What About Clubs? Get connected with Social Science Club, Pre-Health Club, Sigma Tau Delta

A bulletin board in the Janzow Campus Center advertises the campus clubs.

Photo credit: Nora Betts

By Kai Olbrich and Mi-Ree Zwick

This story is featured in the October print edition of the Sower student newspaper and is the second in a series of articles highlighting different clubs, their mission and their plans. 

The Social Science Club offers a friendly environment for students interested in social science, which is generally the study of human society and social relationships. The club provides resources and experiences in a supportive, inviting environment where students can feel a sense of belonging.

The Social Science Club collaborates with the Art Club to paint tote bags and bucket hats. Top, from left to right: Mya Nurse, Katelyn Hetz, Arabella Blakeley, Stephen Duffy, Madelyn Graham. Bottom: Gracie Flamig, Sophia Bossio, Sarah Wilson. Photo: Sophia Bossio.

“When I was a freshman and sophomore, I had no idea about clubs and it was kind of scary to go to clubs,” said senior Sophia Bossio.

This year, Bossio was elected president of the Social Science Club and, along with the board members, is making an effort to create an inviting community.

“We’re trying to make this club very accepting, very welcoming, no matter what your major is, no matter what your interests are,” said Bossio.

Secretary sophomore Katelyn Hetz said belonging to the club is for anyone interested in human services or the social sciences, whether that’s psychology, criminal justice or behavioral science.

“Or really anything that fits. If it’s a major, or a minor, just an interest, there’s a place for everybody,” Hetz said.

The club hosts a variety of events, ranging from educational to fun. Sophomore Grace Flamig is in charge of social media and marketing for the Social Science Club.

“If you’re hesitant, come and check out an event,” Flamig said. “It’s not a commitment right away. None of our events are mandatory.”

The next event is an annual educational trip to the Glore Museum, a former psychiatric hospital.

“It used to be a hospital, but it doesn’t run anymore because it was unethical and they did a lot of electric shock kind of therapy practices,” she said.

The museum educates people on the past as well as the present.

“We want to remember the unethical things that happened,” Bossio said, “and make sure not to repeat it.”

The club also hosts social events.

“We had a great turnout for our fall activity night,” said co-Vice President Karson Sherman. About 50 students attended and were treated to caramel apples, cider and games.

Flamig said if students don’t like the club experience at their first event, they should give it another try and bring some friends.

The Social Science Club is partnering with the Law & Justice Club to host Janice Sherman, a licensed medical health professional and registered play therapist, at 7 p.m. on Nov. 12 in THOM room 113.

“She is a play therapist and will talk about how she uses toys to help children work through trauma and give them a voice,” Sherman said. “She also touches on her role in the justice system and how play therapy is a form of crime prevention.”

The club also often does volunteer work related to mental health or other social issues. This year, it plans to volunteer at BraveBe, which works to reduce sex trafficking in the state of Nebraska.

“We’re going there and wrapping some Christmas presents,” Bossio said. “Other events will be posted on Instagram, @cune.social.science.club. If you message the account, you can also request to be added to the email list to receive more information.”

Dr. John Jurchen, Dr. Teddie Genter, and Mollie Urkoski represent the Pre-Health Club at the Student Activities Fair. Photo: Josiah Seabaugh.

The Pre-Health Club offers opportunities for future healthcare professionals to learn about career options. It meets in the Dunklau Lecture Hall on the first Tuesday of each month.

“We often meet with current healthcare professionals who give us advice on how to navigate the paths towards different healthcare jobs,” said Student Senate representative Kat Sanders. Speakers can include physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, nurses and psychiatrists.

President Mollie Urkoski said speakers give club members a “really good exposure to different areas in healthcare,” which benefits them and their future patients. She said it is better if “you don’t have preconceived biases of other professions” to allow each patient to get the individual care that they need.

“One group we have come in a lot is medical laboratory sciences, and usually, when they come in, nobody knows what that is,” said Urkoski. These professionals run medical tests in labs.

“You can have a better understanding of the people you’re working with,” Urkoski said, even for students who are not interested in working in a lab.

Urkoski said the club has an “open door policy” and invites anyone to come listen, even those who don’t intend to pursue a healthcare career. But for those who are looking at healthcare, Urkoski said the meetings are a great networking opportunity.

“Getting letters of recommendation from people who are in those fields can be make or break,” said Urkoski. “We have a lot of great opportunities to make those connections if you don’t already have them.”

Their Instagram page, @cune_prehealthclub, has posts about their next speakers. Urkoski said that if anyone messages her, she can add them to the email list.

Sigma Tau Delta is a storied and nationally recognized English honors organization that provides students with community, recognition and opportunities. But Concordia University’s Rho Omicron chapter needs new members to bring it back to where it once was.

Recent publications of Potpourri, a collection of poetry and fiction written by Concordia students. Photo: Nora Betts.

Sigma Tau traditionally has two main annual events, which have been popular on campus and a good recruitment tool.

“In the fall we would do a social event,” said Dr. Gabriel Haley, an English professor who is the Sigma Tau advisor. “It’s been the Mad Hatter Tea Party in previous years. And in the spring we would publish Potpourri, which is our creative writing journal that publishes all student work.”

A drop in membership occurred in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic. The club was not able to have its normal meetings, pizza parties and other events.

“It pretty much started after COVID where there wasn’t as much recruitment and kind of leadership passing on from one student population to the next population,” Haley said.

A group of students, many from Sigma Tau, banded together years back to create what they call the writing club, an unofficial student group. It does not have official recognition from Concordia University but many students attend its meetings and events. Haley is hoping that students involved in the writing club will look at the many benefits of Sigma Tau and join.

“I would like to funnel sort of those writing club members into actual Sigma Tau membership,” Haley said. “If those students were to become part of Sigma Tau, there’s a budget, there’s the faculty adviser, you know, we can make it a more formal organization.”

One small hurdle for students who would like to join is the English requirement. To join Sigma Tau, students must have nine credits of English completed. This would entail taking one extra three-credit hour class on top of the six general education English requirements. Sigma Tau is also an honors organization, and members must maintain a 3.7 GPA in English classes as well as a 3.5 cumulative GPA.

Many national and local opportunities come from membership in Sigma Tau.

“There are opportunities that in the past, members have been involved in at the national level, including scholarships and internships,” Haley said. “I had one student a while back who had a paid internship through Sigma Tau editing journals, and she actually turned that into a job, editing journals after college.”

On top of that, Sigma Tau is a great way to get one’s name out and be recognized at graduation.

“So you get to be involved in editing and writing and layout in our creative writing journal,” Haley said. “And that’s something that gets sold on Amazon and gets your name out there. Put it on the resume. And including that just is a great honor. Recognition, that graduate cord and everything.”