New clubs made themselves visible last Friday at this year’s second club rally, held in Paresky Commons. Clubs filled the space with posters and ideas, but mostly new clubs were spotlighted this time, each bringing new niches and missions to connect students on campus.
A new club, Flip It, aims to give members hands-on experiences with DIY projects while promoting sustainability. Sloane Anderson ’28 plans for Flip It to teach students how to make their own eco-friendly crafts while limiting material consumption.
“My club is called Flip It. It’s a DIY club and we plan to teach people basic skills like sewing, crocheting, and just making things in general. We plan to use a lot of upcycling, try to buy as limited materials as possible, and use what we have around us instead of buying new things,” said Anderson.
Andover Computer Building Club seeks to make computer building accessible and an exciting hobby for students, showing that it can be both fun and practical. Alfonso Gonzalez-Cano ’27, the leader of the club, wants to spread his own love for computer building to the Andover community.
“[The goal is] teaching people a very important hobby or at least a really fun hobby. It’s making it more accessible because I think of computer building as a hobby and I don’t think many people see it as that. They might see it as something boring when really it’s fun. It’s fun in the same way as building Legos, but you [can] also make money off it. It’s a foster in people’s lives and I just don’t think enough people are aware that this is a thing, so I want to bring this to campus,” said Gonzalez-Cano.
Some student clubs also promoted spaces to challenge traditional gender stereotypes and create spaces where everyone can freely express themselves. Mac Strong ’27 strives to amplify women’ voices in a culture that can often prioritize male voices, which is why she started the club Funny Girls Publication.
“Okay, so my club, which I’m starting with some very funny, very amazing, very beautiful women, is called Funny Girls Publication. We’re trying to make it monthly, but like a semi-monthly physical comedy zine made for girls by girls,” said Strong.
Strong continued, “Something I hope to learn is how I can go forth and prosper in an environment that’s basically only girls, because I feel like a lot of the other environments that I’ve been in have been either male-dominated or just have a lot of male-centeredness in them.”
The club Men In Motion is also pushing back on gender stereotypes, specifically those surrounding men’s dancing groups. Azzaam Abdur-Rahman ’27 explains their mission to create a space where men can express themselves freely through dance.
“If this club really ends up being popular on campus, it can change the campus culture and develop a more healthy environment where certain gender stereotypes are not reinforced and people feel comfortable doing more things. ” said Abdur-Rahman.
“My friend over here, he’s the founder of it, his name is Yasin. He was watching Grasshopper and he realized that there were no male dancing groups in Grasshopper and wanted to change that. I’m not a dancer at all. I think I’ve learned that I’m willing to step out of my comfort zone and when I do so, I learn, I gain new skills and I learn about new passions of myself,” Abdur-Rahman continued.
