The beginning of the semester is always an exciting time for students — new classes, opportunities and a fresh start. A great way to shake up a mundane schedule is to join some of the hundreds of student organizations at ASU.
At Tuesday's Spring Involvement Fair, several new arts and culture clubs tabled, offering flyers and Facebook links to interested students.
Arts
A brand new club on campus, Fuse: The Blending of the Arts is a creative community and a place for artists or even those who just enjoy art to make friends, connections and to promote what they do. Fuse meets on Thursdays at 7:30 in the Tempe Memorial Union.
"We were sitting in the dining hall one day and we realized there wasn't a club just for poetry, and we wanted to start one," Ryan Kemmer, Barrett engineering freshman and Fuse founder, said. "Then we realized we wanted something like a poetry club, but much more — a club where people can make whatever they want, not just poetry, and share it with others."
The Diablo Printmakers Guild became a student organization last semester. It is affiliated with ASU's School of Art, but they welcome students from any major. Members of the Printmakers Guild make rubber stamps, which they then use to fashion t-shirts, tote bags and even traditional art on paper. They meet every other Wednesday in the Art Building, room 432, on the Tempe campus.
Sun Devil Taiko came to campus last fall as well, and focuses on the art of traditional Japanese drumming. They are open to members of any experience level, from students who've never heard of Taiko to those who have been playing for years.
"There's nothing stopping you from playing drums — not age, not experience, not anything," Adam Kemp said. Kemp is a film production junior and member of Sun Devil Taiko.
The Ukulele Club, which began in spring 2015 and currently has 54 members, holds meetings on Wednesdays and Fridays and is recruiting new members. Members can attend whichever meeting day is more convenient, and for members that do not own ukuleles and cannot afford them, the club hopes to be able to rent some ukuleles from ASU this semester.
Muracles, a community service fixture on campus since 2001, combines art and volunteering. Two Saturdays a month, the members of Muracles go to Maricopa Medical Center and do simple, kid-friendly arts-and-crafts activities with sick children. The club is open to every major — the only requirement is to love kids and crafts.
These few clubs are just a taste of what the wider ASU arts community has to offer. Visit the OrgSync Creative and Performing Arts page for information on more organizations and ways to get involved.
Culture
The Chinese Undergraduate Student Association (CHUSA) is a social club focused on promoting Chinese culture and cuisine. Anyone is welcome to their meetings every other Tuesday. The club puts on several events throughout the year, including the male beauty pageant known as "Mr. Asia".
The Falun Dafa club teaches free meditation classes throughout the week as part of an "ancient practice to improve mind and body" that originated in China, according to the club's promotional flyers. It is a cultural, spiritual and wellness club, and the meditation classes are open to anyone.
The Hillel Jewish Center, offers leadership programs, cultural events and religious ceremonies for ASU's Jewish students.
"The Hillel Center started in the 1940's after a Jewish student had a family crisis and needed a community," executive director Debbie Kail said. "We have religious services and dinners, and other events throughout the year, but it's also still just a place to make friends and find support."
These few clubs only scratch the surface of the hundreds of events and organizations on ASU's campus. Visit OrgSync or the Council of Coalitions Facebook page for many more ways to get involved.
Reach the reporter at cagoldin@asu.edu or follow @auruming on Twitter.
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