With 90 clubs and counting available to students, there is an opportunity for every individual to get involved at Wilkes.

The beginning of the semester is a perfect time to join a new club and establish relationships with fellow students, faculty, community members and local businesses.

“Club involvement is extremely beneficial to students in a plethora of different ways,” said Allie Grudeski, a pharmacy major and Student Government president.

Participating in a club helps students discover what they are passionate about, gives them hands-on experience and networking possibilities. It provides them with real life exposure to subjects of interest.

Individuals can also express their strengths and work on improving their weaknesses.

Building rapport within a club is a necessary skill to learn and be able to apply in your career field. It is critical to know how “to relate to others in a way that creates a level of trust and understanding,” according to www. inspirationalsolutions-nlp.co.uk.

Grudeski believes that every person has one life to live; therefore, it is important to take advantage of all the opportunities.

“Some majors on campus have a very defined track and there aren’t necessarily a lot of opportunities to take electives outside of your realm,” Grudeski said. “Clubs are a great way to make sure you’re still doing the things you love to do without necessarily having to take a class for it.”

There are clubs like Anime Club, Autism Speaks, Cheerleading, Chemistry, Christian Fellowship Club, a Pharmacy-related club, the Nursing Student Organization, Knitting Club, Dance Team and Programming Board, to name a few.

Pharmacy students can join the club called the American Pharmacist Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP).

The club’s goal is to impact the community through patient care events such as blood pressure screenings, blood glucose screenings as well as educating people on and off campus, according to Catherine Sarver, communications vice president of APhA-ASP.

She believes that the experiences APhA-ASP has to offer provides student pharmacists with the opportunity to grow professionally. There are two conferences offered to members every year, one regional and one annual.

“You really have the chance to impact pharmacy and the voice of pharmacy,” Sarver said. 

APhA-ASP meets every other Thursday in Stark Learning Center 166. Anyone interested can contact Tyler Bartol, membership vice president at [email protected] or by visiting pharmacist.com. It is $60 to join for the year which includes the national and club fee.

Zebra Communications is the student-run non-profit public relations agency at Wilkes. It was established in 1999 and has worked with more than 80 non-profit organizations throughout the community and has since raised over $100,000.

“Our goals at Zebra are to provide clients with quality public relations services, as well as event planning for various types of fundraisers and events,” Annelise Przywara, co-chair of Zebra Communications. “We also aim to carry out these public relations campaigns in a highly professional manner and obtain a successful outcome to satisfy our clients.”

Zebra has worked with clients such as Salvation Army, Volunteers in Medicine, League of Women’s Voters, The Osterhout Free Library and  Embrace a Child in Tanzania.

“Hands-on experience is invaluable in the public relations field and allows for a different setting, in which students can learn outside the classroom,” Przywara said.

Zebra meets every other Thursday in the Breiseth basement room 13 during club hours. For more information, contact Annelise Przywara at [email protected].

A new club that has started on campus this year is Fermata Nowhere. This is an a capella group that gets together twice a week to learn contemporary/pop songs.

“We hope to get to the point where we can perform, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Micaela Oliverio, president of the a capella club said.

Fermata Nowhere meets on Fridays and Sundays to rehearse in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center. Students who are interested in participating are welcome to audition next semester.

“I think a capella is a great group to get involved in because we don’t have one on campus yet,” Oliverio said. “It will be fun and laid back, but I’m hoping we can go to competitions in the future.”

Student Government is another option for students who are interested in the university’s social agenda. The group is responsible for formulating student activity budgets and  coordinating events on campus.

“We are a voice for the students, by the students,” Grudeski said.

Student Government meets every Wednesday in it office in the Student Union Building. If you would like to join, contact Allie Grudeski at [email protected].

For more information on the rest of the clubs offered at Wilkes University, visit wilkes.edu/studentgovernment under the Clubs tab.

Editors note: The Beacon will be spotlighting various Wilkes clubs in its upcoming issues. If your club is interested in being featured, contact Amanda Bialek at [email protected].