We sent our student reporter, junior David Newman, to Northfest earlier this week to find the most eccentric, ambitious, and earnest student organizations and clubs on campus today. Here’s what he discovered at North Campus’ Labor Day fall festival.
Michigan Argentine Tango Club—Complete with T-shirts bearing the traditional Michigan font, these students were also doing spirited, impromptu demonstrations, trying to spread the art of tango. Or as their website states, new dancers will have “charismatic and inspiring instructors.” So it seemed…
Dream Corps International at the University of Michigan—A mystery (much like dreams), as all of their writing was in Chinese and their representative was unresponsive to my inquiries. But further research showed them to be a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting reading among underprivileged children in rural China. Probably need some Chinese to do that.
American Nuclear Society Student Chapter of the University of Michigan—Advocating for the development of nuclear technology, this hardly small-minded group is for anyone interested in nuclear engineering or simply fascinated by the splitting of the atom. Not much on their website…no events, no news, no gallery of images. Trying not to think too much about that. They obviously need more members.
Society of Creative Anachronism—These spirited students partake in medieval re-enactments, complete with costumes and broadswords. “We represent the good parts of medieval times,” one of them told me. “We don’t bring back the black death or anything.”
International Youth and Students for Social Equality—This is a long-winded name for a group of students essentially advocating for socialism, complete with extensive campaign literature from the socialist candidates for president and what seemed to be an entire manifesto of borderline Communist thought. Out there, in the age-old spirit of student political activism.
Groove—This motley collection of students gathers weekly to practice percussion on found objects – mainly trashcans. Not only did they have a booth at Northfest, they also gave us a taste of their “music.” They performed for about ten minutes, making me pretty certain that was all the trashcan music I needed for the year.
The University of Michigan Concrete Canoe Team—Apparently, there is a national concrete canoe competition, wherein college students from across the globe (allegedly) come together to compare their… wait for it… canoes made of concrete. The club’s table was complete with sketches and models. That’s some boat race to behold.
David Newman is a junior acting major in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. He is currently an intern for the University Relations/Student Engagement and Development team with the Alumni Association.
