Ever wondered how to make a miniature train model? Do you understand the impact a single organ donation can have?
Look no further than The Bluff’s newest clubs for answers.
In the past year, students have found gaps in UP’s club ecosystem. The solution: forming clubs that represent anything from niche interests to nationwide movements.
These new clubs include the Disabled Student Union, Women in Leadership, Table Tennis Club, Archaeological Society, Reproductive Justice and Education Club, Social Justice Club, Miniatures Club and Student Organ Donation Advocates Club.
The Beacon spoke to eight clubs established within the past year about the passion projects, club activities and creative outlets they’ve built on campus.
Disabled Student Union
Senior Shane Ruyle and junior Abby Richter started the Disabled Student Union (DSU) because they noticed a lack of disabled student representation and peer support on campus.
Ruyle wrote an opinion article last fall emphasizing the lack of accessible spaces and infrastructure available at UP. The opinion also highlights his work to create the DSU.
Now active for a year, the club intends to gather twice a month, with the most recent meeting hosted on Sept. 14. The goal is to educate and build community, according to Ruyle. The meetings will switch between a peer support group model and member presentations on topics such as invisible disabilities, chronic pain, heart month awareness and academic burnout.
Ruyle says DSU is meant to be a space that welcomes people across the spectrum of disability.
“I think that any person who sees themself as disabled or isn’t sure if they see themselves as disabled [is welcome],” Ruyle said. “[Disabilities can include] any chronic health conditions, symptoms that impact your life.”
This coming term, DSU looks forward to getting its off-road wheelchair ready for rental through the Outdoor Pursuits Program (OPP). Plans for collaborations between the DSU and OPP for accessible hikes are also in the works.
Learn more about DSU on their Instagram page here.
Women in Leadership
Women in Leadership at the Activities Fair. Photo courtesy Simar Waraich.
Sophomores Simar Waraich, Ayami Fujitami, Sia Valikonis and Sophia Maks co-founded the Women in Leadership (WIL) club at the start of the school year.
The club came from a desire for a space on campus that advocates for women interested in pursuing leadership roles.
WIL will serve the dual purpose of networking and socializing, according to Waraich.
“We want to have a vision board night, where everyone can come together for the upcoming semester and just have fun together,” Waraich said. “We also want to host a panel of women in leadership positions on campus to talk to students about their journeys.”
Leaders of the club say that WIL is an inclusive space for students to grow their social and professional networks, build their leadership skills and gain insights from one another.
Learn more about WIL here.
Table Tennis Club
Table Tennis Club. Photo courtesy Kevin Nguyen.
Sophomore Kevin Nguyen competes professionally in table tennis. This experience led Nguyen and sophomore Thinh Tran to search for a way to play the game with others on campus.
In his first week at UP, Nguyen reached out to Brian Dezzani, head of recreation services, to make it happen. Soon after, the Table Tennis Club was born.
Nguyen says the club gained popularity through word of mouth and is now preparing for a divisional tournament through the NCTTA, held on Nov. 1.
Not quite ready to play professionally? Table Tennis Club supports all skill levels, according to its founders.
If you want to play a few rounds with your friends, you can. If you don’t have a partner, they’ll find you one. Still not convinced? Nguyen pitches the sport to newcomers as a unique skill to show off to friends.
“A lot of people like to play [table tennis] in the dorms,” Nguyen said. “If you come here, we'll train you so you can beat your friends, [which] is a cool party trick.”
Consider that as you walk by the clubs’ Monday meetings at 6 p.m. in the Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center.
Learn more about the Table Tennis Club here.
Archaeological Society
The Archaeological Society was born after a group of 10 students took part in an archaeological study abroad program at the Pollentia ruins in Mallorca, Spain in 2024. The Society was a way for the group to bring a piece of the experience home with them.
Club president Joaquin Lopez Ixta says that the society helps fill a gap in the archaeological offerings at UP.
Archaeological Society executive board members. Photo courtesy Joaquin Lopez Ixta.
“We don't have the biggest history club,” Ixta said. “We don't have an archeology major or anthropology. So, we just want to introduce people to what archeology is.”
Although the club blossomed from long days excavating under the Spanish sun, it is not only for future archaeologists. Everyone is welcome. In the past, the club has hosted a scavenger hunt and a field trip to Fort Vancouver, a national historic site and is interested in hosting similar events this coming year.
The club is looking to broaden its reach through securing an interview with their study abroad professor at the University of Barcelona, Miguel Ángel Cau Ontiveros, and creating more fun activities for all students.
Learn more about the Archaeological Society here.
Reproductive Justice and Education Club
Seniors Miya Wilson and Laya Duguid, alongside alums Kay Aschemeyer and Isabella Hull founded the Reproductive Justice and Education Club (RJEC) shortly after an anti-abortion speaker came to The Bluff.
Reproductive Justice and Education Club executive board. Photo courtesy Laya Duguid.
Wilson also says she noticed a lack of dialogue around sex education when she came to UP.
“I've gone to public schools my whole life, where we did have access to sex education and it was a very normal thing,” Wilson said. “But coming to a
Catholic institution with Catholic values, I met a lot of people who had the complete opposite [experience], or just didn't have any education [involving sexuality] at all.”
In the coming semester, RJEC plans to have seminars surrounding topics of sexual health and education, including a discussion of federal policies like Roe v. Wade and its overturning in Dobbs v. Jackson.
The club's leaders welcome all and encourage students to engage with reproductive education in whatever ways best suit them, whether it be through attending meetings or accessing sexual health resources.
Learn more about RJEC here.
Miniatures Club
Junior Astrid Albelo noticed that many students attended Board Game Club and D&D Club looking to play the miniature tabletop game “Warhammer.” Last fall, she created the Miniatures Club.
According to Albelo, the club would be perfect for anyone interested in Warhammer, Trench Crusade or those interested in assembling and painting miniature models of all kinds.
In the coming semester, the club invites members to give presentations on their favorite things, with one member planning to present on Warhammer: Age of Sigmar and another on how shades of green were used during World War II.
Albelo believes the club is a low-commitment way to get involved in the miniature hobby.
“The rules are complicated, but we have people who will teach you,” Albelo said. “If you have a question, you need people to play with you, you want to learn more, or you want to paint something for a week and never come back, these are all really good reasons to show up.”
Learn more about Miniatures Club here.
Social Justice Club
The Social Justice Club (SJC) was created by alum Grace Keefe as part of a social justice capstone class. The class integrated the work of social justice by collaborating with the International Migrants Alliance and the Pacific Coast Coalition of Seafarers.
Now, junior Emma Hayes continues the club's efforts to raise awareness about non-profits and injustices around the world.
For Treasurer Emily McGuan, taking part in social justice activism can be difficult as a college student, but having a community that supports each other makes it possible.
“Sometimes it feels really hard to do things in social justice and volunteering, almost feeling kind of stuck, [thinking] ‘Okay, I'm going to school. What can I do?’” McGuan said. “That’s probably my favorite thing about the club. All these passionate people come together and talk about what’s going on, and what we can do.”
New and returning members of SJC can look forward to volunteering opportunities, spreading awareness and fundraising in the coming semester.
Learn more about the Social Justice Club here.
Student Organ Donation Advocates
The national nonprofit Student Organ Donation Advocates (SODA) was brought to The Bluff by junior Abby Richter. Her goal was to provide students with useful information about the organ donation process.
Richter noticed an influx of misinformation surrounding organ donation in the media.
“There are a lot of myths, especially on TikTok [that say], ‘Oh, I'm an organ donor, if I get into a car crash, the doctors are not going to work as hard to save my life because they want the organs,’ which isn't true,” Abby said.
Through the UP chapter of SODA, Richter has helped enroll students to become organ donors and led an information session titled “Doughnuts and Donors,” which helped educate nursing students about organ donation.
This coming year, the club plans to bring back “Doughnuts and Donors” and continue bringing organ donation awareness to campus.
Richter says people from across disciplines are involved in the club, which welcomes all to participate in educational and community activities.
Learn more about the SODA here.
Nandita Kumar is a reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at kumarn27@up.edu.
