From Alpha Delta Phi Society to the WeSanskriti—a South Asian classical dancing group—Wesleyan’s 300-plus student groups offer opportunities for students with different backgrounds to meet peers with common interests.
As part of Wesleyan’s Week of Welcome (WesWOW), representatives from more than 100 student groups and clubs gathered on Andrus Field Sept. 10 for the Student Involvement Fair. Group members provided information, sign-up sheets, and various activities associated with their individual clubs.
Wesleyan has more than 300 student-run groups, focusing on activism, identity, sports, publications, performance and visual arts, community service, religious affiliations, cultural interests, and more. Among them are the Botany Club, Photography Club, Mexican Ballet Folklorico, EveryVoteCounts, WesClimb, Bell and Scroll Society, Jewish Voice for Peace, Powerlifting Club, Society of Physics Students, Student of Color Fashion Show Committee, Ujamaa Black Student Union, WesEMT, and more.
The 21st annual event is sponsored by the Wesleyan Student Assembly and the Office of Student Involvement.
“Joining a club or group is a wonderful way for students to meet like-minded students,” said Joanne Rafferty, director of student involvement and New Student Orientation. “It also can contribute to their entire Wesleyan co-curricular experience.”
Any group wanting to hold a meeting or event can book a space via WesNest.
Photos of the Student Involvement Fair are below: (Photos by Willow Saxon ’24)
The Wesleyan Doula Project provides free and compassionate support for people in the position of terminating their pregnancies, working to combat the stigma around abortion and reproductive health and to ensure that each individual receives the care they deserve. The WDP strives to empower students to pursue reproductive health work and to strengthen connections between Wesleyan and the local community. Driven by the values of health equity and Reproductive Justice, the WDP is part of a national Full-Spectrum Doula Movement committed to making doula care accessible to all people and all pregnancy outcomes.WesBuds is a partnership between Wesleyan students and the students of Middlesex Transition Academy (MTA). MTA students, ages 18-21, may have intellectual or developmental disabilities and are looking to address their own individual transition needs after high school. In WesBuds, students make new friends, participate in fun events like soccer clinics, watching movies, dancing, and hanging out.
Gag Reflex is Wesleyan’s oldest Improv Comedy group. Members perform in long-form improvisational style.Wesleyan Club Tennis is a team of advanced players that competes against other schools across New England at the sub-varsity level.Cardinal Pictures is a student-run organization that supports filmmaking on the Wesleyan campus. The group provides interested students with film production training, funding, and equipment to realize their creative ambitions. Members also foster a film community through on-campus events and workshops.Inclusive of both artists and those that don’t identify as art makers, ENSEMBLE Theatre Collective uses education and practice to build a theatrical community on Wesleyan’s campus that prioritizes the process of collaboration. All artists (dancers, filmmakers, visual artists, singers, theater-makers) are welcome to join.We Speak We Stand is a Wesleyan-specific bystander intervention program that offers training on sexual assault prevention and alcohol use intervention. Training is held regularly throughout the academic year and can be requested by clubs and other organizations.Every Vote Counts is a student-led, nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing voter turnout and improving voter access nationwide. Members of Every Vote Count believe that the answers to all political questions—domestic, foreign, economic, social, environmental, etc.—require the activation of every eligible American’s right to vote. The group aims to empower students with a desire to address the issues and barriers facing voters around the country.The Hysterics is a standup comedy group for non-cisgender men. The group meets once a week and hosts a comedy show every semester.This year, WesWOW added additional entertainment to the Involvement Fair including a photo booth, a stuff-a-bear station, and a portrait drawn by caricature artists (pictured).
Olivia Drake
James Sims
Editorial Staff
Ziba Kashef