c/o Meka Wilson, The Connection
The Wesleyan Student Association (WSA) Community Committee (CoCo) approved 37 new student groups during the 2023-24 school year, with 16 beginning in Fall 2023 and 21 to begin in Spring 2024. According to the Office of Student Involvement (OSI) website, the University has over 200 recognized student groups, which help individuals find peers with common interests, organize campus events and activities, and engage with the surrounding community.
The following groups began in Fall 2023: Black Raspberry, Luchadoras, WesCore, Black Undergraduate Medical Association, Wes Fight Club, International Student Advisory Board, Thai Student Association, Magpie Games Club, Ecology Club, Wesleyan Aviation Club, The Asian Cooking Club, Caberet, cornerstore, ditch, Weightlifting and Fitness Awareness Club, Wesleyan Women in Finance.
Many of these groups were formed after students recognized the need for a supportive and safe space for certain identities and interests at the University.
“The goal of our association is to promote the retention and success of black Wesleyan students in higher education, with a focus on encouraging students to pursue careers in medicine and the sciences,” founding member and Treasurer of Black Undergraduate Medical Association (BUMA) Nkemka Chukwumerije ’25 wrote in an email to The Argus. “As current college undergraduates who have experienced a couple of years of college coursework and have done our best to navigate through the dynamics of PWI [predominantly white institutions], we believe it is important that underrepresented black students have a group, resources, and a community to rely on.”
Chukwumerije, a biology and Science in Society double major, worked with BUMA Presidents Nakial Cross ’25 and Milan Yorke ’25 to start a general chemistry colloquium, “Black Undergraduate Medical Association I” (CHEM149), which involved course assistants from BUMA leadership. Colloquium participants were provided a framework for taking full advantage of the educational opportunities in the natural sciences and mathematics. The sessions and assignments were designed to help students develop effective individual and group study skills, promote cohort-building, and increase retention of underserved students throughout the STEM curriculum.
Jasmine Lam ’24, Jennie Ebihara ’24, and Victoria Carroll ’24 created Wesleyan Women in Finance to create a culture of mentorship for women interested in finance.
“When Jasmine, Victoria, and I [were] recruited for finance jobs our sophomore year, we all went through the shared experience of the process feeling isolating,” Ebihara wrote in an email to The Argus. “In an industry that relies heavily on networking, I knew no one who worked in the financial industry, and as a woman of color, cold contacting alums, a majority of them who are white, male athletes, was initially a daunting process for me. While there is a good amount of women on this campus that work finance jobs every year, the community was fragmented and there was no consolidating network to bring us all together.”
The organization’s goals include helping women find and secure internships in finance. They also hope to expand what they currently offer and start financial literacy sessions. During their meetings, they cover how to network and craft strong resumes, as well as timelines for recruiting and basics for accounting. They have also collaborated with other student organizations, including with the Wesleyan Investment Office to hold an event on endowments and portfolio management.
The following 21 student organizations will kick off this semester: Women in Tech, HypnoWes, Punks at Wesleyan, Hong Kong Student Association, Environmental Solidarity Network, Haus of Chutzpah, Arab Students Association, Tea N Tea Club, Threads & Thingamabobs, Precision Troupe, FXT Dance Collective, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Wesleyan Running Club, Wesleyan QuestBridge Chapter, Diversity in Economics Club, Wesleyan Marketing Club, Wesleyan Entrepreneurship Society, Students Guild for Academic Exploration, Neuroscience Club, Wesleyan Peer Defense League, and Wesleyan Burke Society.
Students interested in starting a new organization or club should apply through WesNest. For formally recognized groups, student leaders must provide a constitution, a minimum of seven group members, and a faculty or staff advisor. They must also list a financial manager, event coordinator, and primary contact. For informal groups, student leaders must provide a roster of a minimum of five group members, and list an event coordinator and a primary contact.
Official recognition by CoCo entitles student group leaders to a number of resources, including opportunities for funding from the Student Budget Committee, office space, facility use, a number of online tools, and University archives.
For the spring semester, CoCo will review club applications on a rolling deadline.
“This gives students the opportunity to have their club approved quicker, especially since it’s the last semester of this academic year,” CoCo Chair Asija Qyteza ’24 wrote in a message to The Argus.
A list of currently recognized student groups, with descriptions, contact information for the group leaders, and meeting times, is available on WesNest.
Rose Chen can be reached at rchen@wesleyan.edu.