UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 110, NO. 04 ● SINCE 1908
THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018
Organization fair showcases campus clubs
Ethan Lam / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Students walked Greene Street in front of Russell House University Union Wednesday morning, stopping to learn about some of USC’s 500 plus on-campus student organizations.
Lexi Torrence
@THEGAMECOCK
T he beg i n n i ng of a seme ster brings about new opport unit ies, ma ny of wh ich st ar t on Greene Street at the Student Organization Fair. USC b oa st s hu nd red s of oncampus organizations. Not only are extracurricular clubs like Carolina Cornhole and the Astronomy Club represented, but so are organizations dedicated to a variet y of majors, causes, faiths and interests. For three hours, the section Greene Street was lined with groups from across USC that came together to bring awa reness to t heir clubs a nd to attract new members.
First-year business student Amelia Leahy came to the fair to fi nd clubs that will help her make connections and get involved on campus. “They have everything. I didn’t realize how much there actually is,” she said. Er ica M il ler, also a f irst-year business st udent, had a different motive. She was at the Organization Fa i r lo ok i n g f or a c lub t o compliment her major. Miller says she is interested in a club that “can help with maybe future internships or networking, jobs.” Leahy and Miller, as well as many students at the fair, were also open to the many organizations focused on activism. First-year biology student Blaine
Moore, is a member of one such o r g a n i z at io n , t h e A s s o c i at io n of Public Healt h and I nfect ious Diseases. Mo or e a nd her c lub at t e mpt to start a dialogue about disease, specifically A IDS, and encourage people to get tested. “We have different speakers ... talk about diseases that are public and what to do to keep them from spreading, she said. “We volunteer ... try to get people tested.” USC is home to clubs that focus on many different subjects, some local and others international. Clubs a lso d if fer i n t hei r com mu n it y service. Some groups focus on issues as specific A IDS prevention, and ot hers look at broad topics, like
Feminist Collective (FEMCO). Club teams are a popular way for students to join a team and perfect their skills in a sport, without the pressure of being a part of the official s c ho ol t e a m . O ne opp or t u n it y i s C lub Te n n i s . W it h f le x ible practices four days a week the team is accessible for most students and welcome them. Matt Titus, a team member and s e c o nd -y e a r b io c he m i s t r y a nd molecular biology student, says that it’s about more than physical activity. “Obviously you get to meet new people, but also you get exercise,” Titus said. “As long as we’re out here talking to people, representing our club, I think it’s a good way to get people to join us.”
The Climb: Reporter conquers fear of heights Hannah Dear
@THEGAMECOCK
Caroline Keys / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
The Daily Gamecock’s own Hannah Dear prepares to climb the rock wall at Strom.
I sit at the bottom of the climbing wall and can’t see the top. I’m surrounded b y s o m a n y at h le t i c people and immediately feel inadequate to scale this, even though so many people have before me. A nd t hen, t here’s t he problem of my fear of heights. Earlier today, I didn’t t h i n k I wou ld have much of a problem, but as soon as I am in Strom T hu r mo nd We l l ne s s a nd Fit ne s s Center I
am filled with the fear of falling. My palms are super sweaty and I can’t stop shaking, but I am determined to climb to the top. That is where I am coming from at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Strom offers a climbing wall and belay clinics, so you can build your confidence before actually climbing the wall. T h e r e’s a m o m e nt when I am sitting nearby where I consider bolting. Nobody here knows that I failed to climb, and none of my friends would need
to know either. But I will know, and I don’t want to let myself down. The best adv ice I received before t his whole process began was to bring moral support. That really helped me calm down while gearing up to climb. Shortly after beginning the clinic, I realized that I was going to leave with way more ex per ience than just climbing. My instructor first taught SEECLIMBPAGE2