Ferrum’s annual club fair came around Aug. 26 in the Panther’s Den, to a reception of returning students and first-year students alike, with student engagement and attendance being high throughout the three-hour event.
Old and new students alike wandered around the Panther’s Den, meeting representatives for different clubs and organizations. They talked and discussed concerns and what activities would happen within each of the clubs. One such was the Art Club.
“You don’t need to be good,” said Mattie Green, art club spokesperson. “Our first craft is going to be making keychains with wine corks.”
According to Green, you don’t have to be good at art.
“You just have to enjoy making art or looking at art. It’s very low stakes,” she said.
There are even some excursions within the club for art appreciation.
“We’re going to some museums this year, too,” said Green. “So if that seems interesting, and you wanna get off campus, it doesn’t cost anything, just if you wanna come and you’re free, or if you don’t wanna come that’s cool too.”
There are other clubs with this mindset as well—come if someone want to just relax and have a good time.
The Gamers Guild, Ferrum’s prominent game club, had a challenge set for people. Phillip Turner, a sophomore and club vice president, had a TV set up with Guitar Hero, and people could play against Turner. If they won, they received a mystery prize. Throughout the night there were dozens of challenges, but none of them came close to beating him. Turner beat everyone who challenged him.
“I felt like a kid again, playing guitar hero with others,” said Turner. “It was especially fun watching how good(or bad) people did for their first times playing the game. Reminded me of my first time playing.”
There was a purpose to this demonstration however.
“Good or bad my purpose of playing guitar hero was to showcase such a gem that the new generation missed out on,” said Turner.
In a similar vain, the gamers guild has its own reason for being.
“The main purpose of the Gamers Guild is to create a space where people can come together and have fun and unwind,” said Kieren Groce, president of the Gamers Guild and the Gender and Sexuality Alliance Club
Inclusivity is a very big thing to Walton as the sponsor of the Gamers Guild, especially when the main point of the club is to harbor people and give them a safe space for them to be themselves.
The Gender and Sexuality Alliance is a recently revived club.
“It’s to get people in the LGBTQ community and allies to come together and give them a safe space,” said Groce.
The GSA has had a slightly checkered past, with intermittent years where the club stood inactive. With the club being brought back by the efforts of Hannah Dix, senior, and Rachel Walton, who is the director of library services and the sponsor for both the Gamers Guild and the GSA.
“The GSA—because we’re rebuilding it from the inside out—there’s a lot of me programming, guiding, outreaching, guiding, and encouraging people to attend,” said Walton. “Making sure they have a safe space where they can be themselves without repercussions.”
With the club being reformed, there are no set activities as of yet.
“As we get stronger in GSA, we’ll start designing programs that are specific toward students’ needs, just like we did for Gamers Guild,” said Walton.
Dix, who helped relaunch the club, had her own reason to help restart the organization
“For me, I felt like I needed a place where I felt I belonged to, even though I’m just with the gender part of the GSA,” said Dix. “For me, it was a place where I could go that I could be around people who are similar to me where we can just hang out and talk, because other people might not understand.”
Both of the clubs sponsored by Walton have the same goal in mind: inclusivity.
“The important thing for both of our clubs is that it doesn’t matter what your skill level is or your sexuality or anything,” said Walton. “The only thing we want is you to come and have a good time and feel safe and secure. So we’re more allies to everyone than anything else,” said Walton.
The Undead Poet Society, Ferrum’s deceased writers club and a place where students can show their work and get opinions on their work, was disbanded due to the lack of an advisor after the departure of English professor Dr. Dan Murphy.
Ferrum hosts club fairs semesterly, with the goal to gain more student engagement, and to drive up support to the different clubs. Clubs are a way for students to find something to do outside of classes and athletics, with students greatly encouraged to participate and find a place where they fit in.
