Scatterbomb Club and President Giada Dougherty (second from the right).
ISAIAH MINAZ / THE QUADRANGLE
Isaiah Minaz, Staff Writer
Manhattan University (MU) students gathered for the fall semester club fair on Sept. 1, where student-run clubs and organizations showcased their groups and opportunities to get involved on campus. The event was originally scheduled for the quad but was moved to Smith Auditorium due to the weather forecast.
Student representatives from various clubs set up tables to discuss their organizations, upcoming events and plans for the semester. Many of the university’s arts and entertainment groups were among those promoting their organizations to students. The fair gave students an opportunity to explore interests outside the classroom and connect with new communities on campus.
Sadie Fox, a senior communication and English double major and the president of We Are College Music (WRCM), MU’s own student-run internet radio station, said getting involved offers students a creative outlet while enabling them to work around their own schedule.
“Students should join WRCM because it is a great creative outlet and fits in with each individual schedule,” Fox said. “It is a low time commitment but is a great resume builder and fun way to spend time on campus.”
The club allows students of all class years to create and host their own radio shows while organizing concerts and DJ events on campus. This semester, the club is partnering with other groups, including LOTUS, to organize its Halloween Bash, featuring student bands, performers and other activities.
Fox emphasized that students do not need to have any experience or have any specific major to be a part of WRCM. Students are able to host shows themselves and can support the club behind the scenes by listening to other students’ programs.
“The only requirement for WRCM is good vibes and an hour a week,” Fox said. “We have students from all majors involved, and if people aren’t interested in hosting, they can support by listening to shows.”
Students can also get involved in campus publications regardless of prior experience. The Quadrangle spoke with Sienna Gallus, a senior psychology major who holds leadership positions in three MU publications. Gallus serves as co-editor-in-chief of LOTUS Magazine, editor-in-chief of Manhattan Magazine and submissions editor and vice president of Logos Academic Journal.
Gallus explained that students should not assume they need experience in writing, editing or design to join a publication. Instead, she encourages students to use these organizations to develop their skills while gaining experience in areas they might not otherwise have access to.
“We do event organizing, we do marketing, we do a lot of collaborative work with other people or other clubs on campus,” Gallus said. “I think all three of these clubs are great areas if you’re looking for community, you want to express yourself [or] you want to honor the work that you’ve done both in college and as a person.”
Gallus also emphasized that students can learn new skills after joining.
“We have people on all the teams who will happily train you, so we have room to build skills,” Gallus said. “You don’t just come in with certain skills. There’s plenty of room for growth.”
While MU’s publications give students opportunities to express themselves through creative work, Scatterbomb offers a similar outlet through live performance.
Giada Dougherty, a junior communications major and president of Scatterbomb, described the organization as an improv comedy group that performs free shows every other Friday night in Hayden Hall room 100. Dougherty told The Quadrangle that the group helps students build confidence in performing and public speaking, regardless of prior theater experience.
“Scatterbomb breaks you out of your shell whether you’re a freshman or a senior,” Dougherty said. “Being onstage and entertaining an audience, doing sometimes outrageous things, makes you a more confident person.”
According to Dougherty, more than half of the club’s members joined without previous performing arts experience. New members learn basic acting and improv fundamentals, making the organization accessible to students with different backgrounds and levels of experience.
For Dougherty, however, the club offers more than an opportunity to perform. The relationships she has built through Scatterbomb have become the most meaningful part of her experience.
“Going on stage and making a whole audience laugh is truly bliss,” Dougherty said. “But what makes me want to be a good president, what makes me get up and go to every show and rehearsal, and what makes me put my heart into every performance, are the people who are involved in this club.”