After the summer months, many students have returned with new ideas and attitudes about what they want to see happening at Capital. These student leaders have taken the initiative to start the process of making a change and fostering a community for those who want to get involved with the same ultimate goals.
Andy Willmore, junior, is the founder of the new Disability Awareness and Advocacy Community on campus.
Wellmore has found that the disabled are often overlooked when it comes to minority groups and thinks it is important for this group to be included in decision-making on campus.
The organization is open to all kinds of disabilities and also welcomes allies of the disabled community who want to advance similar goals and learn from the community’s stories. They will strive to educate others about the lives of the disabled and increase awareness of the issues they face. The organization will also discuss what changes they may want to see on campus and in the community at large.
“I think the community part is important to start off, and then taking that feeling of a group of people interested in disability in general, and then moving forward with it in the direction where that energy is best channeled is the best methodology,” Wellmore said.
The organization has not had its first meeting yet, but already boasts a total of 30 members. Wellmore is excited about this size and appreciates all of those who have made an effort to get involved. He also credited Professor Nate Jackson, adviser of the group, and Dr. Jennifer Speakman of Disability Services, both of whom have helped immensely in starting this organization.
Like the Disability Advocacy and Awareness Community, the new Leaders for Environmental Awareness and Protection (LEAP) organization is also concerned with campus issues.
LEAP is focused on improving the community we all live in, including Capital’s campus and beyond. Seniors Cassidy Webber, president, and Luke Scott, vice president, discussed their two largest goals for the organization.
Week to week, the club will begin doing cleanup projects around campus and in the Bexley community.
The club also wants to focus on recycling efforts on campus. They have noticed that recycling doesn’t occur as much as it should on campus due to a combination of lack of awareness and effort.
While there are recycling options in the residence halls and the library, waste still occurs in other areas of the university.
“Pretty much everything you use is recyclable as long as you have the means to do it,” Scott said.
To combat this problem, LEAP hopes to increase awareness and knowledge about recycling with posters near trash cans and recycling bins around campus.
“Most people don’t know everything that you can recycle. This is a learning process for everybody,” Webber said.
An increase in knowledge and environmental consciousness is LEAP’s main goal this year.
Long term, the club hopes to extend their ideas to the administration, see possible policy changes to make recycling more of a priority, and different methods of energy saving being implemented, such as motion-sensing lights in classrooms.
Webber and Scott are both passionate about the environment, and Scott is planning on going into environmental law. They believe that if people band together to clean up the area and recycle, it will make others want to participate as well. LEAP welcomes anyone and everyone and they are really excited about making a difference in the community.
The Capital Ukulele Club is the first of its kind to be started at Capital, and its founders, David Lankitus and Jessi Bennett, are anticipating a good first year full of fun and making music. With a huge turnout at the involvement fair, the club is excited about massive jam sessions this semester and creating an environment that promotes togetherness and relaxed fun.
The two had the idea to form the club when Bennett saw Lankitus playing his ukulele by the fountains one day and asked if she could play. They thought about the fact that the ukulele is an easier instrument to learn and thought it would be great to start an organization where people could just play songs and have fun together.
“There’s something about a relaxed instrument such as the ukulele that really makes people want to come together and make music,” Bennett said.
This club does not require an audition and simply invites everyone to come and enjoy the music. It is not required to have a ukulele, but members can bring their own if they like. Members can also participate with a vocal component, rhythm or just come to listen.
The first few meetings will be used to assess the abilities of members and break the ice while playing for fun. Soon, the music director wants to introduce Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love” as their first piece and continue learning new music in the future.
They strive to make music enjoyable for everyone, and noticed that a lot of their current club members are non-music majors. “When you look at music classes, it can be a little intense,” Lankitus said. “This club is very relaxed about music.”
They hope this atmosphere can bridge a gap between music and non-music majors and help everyone view music in a positive way.
The club is always accepting new members and looks forward to growing as a group. It is open to anyone, and the main goal is for every member to have fun no matter what.
New student organizations are a great way to display student attitude and goals while fostering a smaller sense of community for students on campus. Whether people are passionate about rights for the disabled or the environment or just love playing music, they can share their talents and abilities in organizations that are inclusive and goal oriented.
