Founders Hall was full of energy earlier this month as students signed up for clubs at the Student Activities Fair. The fair saw many familiar clubs, but there were also some new additions.
According to the Student Activities Office, as of September 16 there were thirteen new clubs on Haverford’s campus, bringing the total number of clubs to 153.
Learn more about some of this year’s new groups below:
HaverMinds
HaverMinds is a new discussion group that focuses on issues of mental health, illness, and well-being. The group was co-founded by Jack Kaufman ‘17, Momo Zorrilla ‘17, and Courtney Carter ‘17, and it meets once a week. However, it does not disclose its meeting place or time, as it is a semi-confidential space.
“We want to protect the identity and stories of [our] members,”says Kaufman.
The co-founders hope that this will create a space that fosters listening and conversation. According to Carter, “it’s important to have a place where people feel like they can be genuine about what is really important in the lives of college students.”
Discussions may include topics such as language and mental health or mental health resources on campus. The group also plans to host an Inside Out (2015) screening and discussion.
Kaufman, Zorrilla, and Carter see HaverMinds not only as a way to share their experiences, but also to grow as a community.
Haverford Natural History Society
The Haverford Natural History Society is a club “interested in the sorts of animals and plants that live on Haverford’s campus,” according to co-founder Nicholas Munves ‘18.
Munves had the idea for the Haverford Natural History Society last semester. This year, Munves and co-founder Isabella Muratore ‘16 officially founded the club.
The Haverford Natural History Society walks on the Nature Trail in order to observe animal and plant life on campus. According to the co-founders, the group also collects and pins insects and has already found approximately two dozen species of insects this year.
Munves and Muratore have had a lifelong interest in the natural sciences. Both co-founders are biology majors at Haverford and hope that the club will enhance their studies. For Muratore, the Haverford Natural History Society is an exciting opportunity to “[step] outside the classroom [and] look at an entire ecosystem.”
As the club tries to expand its membership, Munves hopes the Haverford Natural History Society will take on an educational purpose and “make people aware of both how biodiverse Haverford is and how this is an aspect of the campus that really should be appreciated.”
Mixed Identity Alliance (M.I.A.)
Mixed Identity Alliance (M.I.A.) is a new affinity group that hopes to provide a space for “people who don’t feel comfortable confining themselves to a singular identity,” according to co-founder and co-head Madison Skerritt ‘17. The board also includes co-founder and co-head Deedee Eisape ‘17, co-head Levi Bowers ‘17, co-secretaries Sierra Berkel ‘18 and Safiyah Riddle ‘18, treasurer Rafael Moreno ‘17, and general meeting facilitator Deana Rauh ‘16.
The group encourages students to embrace all aspects of their identities in a safe space.
“[The club] is for anyone who identifies as mixed in any way,” says Eisape. “It is a way for people to explore beyond the labels that people may assign to them or they may assign to themselves, and a chance to turn inward rather than turning away from one part of themselves.”
The group distinguishes itself from other affinity groups on campus by looking at mixed identities, rather than focusing on a single identity such as race, ethnicity, or religion. However, the group hopes that the ideas it explores can “interact with other affinity groups” and “work within that dichotomy of ‘this or that’ and also show intersectionality,” according to Eisape.
The group plans three events every month including discussions, movie showings, and study groups. M.I.A will also be hosting an open-mic night later this semester.
Effective Altruism
Last Tuesday, Effective Altruism hosted its first event of the year. The club brought in Julia Wise, Bryn Mawr ‘07, and Jeff Kaufman, Swarthmore ‘08, to speak about the ways in which people—including college students—can maximize their contributions to the world.
Co-presidents Arjun Khandelwal ‘17 and Saleh Hindi ‘17 see Haverford Effective Altruism as part of a larger, growing social movement that “values using reason and evidence to make the highest impact possible in the world.” By bringing this club to campus, they hope that “Haverford students will benefit from exposure to Effective Altruist thinking, especially when thinking about which careers to pursue.”
Effective Altruism is planning many other events this semester. This Thursday, the club will host a “Giving Game” in which students will listen to brief presentations about three charities, discuss their effectiveness, and then receive $10 to donate to one of the charities. Effective Altruism will also host weekly discussions throughout the semester.
Other new clubs include Chess Club, Bi-Co Dungeons and Dragons Club, Mental Health Club, Choom Boom, Dodgeball for Black Squirrels, Power Posers, Haverford Argentine Tango Club, Haverford Music and Arts Club, and Archery Club.
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