By Sarah Tanner

From academic to civic to cultural clubs, PUC promises a space for all interested students. With over 15 organizations on campus, and a growing number each year, any student looking for a place to connect with those who share their passions is sure to find a group that is right for them. A conversation with a number of club presidents and members highlighted a handful of the clubs at PUC.

Vietnamese Student Association

Andrew Dang, president of the Vietnamese Student Association, explains his club creates a welcoming environment for Vietnamese students who want to strengthen ties to their cultural background.

“Our main goal is to preserve Vietnamese culture,” he said. “We want to celebrate our Vietnamese heritage, traditions, and values, with each other as well as with everyone interested in learning.”

Dang notes the club is open to students looking to learn more about the Vietnamese culture and welcomes all interested. He adds, “We aim to host events where students can come together as a family and take a break from the worries of school and enrich themselves in everything our culture has to offer.”

Get involved: Email Andrew at addang@puc.edu.

SPARK

SPARK stands for Science Presentations and Research for Kids. This club focuses on making science fun and accessible for students of all ages.

Member Emma Tyner notes, “We aim to excite students about the sciences, especially biology and chemistry. As a club, much of what we do centers on going out into the community, visiting schools, and bringing science to life for students from elementary to high school.”

One of the ways they achieve this is by bringing live animals in to supplement their biology presentations. They also carry out step-by-step chemistry experiments in order to give younger students a hands-on experience with science.

Get involved: Email Emma at eetyner@puc.edu.

Thaumatrope

The mission statement of Thaumatrope, PUC’s community service club, cites their goal is, “transforming the young adults of today into catalysts of change for tomorrow through global awareness, service toward others, and realization of God’s purpose and passion for their lives.”

According to member Victoria Gabardi, Thaumatrope also strives to “spin our communities into one through mentorship, local work, and global service.”

Thaumatrope strives to help willing students become involved on campus, in local areas, and, ultimately, in the global community through volunteering.

Gabardi explains, “We help advertise events like volunteer health clinics, and organize others such as pre-vespers, Service Sabbath, and service visits to local retirement homes and schools, among others.”

Always looking for a new opportunity to serve, Thaumatrope is also planning a coat drive this winter, and are working to organize useful aid for the people of Paradise whose homes were lost in the fire.

Get involved: Email Victoria at vjgabardi@puc.edu.

Biology Club

The Biology Club was created with science majors—particularly those interested in the biological sciences—and the outdoors in mind.

Club president Tony Robles explains, “PUC is such a beautiful location to study nature, as we have our own forest within walking distance. The Biology Club wants to not only get its majors together for events but also hopes to make everyone aware of the many great ways available to explore the outdoors.”

The club organizes an annual trip to Albion, day trips to the coast, hikes in the Back 40, and pre-vespers. New this year is a trip to the Academy of Science Museum in San Francisco.

Get involved: Email member Lily at litran@puc.edu.

Climbing Club

The Climbing Club is a relatively new addition to PUC’s campus organizations.

“The reason we created this club is to encourage a climbing community at PUC,” explains Reuben Dick, club president. “As my own climbing skills and experience has grown, my friends and I felt as though our campus lacked a climbing community, despite the fact that PUC has access to great climbing areas. As a result, we took it upon ourselves to create this club to foster both veteran and beginner climbers.”
The club also worked to establish the climbing wall at the college.

“Because of our efforts and the hard work of many people here on campus in the past few quarters, we are happy to announce the wall opened on Sunday, Dec. 2,” Dick says.

Guided climbing trips to teach beginning climbers, activity nights at the new wall, pre-vespers, and movie nights are just a few of the activities this group has planned for the year. Dick notes no climbing experience or equipment is necessary, and all are welcome.

Get involved: Email Reuben at rjdick@puc.edu.

Mountain Biking Club

Like its sister, the Climbing Club, the Mountain Biking Club is a new club and another opportunity for activity at PUC.

“The goal of the Mountain Biking Club is to help people get outside and enjoy nature while participating in an exciting sport,” member Alex Nelson explains. “At PUC, we have over 40 miles of very high-quality bike trails both on PUC property, as well as in Las Posadas and the Palisades.”

The Mountain Biking Club creates opportunities for beginners with little-to-no mountain biking experience to be introduced to the sport under the guidance of more experienced cyclists. Likewise, no gear or prior knowledge is required before joining.

Nelson continues, “So far we have held two group rides, and it was a great time! We had roughly ten riders of varying skill levels, and we explored the trails of the back 40.”

More exciting Mountain Biking Club events will be announced throughout the year.

Get involved: Email Alex at acnelson@puc.edu.

SOL Club

One of PUC’s many cultural groups, SOL Club stands for Student Organization for Latinos. SOL’s influence is wide-ranging, as they contribute to worship services, student events, and many other areas of campus life.

President Amy Ramos explains, “Our mission is simple: to provide opportunities for students to celebrate and showcase our rich culture.” She continues, “Some SOL Club activities include pre-vespers, La Capilla, potlucks, an Albion retreat, and the SOL Club banquet, among many others. Additionally, we enjoy partnering with local churches and non-profit organizations to better reach out to the community.”

SOL Club strives to create a positive impact not only in its member’s lives, but also on the PUC community as a whole, and the organization welcomes all students who want to make a difference on campus.

Get involved: Email Amy at alramos@puc.edu.

PUC offers a wide and ever-expanding variety of clubs that provide unique opportunities for students to involve themselves in campus life. Membership fees depend on each group individually, and some clubs do not require any payment. However, for those clubs that include membership dues, free t-shirts are given to all members. Anyone interested in joining one of PUC’s clubs is welcome to speak with any of the members or presidents listed above, as all groups are happy to accept new members throughout the year.