Bridge Clubs
Here’s a couple of little known campus clubs that might help you feel you belong
When students begin their college journey, there is often the feeling of not belonging.
It can be extremely hard for students to find a group of people that they truly connect with and they can often feel a distance between their peers and themselves. One way students can bridge this gap is by getting involved on campus. One of the easiest ways to do this is to get involved in some sort of club organization. At the University of Alabama, there are a wide variety of clubs for students to choose from that allow them to find one that meets their strengths and specific interests. In turn, this also allows them to surround themselves with people who share those same interests. This article will highlight some interesting clubs on campus that not many people know about, and dive into their goals and show you how students can join.
One interesting club on campus that students may not have heard of is Doctors Without Borders on Campus. Doctors Without Borders is an international organization that provides healthcare to parts of the world that need it the most. This ranges, for example, from places experiencing economic disparity, to a war, to an epidemic… The organization goes to these places and provides services such as medical care, mental health services, and other humanitarian services. When I spoke to the Doctors Without Borders club president, Caroline, she informed me that, “The campus chapters are a collaboration across different college campuses where students who are interested in going into medicine or going into humanitarian non profit work can get together and support that goal through education, advocacy, and fundraising.”
One of the many great clubs on campus
“The overall purpose of the club is to spread the idea that anybody who needs this sort of help should be able to access it no matter where they come from or what their economic system is like” said Caroline.
The on-campus sections of organization don’t actually travel internationally but are highly involved in informational sessions, including guest speakers, and fundraising to support those who do travel internationally. The guest speakers are not all associated with Doctors Without Borders but can be from other universities and a variety of specialties. The club acts as a preparatory for those who want to eventually go into the medical field or those currently in nursing school who plan on traveling with Doctors Without Borders as a career. Students are able to receive service hours on campus through the club by engaging in activities such as sitting at an informational table at the Ferguson Center and fundraising money for Doctors Without Borders.
“The overall purpose of the club is to spread the idea that anybody who needs this sort of help should be able to access it”
When asked what Caroline would tell someone to push them over the fence into joining the organization she responded, “We have snacks at all of our meetings and Doctors Without Borders is one of those clubs that you get out of it what you put into it and all this work is done for other people. It is a support community for the students within.
“If you come to one meeting we are not going to hold you to it, there’s no commitment or attendance required but if you come and you see it in action, the message has a way of speaking to people and is infectious”. Any student of any major is allowed to join the club contrary to the misconception that the organization is strictly pre-med. This organization is an amazing option for anybody interested in a career in healthcare, it is a club with a strong focus on helping others and preparing students for their careers after college.
Another interesting club that may be under the radar for most people is the Sports Analytics Club at the University of Alabama. The club engages itself in all things sports including analyzing trends, contracts, statistics and discussing anticipations and whatever else can be seen going forward. The club also gives a brief overview of the different computer programs that are used such as Tableau and Excel, which can help members obtain skills that can aid them in getting job positions. The club brings in guest speakers and posts articles on their website. When speaking to the president of the club, Tyler, he said that these articles can range from “Baseball, hockey, football, to draft positions which is really cool.” The club will talk about any sport anywhere not only professional, but also high school and college sports and teams. The main goal of the club “is building relationships” Tyler claimed, “and providing a place that people can bond over similar interests and also building your skills with that”. When asked what he would tell someone who is thinking about joining the club but is on the fence he responded, “Just come out and experience the first meeting and you will meet people there that will entice you to come back.
“We want to establish relationships…”
“We want to establish relationships… at least putting yourself out there I think is crucial. There’s no bad reason to come, it is pretty enjoyable”. The club also likes to attend sports games together and get a group to go watch the games, such as basketball, which is a great opportunity to meet new people and further build upon relationships.
In order to obtain a different perspective on clubs that are available on campus for students I spoke to the director of new organizations, Jhamal Mathis. Jhamal is constantly emailed by students who want to start a new organization and believes that the university has “a wide array [of clubs] from cultural identity based groups to entertainment groups to arts groups”, proving just how diverse clubs on campus truly are. Jhamal believes that this wide array of clubs provides students with a sense of security and belonging on campus.
In order to create a club students must fill out a form on The Source website in which students submit a constitution and some goals for the club. Once you are an approved club, you must attend a workshop hosted by Jhamal where students submit proof of meeting their goals until the organization is considered an active organization. Jhamal and his team are attempting to engage student involvement by specifically targeting freshmen and attempting to increase their involvement on campus.
Overall, both clubs seem like a phenomenal choice for any student who is interested in the healthcare field or all things sports. Also, this could be a great opportunity for students to reach out of their comfort zone. Students who are involved in the Honors College at the University of Alabama can take this opportunity to get involved outside of the classroom and really begin building relationships and connections with the outstanding student body around them.
