Enjoying Involvement




05.31.18

Student organizations at OU offer a wide variety of recreational activities

Hardika Singh / For The Post

Some Ohio University Bobcats pride themselves on the number of student organizations that are present at OU. On OU’s OrgSync page, there are nearly 600 clubs and organizations that students can choose to be a part of. Students are able to create an organization on any topic whenever they choose to do so.

Each organization has its own special characteristics, and some groups incorporate even more creativity into their presentation, recruitment and performance elements to attempt to stand out from the crowd.

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Blake Nissen | PHOTO EDITOR

Ashley McLean (left) and Nathan Arnold show off some of the handmade goods made by or used by OU's Medieval Society during the 2017 Involvement fair.

James Burns, a junior studying games and animation, is the president of OU Extra Life. He aims to lead an organization where individuals can play games to fundraise money for Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. The group raises money offline and online through Twitch.tv.

“Once a semester, we’ll put together a 24-hour gaming marathon, and we essentially host a live stream and try to raise as much money as possible,” Burns said.

The group’s fundraising goal is around $2,000 each year, but Burns said that since it is a new club, it was only able to raise $500 during the 2017-18 academic year. OU Extra Life raised $200 during Spring semester, and it is still aiming for more as more people get involved.

“It’s actually a lot of fun, and we’re going to try to do a lot next semester, besides the 24-hour event,” Burns said. “We generally have a good time.”

Jemeia Hope, a sophomore studying music education, is the president of Acro-Nauts. She explained that her organization is based on acroyoga, which combines “acrobatics and yoga, with a little influence from gymnastics.” Acro-Nauts meets once a week to work on different kind of poses.

“It’s about community and learning about communicating with others,” Hope said.

Hope started the organization last semester after learning about it from a friend and attending a meeting in Columbus about Acro-yoga. She wants people to try Acro-Nauts because it’s fun and entertaining.

“It’s more physical than you would think, but not so much to make it inaccessible to a lot of people,” Hope said. “People are afraid to try it, they just give it a shot because it looks really scary in the pictures. But it’s actually not as challenging as you would think, and it’s really fun once you get into it.”

Lanina Smith, a junior studying biochemistry, is the president of F Word Performers. The feminist group discusses, performs and creates art, and hosts open mic nights at Donkey Coffee and Espresso. Smith’s organization chooses art form to express their ideas as she considers “the expression of art hard to get across and not be censored.”

It provides a wide variety of activities for a wide variety of people. There’s a lot of different people who go here from a lot of different places. It gives everybody an option.”Katie Lehman

“We do more than just poetry,” Smith said. “We encourage anybody to come. We consider ourselves activists and any of the in-betweens. We’re LGBTQ safe, and we just put on a show once a semester, and we encourage all sorts to participate.”

Smith said all the members have their own needs and “critique others’ art” to help get better.

“It’s a very good way to get out any sort of feelings that we are having,” Smith said. “It’s almost like a form a group therapy.”

Katie Lehman, a freshman studying nursing, likes that OU has such a variety of student organizations.

“I think it is awesome,” Lehman said. “It provides a wide variety of activities for a wide variety of people. There’s a lot of different people who go here from a lot of different places. It gives everybody an option.”

Lehman said student organizations helps students to destress.

“Anything to get my mind off of school for a little bit is awesome,” Lehman said. “You can make friends through those organizations and everybody needs friends going through college.”

Development by: Megan Knapp / Digital Production Editor

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