Several New Clubs Established on Campus

Image Courtesy of The Catholic University of America Technology Services

By Anthony Curioso

Over the past two weeks, four new CUA student organizations have emerged with advertisements through posters around campus or new Instagram accounts: the Formula One Racing Club, the Spikeball Club, the Fashion Club, and the Art Club. None of these clubs have official pages on CUA’s student organization and event calendar website, The Nest, but this will change next semester.

Those interested in starting a new student organization for undergraduate students at CUA are required to follow these six steps:

1. Submit a proposal via The Nest.
2. Meet with the Student Organization Management Team in the Office of Campus Activities.
3. Hold a meeting for recruitment and organization of the new club.
4. Register the organization on The Nest.
5. Complete the Student Organization Review Process.
6. Attend the once-per-semester New Student Organization Training. 

The Fashion Club is led by junior marketing majors Nina Cipollone and Elizabeth Swenby. In the Formula One Racing Club, freshman business major Maria Testa is the president and contact person. On the other hand, the Art Club has Lily Chambers, a junior media and communications major and the digital content editor for The Tower, taking the helm, while the Spikeball Club contact person is freshman mechanical engineering major Matthew McQueeney.

Nina Cipollone, a junior marketing major, commented on why she and her co-founder decided to start the Fashion Club and the student body’s reaction to the club launch.

“[Elizabeth and I] wanted to start the Fashion Club because we are both so passionate about fashion, and we wanted to share that and have a space that other people can come together and talk about it,” Cipollone said. “We think the student body has had a great reaction to the Fashion Club, and they’re super excited to be a part of it.”

Matthew McQueeney, a freshman mechanical engineering major, commented on the idea behind starting a club for Spikeball and the initial response.

“I was one of the driving forces behind my high school’s Spikeball club, and when I got to CUA, I noticed many people playing Spikeball during freshman orientation and over the semester,” McQueeney said. “Lots of people stopped by our tabling sessions last week, which is a promising sign.”

All four new clubs held their interest and recruitment meetings in the Nest event space in the Pryzbyla Center, which has been home to a wide scope of events since its opening in the fall 2023 semester. The Art Club meeting was on November 6, the Fashion Club meeting was on November 11, and the Formula One Racing and Spikeball Clubs held their meetings back to back on November 12. 

Cipollone commented on some of the future Fashion Club events that students can look forward to and how students can keep updated on future events.

“Students can look forward to group thrifting trips, making vision boards, learning how to crochet, sew a hem, and so much more,” Cipollone said. “If anyone could not make it to the Fashion Club interest meeting, they should feel free to reach out to us by email or via our social media, where we would be happy to update them on upcoming events and meeting times.”

McQueeney shared that the Spikeball Club plans to have open practices twice a week, practice times for players of varying skill levels to show off what they can do, and regular in-school tournaments.

We will have to wait and see if these four new clubs become popular and draw large crowds to their respective events.