If you’re an NVU-J student looking to get more involved, consider joining a club on campus. “It’s so fun,” said Becca Simon, who is the SGA director of clubs, as well as being vice president of the Green Team. “There’s really nothing better than getting with people who have a similar interest with you and just bonding over something you all enjoy together.”
Due to COVID-19, many clubs have become inactive. “The sad thing with COVID is, we genuinely had 20 something plus clubs, and we lost two years of students,” Simon said, adding that due to students graduating, “now there’s just no one there to make [the clubs] active and to restart them.”
Simon said that for those wanting to join a club that is no longer active, the best way to join is to restart the club. “It’s an easy process, but it just needs to be done,” she said, adding, “we’re just at this little lull [from] COVID. … We just need those steps to be taken, so if people are interested, for sure, do it.”
Despite the ongoing pandemic, Johnson’s campus has multiple clubs still meeting and active.

Outing club

According to Lauren Burg, president of the outing club, “The outing club was created to get people together to enjoy the outdoors together. We arrange many types of outings, including day hikes, backpacking, canoeing, snowshoeing, ice skating and more.” Recently, the outing club has started planning some more local outings on campus, in hopes of getting more people involved in the outdoors.
The meetings are held on Tuesdays from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm on the quad. “During the meetings, we all pitch in to plan trips we would like to go on and arrange the details,” Burg said. “We usually depart upon our trips during the weekends and may send out more than one trip a weekend.” To join the outing club, or for more information, reach out to Lauren Burg.

Model United Nations club

The Model United Nations Club encompasses multiple campuses within the VSCS and seeks to emulate the experience of serving in the United Nations. According to club president Rob Bettis, this club is ideal for students interested in careers that require excellent communication skills.
“The primary goal of the club is to prepare for the annual Harvard Model United Nations Conference, a four day event that invites students from around the globe to participate in mock United Nations committees,” Bettis said. “The event is a great way to learn the art of compromise and the process of policy making.”
Unlike previous years when only a few students from the club could attend the Boston conference due to logistical reasons, anyone in the club will be welcome to attend this year because the conference is being done via Zoom due to the ongoing pandemic.
Bettis said the club typically meets via Zoom every Monday from 7:00-7:30 p.m. Reach out to Rob Bettis for more information or to join the Model UN club.

Dance club

Dance club is an on-campus club open to all NVU-J students. Club president Salina-Mae French said that the goal of the club is to work toward a performance. “Every semester, we have a showcase called Danceland that shows all the dances we have worked on in the duration of the semester,” French said. “Because we work towards a show, we typically close signups after the first few weeks because putting together a show is such a big commitment.”
Although sign-ups have closed, there are still opportunities to dance. “As of this semester, we started to host a community night for on-campus students,” French said, adding that “anyone can join and have fun with some exercise and a short little dance combo based on that night’s theme.”
The community dance nights are from 5:00-6:00 pm every Sunday. Additionally, the club’s shows will be Dec. 3 and 4 for vaccinated guests. Reach out to Salina-Mae French with any questions, or if you’re interested in participating.

Improv Club

“I started the improv club to have a performance-based group that was solely for the joy of performing,” said Thomas Poodiack, current president of the improv club. “As anyone who has ever done a play can tell you, it can be extremely stressful at times.
“I wanted the improv club to be extremely stress-free and centered around the pursuit of betterment rather than the pursuit of performance. The club serves as a creative outlet for performers to test and practice their craft in a space that feels safe and encourages new ideas.”
The improv club meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00-2:00, and Mondays and Fridays from 2:30-3:30. Contact Thomas Poodiack for more information, or to join.
Additional clubs include the green team, which did not respond to requests for comment. Additionally, the formation of strength club, NVUnity, and jewelry making club were voted on by the SGA on Oct. 28, 2021.
For those looking to start a new club, the process is fairly simple. Simon encouraged students to reach out to her for more information, at [email protected].