One hundred and eighteen clubs made an appearance at the DePaul Student Involvement fair last Friday in an attempt to expand and recruit new members. Hordes of new and old students swarmed the quad, which was packed with tables, free food, and even a rock climbing wall set up by groups trying to make a lasting impression.
Here’s a look at four new student organizations on campus.
Pre-Law Club
The Pre-Law club is DePaul’s first undergraduate law club. The club’s goal is to help prepare students for law school and teach them what they may encounter in their furthered education and career. To accomplish this feat, the club plans to bring in lawyers, judges and other professionals to share their experience with students.
“The big thing for me was to create more activities and get more experts in,” Kevin Kleine, the president of the Pre-Law Club, said.
Kleine said the group will not only sit in on law school classes and court cases, but will also speak to experts in the Chicago legal community, including planning a meeting with Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Comic and Manga Club
DePaul has clubs dedicated to the appreciation of comics and manga, but the new Comic and Manga club is looking to actually create content. The new organization is recruiting writers and artists to create a collaborative environment, where members can use each other to bounce ideas around or even work together to create the next major comic, manga, or graphic novel.
“You don’t need to be an artist to join,” Jack Guffey, the president of the club, said. “Really the club is for anyone who has a story to tell.”
The club hopes to go to the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, otherwise known as C2E2.
“I’m actually hoping to finish my own graphic novel and get it to market,” Guffui said.
Football Club
Tired of flag football and longing to just hit something? So are the members of DePaul’s emerging Football Club. The club says it is committed to bringing full-contact football back to DePaul, and currently has about 60-65 members and a six person coaching staff.
“We have pictures of a few of us scrimmaging against Loyala last spring when there was still snow on the ground,” Riley Halligan, the president of DePaul’s Football Club, said. He hopes that the team will be able to play a spring league against Loyola.
Currently there is no set practice schedule but the team hopes to get to the point where they would practice two or three times a week. Last spring they were scrimmaging against Loyola about once a week.
Restorative Education and Mediation
By working with the Precious Blood Ministry, members of DePaul’s Restorative Education and Mediation club mentor and tutor previously incarcerated youth. The group is focused on the principles of restorative justice.
“Our main goal is to grow and increase membership and development,” Sam Signorelli, president of the club, said.
The club asks members to commit to three hours of volunteer work a week to volunteer at the Precious Blood Ministry on the south side of the city.