Involvement held the annual club at the Flag Mall, the area between PMC and James White Library, on Sunday, September 19. The wider area allowed more space for browsing students and visitors to roam and see exactly how many clubs are at Andrews University. The Aviation club even thought to bring out a plane. Unfortunately, the wider space also meant less shade from the scorching sun.
Andrews University offers a wide variety of clubs with different goals and aspirations. Cultural clubs such as the Andrews Filipino International Association (AFIA), the Korean-American Student Association (KASA), and the Southern Asia Student Association (SASA) are among the many clubs that serve as a home away from home. All are welcome to join the family–not just Filipinos, Koreans, or South Asians–to find fellowship and friendship and learn more about other cultures. Other cultural clubs to consider include AU Francophone Association (AUFA), Caribbean Club, AU Latino Club, Chinese Christian Fellowship, Native Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders Club, and so many more. If you are curious about whether your own culture is represented here on campus, or if there has always been a culture you have been curious about, look into it to find your family!
There are also clubs associated with majors here on campus, such as the AU Pre-med Club, AU Nursing Club, AU Chemistry Club, AU Medical Laboratory Science Club, AU National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, AU Social Justice Club, and more. These clubs and associations serve multiple purposes, such as setting a community for those within the same major, helping set study groups, networking for future career opportunities, and providing information for those that would normally be unaware of said major. In cases like architecture, some majors have two clubs, such as National Organization of Minority Architects, and American Institute of Architecture Students. While AIAS is the national association for architecture, NOMAS is a club developed last year aiming to include more minorities and add diversity to the major.
For those of you looking to indulge in your hobbies, the AU Gaming Club or AU Theatre Wing may be the clubs for you!
There are a wide variety of clubs, from cultural, educational, spiritual, special interests, and those in between. However, you may be thinking to yourself, “how can I look into clubs that could possibly interest me?” Where would one begin? This year, Andrews University has introduced AndrewsEngage. This site is meant to keep track of all the events happening on campus, especially regarding the clubs one is subscribed to. If you are struggling to sign up for clubs or cannot log into your Engage account, email helpdesk@andrews.edu for help. I personally have struggled to sign up for clubs and received help in a timely manner.
Whether from comfort or curiosity, or maybe boredom, join a club!
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.