An exciting part of starting a new semester is not only the academics, but the new opportunity to broaden your horizons and social connections when joining a campus club. Club Rush ran from Sept. 5 to 8.
The event runs three to four days each semester, allowing for new and returning students to get involved with Delta’s clubs.
Club representatives have the opportunity to inform interested students about what their club is, upcoming events, meetings they are hosting, and gather sign-ups for new members.
Some clubs that were seen out in the quad recruiting new members included the Writer’s Guild, the Politics and Law Club, the Delta Pride Club, the American Chemical Society Club, and many more.
Delta boasts more than 20 clubs for students, allowing students to get more involved with the campus community.
“I think it’s really great to get involved, just to build a greater sense of community with everyone around you,” said Jenelle Rodriguez, co-president of the Society for Women Engineers (SWE).
Joining a Delta club allows students to expand opportunities beyond the classroom.
Clubs such as Politics and Law Club provide networking opportunities through the form of guest speakers informing members of possible job and internship opportunities.
Clubs like the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) provide members with hands-on learning that they might not receive in their classes.
“For stem majors specifically, classes are theoretical, a lot of them don’t get hands-on experience, or if they do, it’s very minimal. So, with clubs, you have a variety of projects you can work on,” said Jael Medina, president of SHPE, who also serves as treasurer of the Chess Club and the Computer Science Club.
Clubs also provide students with a space to create new connections and friendships.
“It allows you to make friends with similar interests and definitely just be a lot more social, especially if you’re an introvert. It’s a safe place, there’s not tons of people and you all have something to talk about,” said Ajani Young, president of the Woodworking Wizards Club.
“Sometimes it’s hard when you’re in a class to make friends and start conversations about homework and stuff like that. When you’re part of a club that’s either adjacent to your major or even if it’s just something that you’re interested in, it helps to build bonds with people and your peers,” said Sufyaan Naushad, treasurer of SHPE.
With more people returning to the Delta campus compared to previous semesters, club sign-ups are seeing an increase. More potential members may leave some clubs looking for new ways to meet the needs of members with resources, funding for field trips, and possibly space in their meeting places.
“More people to accommodate. We are going to have to look into more ways to gather funding,” said Medina.
More people on campus also means a broader range of interests and a want for more clubs.
“There’s a lot of clubs that are probably adjacent to your major; you know, there’s engineering clubs, political science clubs, but when it comes to extracurriculars that are maybe hobbies, you know, like chess or other things, I feel like it’s lacking. I feel like there can be more and there should be more,” said Medina.
The last day to register a club for the Fall 2023 semester is Oct. 2.
