Author: Kevin Abrams
On Thursday, Jan. 29, the Quad between Johnson Student Center and Samuelson Pavilion was filled with tables for Club Day, a bi-annual showcase for new and existing student-run clubs. This semester, several new clubs have emerged at Oxy, each with a wide array of activities and causes.
One of the clubs that attracted the most student interest on Club Day was the World Food Lovers club, which throughout the semester will pay visits to many of the exotic restaurants Los Angeles has to offer.
“Oxy students are very diverse in many facets, but might not be familiar with exotic foods,” club leader Emily Ritchie (sophomore) said. “In class we are striving to be more knowledgeable in many aspects of our lives; in this club we are aiming to be more knowledgeable about world foods, since food is such a huge part of living.”
The club hopes to soon begin receiving funds through ASOC and its partnership with the International Student Organization. The club’s first outing will be Saturday, Feb. 7 to Little Ethiopia.
Also new to Occidental is the Outdoors Club which rechartered itself this year. “[The Outdoor Club’s main goals] are to help those around Oxy enjoy the beautiful nature and weather of Southern California,” Club leader Daniel Rosales (sophomore) said. The club attracted about 135 members on Club Day. “[The club] is still going through the bureaucratic process of gaining funding,” Rosales said.
Everybody Wins! LA is a program designed to increase literacy in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). “Students volunteer about an hour a week to read with fourth and fifth-graders to help them develop their reading skills and confidence,” student club coordinator Marzieh Goudarzi said.
Everybody Wins! LA does not receive funding, since it is not a registered club with Oxy. According to Goudarzi, Everybody Wins! LA has done some advertising through Oxy’s education department, and hopes to build networks on campus.
The Roosevelt Institution is another new club at Oxy this semester. The Roosevelt Institution is a national network of non-partisan student-run think tanks.
“Students research, discuss, and formulate briefs and proposals related to pressing policy issues of the day,” Occidental chapter representative Alex Stevens (sophomore) said. “Roosevelt believes that students make up the ideal source for the progressive ideas that will shape the future of their generation.”
The Institution has about 7,000 students nationwide. The Oxy chapter does not yet receive any funding from the college. Other clubs present at Club Day were a mix of old and new. Steez, the student-run literary journal, had a booth and handed out copies of their last issue.
Food, Energy and Sustainability Team (F.E.A.S.T.) is a new club on campus aimed at creating a community garden run by students.
Various club sports were present, including, but not limited to, lacrosse, rugby and ultimate frisbee.
“Club Day is always one of my favorite Quad events of the semester,” Samantha Sencer-Mura (sophomore) said. “Everyone just enjoys the sun and socializes.”
All Greek organizations were represented, along with student-run radio station, KOXY.
The student band The Ugly Sweaters played throughout the event. The members included Noah Tovares (sophomore), Mandla Gobledale (junior), and Noah Hubbell (sophomore).
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