Zips Recruiting Club

The University of Akron actually has a club that recruits students. I find this club to be a bit odd, but its existence is justifiable. If your wondering what they do, take a look...

"The purpose of this organization shall be to promote The University of Akron to future students through sponsored events by the Office of Admissions."

Setting the club aside for a moment. I want to know if this is a club anyone would join? I've been crazy bitter about the university lately. One faculty member in particular has not been in his office during his time, and is setting my work-flow back. I've had other teachers in the past who have just been dumb. With that said, I've also had fantastic teachers that make the most tedious classes exciting. So here is my question to you the reader. Would you join a club to promote our university? Would you promote it without the club? I used to tell everyone I know how great I thought Akron was. Now I'm telling people how I can't wait to get out of here! Fortunately, all my teachers this semester have been fair, and they all know what they're talking about.

If anyone would like to know more about this club check them out at the Office of Admissions.

Geology Club

Today's club goes to the organization with the best club description, the Geology Club. There are some clubs, that really get into their statement. They give every possible description to make their club sound as smart, cool, fun, or whatever they want to portray. Others, not so much. This club is the latter, but lets face it, how much more do they really need to say?

"The purpose of this club is for educational enlightenment in all phases of geology."



Although I was unable to track down anyone from the Geology club, if you are interested in the club you can visit the Geology department in Zook Hall, or check out the departments website.

The Guitar Club of Akron

Today's club is an obscure organization that may no longer exists at the university. None the less, this club is still on the Organizations page. So to raise some awareness about this club, this is what they may, or may not still be doing:

"To provide nexus for aficionados of the guitar throughout the college community, to provide the wherewithal to bring prominent guest artists to campus for performances and master classes, to create an administrative body to coordinate campus and community appearances of the students, to foster and encourage appreciation of high quality guitar music throughout the community."


The reason I expect the Guitar Club is no longer a club is because it does not have a facebook page, but it has a Myspace page. Myspace being better venue for uploading music, so that makes sense for a Guitar club, but lets face it, the only people that still have a myspace are little girls and creepy men. Actually, myspace has recently been redesigned to focus on entertainment. So the little girls and creepy men might not be there anymore either.

Ping Pong Club

Last night I had a dream that Akron was hosting a Ping Pong Tournament. I probably mixed the thoughts of the Billiards Tournament I wrote about and wanting to play Ping Pong before I went to bed.

Unfortunately, the Ping Pong Club does not exist at Akron, but in my humble opinion, it should! I had a tennis buddy that started a club at my high school, and there are always people playing it in the rec.

Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Except for the initial serve, players must allow a ball played toward them only one bounce on their side of the table and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side. Points are scored when a player fails to return the ball within the rules.

The Ping Pong Club could promote meeting new people while learning rules and techniques to the game. Hey! They could even do crazy ping pong tricks like these guys!

Honors Club

Universities tend to enjoy giving out personal accolades to individual students. From awards to scholarships, those who apply themselves are given the opportunity to separate themselves from the rest of the crowd.

As you have probably guessed already, today's club is about the Honors Club in the Honors College. The purpose of The Honors Club is to provide opportunities to form friendships, encourage a forum for group discussion of ideas and opinions, and discuss opportunities to serve both campus and community.

The Honors Club has regular activities every semester such as Akron Aeros game days, cookouts at local parks, participation in all-campus activities and much more. There are great opportunities to get involved, meet new people, see the area, or to take an active role and lead in the Honors Club.

For those interested in learning more about the Honors program applications are still being excepted until February 1st. Dues each year are $10. Forms to fill out to join the Honors Club are in the Honors Office.

College Billiard Tour Association

Have you ever just walked past the game room and taken a look at the trophies being displayed? There's a case full of them. I once took a Billiards class for half a P.E. credit. It was fun and I learned the proper techniques to the game, but I am still an awful player. Not sure why because I'm careful with my form and everything.

For anyone out there who doesn't completely suck at Billiards check out this club. The University Of Akron College Billiard Tour Association (C.B.T.A) was formed in 1996 with the intent of uniting billiards enthusiasts within the University of Akron. They meet every Wednesday night from 7-11 in the Barry Lefkowitz Billiards Parlor located in the University of Akron Student Union Gameroom. All skill levels are welcome to join. In addition to playing at the University of Akron they also compete in intercollegiate tournaments.

There is also a Barry Lefkowits Scholarship Billiards Tournament happening tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The winner will receive a $1000 scholarship.

Anyone interested in joining can request their Facebook page for more information or email the group at uacbta@yahoo.com.

The Anthropology Club

I walked into a classroom this past week and on the board was a note about the Anthropology Club. The teacher made a slick remark and proceeded to erase it. I'm not really into science, but I have taken a number of anthropology classes and find them rather interesting.

When I went to look up information about the club the only statement I could find was a really long sentence:

"The specific purpose of the Anthropology Club shall be to inform, educate, and raise awareness about the field of anthropology and its sub-disciplines on the campus of the University of Akron so that all students, faculty, administration, and staff will have a better understanding of this field, to provide a network of educational, social, and intellectual support to students interested in Anthropology at the University of Akron and to organize, promote, and carry out activities to raise funds for the special events and projects of the Anthropology Club and contributions to the Anthropology Department."

Anyhow, not much else I can tell you about on this club. No Facebook group or website. Just thought I'd let everyone know it still exists.

Video Game Club Update

My first club featured in my blog was about the new Video Game Club. Since then they have been working hard to become offically recognized by the university.

The club's president, Erik Kasminsky, sent out a note this morning: "I am reading my e-mail at 3:53 in the morning, The Akron Video Game Club is now an officially recognized group at the University of Akron. I thought I was dreaming for a second but it's true".

I stopped by their recruitment meeting last night. Needless to say it was an impressive site. A Student Union Ballroom was filled Four tv's and a projector to kept everyone doing something. With old Sega consoles, to brand new Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii's.

If you are interested in joining the club you can get more information by emailing the club, or you can check out their Facebook and "like" them for updates.

The Ski and Snowboard Club

As I was checking my Facebook tonight I noticed someone posted an update saying there is a chance of snow showers tonight. To remind people that snow can be a recreational force of nature and not just a six month annoyance, I am writing about the Ski and Snowboard Club.

It doesn't take much to describe what this club does. They promote snow skiing and snowboarding, while having a safe and enjoyable time exploring ski resorts around the world, and by "around the world" they really mean around the U.S.

Sarah Kotila has been a member of the club since 2006. "It was the first thing I made sure to join when I got here".

Members are able to take advantage of discounted prices at Brandywine every Saturday with the club from 6-10pm. They also hold a Western Trip the first week of January to kick off the ski season. "The last two years we went to different places in Colorado. This year we are going to Park City Utah", said Kotila.

For those looking to get away, but not inclined to take a winter vacation, they also have a day trip over Presidents Day weekend to 7 Springs in Pennsylvania.

"I enjoy promoting a sport that I love, and being able to give people an opportunity to ski and snowboard places that they would normally not go to. We are open to people of all skill levels. For the 7 Springs trip we hold a drawing for the members that show up to the meeting to go on the trip for free", said Kotila.

Anyone interested interested in joining the club may attend their Pre-Western Trip meeting, Monday, November 1st, at 7:30pm in the Rec Center room 245, or you can email Sarah Kotila at sfk3@zips.uakron.edu

Image courtesy of Sarah Kotila

E-Docs

Every time when I post up a new and exciting group that I think no one has heard of, I often ponder, "How am I going to top that?"

Well this group certainly seems "untoppable". E-Docs is a professional organization that brings together doctoral students, doctoral alumni, and faculty to engage in social and academic interactions beyond the walls of the classroom. Their hopes are for such interaction to create collegial friendships and opportunities to learn and grow from each other.

In basic terms, it's a support group for people working on their doctorate. I have no plans to earn a doctorate, nor do I want them, but I'm sure those who are working on theirs need all the support they can get.

If you are interested in the group they have three prerequisites for eligibility:

1. Graduate students enrolled in a doctoral program in the College of Education at UA
2. Alumni who have received their doctorate from the COE of the University of Akron
3. Faculty or administrators who hold rank in the College of Education at UA

Voting Members: Currently enrolled in doctoral studies, who have completed at least 3-hours of graduate studies and are in good standing with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Non-voting members: Faculty, administrators, alumni, or doctoral students who have not completed 3- hours of graduate studies or have a GPA below 3.0.

For more information go to the Officers page for a list of contacts.

Up 'til Dawn

I'm sure by now that you have seen events and promotions for Up 'til Dawn. Until this year I just thought that was a group that held "lock-ins" or something that made people stay up all night for the fun of it. Boy was I wrong.

Up 'til Dawn is a student-led, student-run, philanthropic program hosted by colleges and universities nationwide to raise funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

I spoke with Samantha Walker, who is on the PR/Marketing Chair for Up 'til Dawn. "Any students can be involved within the Executive Board. The teams can be any students as well. Usually other student orgs will create a team, a teams is compose of no more than 6 people, and once they have registered and payed their $5 they are with Up 'til Dawn. With that being said we would love to have as many teams as possible, just to keep in mind there can only be six members and usually one person serves as a team captain. What happens most of the time is that many student orgs have more than one team."

To raise money they hold fundraisers. They recently gave out Applebees flyers for 15% of the order to benefit St. Jude. November 9th they are holding an All Teams Meeting where all of the teams come to the Student Union Ballroom to write out letters to friends and family to help raise money.

Samantha told me about what she enjoys most about being involved. "My favorite part is just helping the kids. This sounds corny but just knowing that I have made some sort of significance in their lives is awesome. I'm Early Childhood Ed, I wanted to do pediatrics but when I volunteered at Akron Children's I could not handle kids dying, so this way I'm still trying to make a difference."

If you would like to get involved you can contact Samantha Walker at slw64@zips.uakron.edu.

ZTV - Goofing Off

If you haven't "tooned" (tuned) into the university's TV station don't worry. Goofing Off is here to save you. The new program was started in the spring semester of 2010 strictly as an online program. They are still in an experimental phase, so they are currently using facebook before they branch off onto their own website.

The group was started by Devin Simmons with intent to feature anything out of the ordinary including: video games, comic books, random top five lists, podcasts and much more.

Most recently I led the group on a tour of the Canton Palace Theatre. You can check out the video here.

Feel free to "like" the group and leave comments on the videos, notes, and podcasts. If you are interested in becoming a member of ZTV or Goofing Off you can visit the ZTV website for more information.

Equestrian Team

Giddy up for the University of Akron's Equestrian team! The university has both an English Team, and a Western Team.

The English Team was created in 2002 and currently trains out of Stoney Ridge Stables in Wadsworth, Ohio. They compete in regional shows with several other teams and are coached by Laura Hearty. The English team competes in Equitation on the Flat and Over Fences.

The Western Team was formed in 2006 and rides out of Greenwich Hill Farm in Wadsworth, OH and is coached by Chris Cook. The team competes in regional shows around the area. The main areas of focus include Western Horsemanship and Reining.

If I knew about this club earlier in my college career I probably would have joined. Had I not owned a car perhaps I would have looked into a horse. Although that would make for a long commute up 77 North from Canton.

This group encourages riders of any skill level to join. Students must be enrolled full time at the university to join one of the teams. Visit the contact us page to find out where to join.

(Photo courtesy of http://www.uakron.edu/groups/equestrian/PhotoAlbum.php)

Greek Week

Given that this week is "Greek Week", I am taking some time to recognize all of the Greek organizations on campus. Greek Week is a week dedicated to all of the fraternities and sororities on campus with events and fundraisers for local charities. Greek Week is the one week out of the year for everyone involved in the Greek community to show their pride for their individual chapters.

One of the fundraisers is the Penny Wars. Penny Wars are held everyday during the week from 11-2 in the student union. Jars for every fraternity and sorority are represented. The team with the most pennies wins, however, other people can put in silver change that will deduct points according to the value of the coin. All of the money is then donated to the Akron Human Society.

Other events are cookouts with volleyball tournaments, Banner competition, Sports Trivia tournament, Greek Olympics, and God and Goddess competition. The God and Goddess competition is where each chapter chooses one member to compete in a multiple round pageant competition to decide who will be crowned Greek God and Greek Goddess for 2010. It's much like a beauty pageant where the contestants compete in interviews, talents, and evening wear events. This is held in the student union ballrooms a+b for anyone who would like to show up.

For a listing of all the events taking place, please visit the official 2010 Greek Week webpage.

For more information on Greek life and how to get involved, visit the Greek life webpage.

AK-ROWDIES

Have you ever wondered who those crazies are at all the soccer games at Lee. R Jackson soccer field, aka The Pouch? Well if you're new to Akron then you have an excuse if you are actually pondering that question. Everyone else knows them as the AK-ROWDIES, and they are just what their name implies, "Rowdies". Actually, it's an acronym for ROOthless, Obnoxious, Wild, Dedicated, Insane, Egotistical, Students.

Since ESPN is ranking our football team at the fourth worst team in the country, there hasn't been much to get "rowdy" about for them. However, with the Nations #1 soccer team they have been rowdier than ever.

The AK-ROWDIES are one of the largest student orgs at the university with nearly 2000 members. Their main purpose: "To cheer UA student-athletes to victory".



As you can see, this group is not for the casual fan goer. This group is for the die hard, can't miss a game, need to be there, going to skip my girlfriend's sister's wedding because I gotta see it live, fan group.

For those interested in joining they provide you with t-shirts, food, priority seating at sporting events, free road trips and more. You can check them out on Facebook.

Akron Badminton and Tennis Club

Today in my reading class we read an article how tennis players snap their writs' after they made contact with a ball. Here's an interesting article about wrist snapping in tennis. My old high school tennis coach always told me to snap my wrist to hit the ball correctly. Turns out the wrist snap had nothing to do with hitting the ball.

If you would like to try out this technique you may want to consider joining the Akron Badminton and Tennis Club. They promote the skills of both badminton and tennis at the University of Akron. They provide instructions, practice time, and recreational court time. They also organize tournaments versus other Ohio universities.

Badminton is offered in the fall. Anyone interested in joining the club can should go to the Intramural sport page or email intramuralga@uakron.edu.

Amateur Radio Club

The University of Akron is home to one of the highest rated college radio stations in the nation, WZIP 88.1 FM. That's not the radio station I'm talking about this week.

As a student of communication I learned about amateur radio, but never went into too much detail. Basically, if I wanted to put in the time, effort, and money, I was told that I too could have a radio station. Not in the traditional sense though. The term amateur does not imply a lack of skill or quality, but rather that amateur radio and its operators work outside of an official, governmental or commercial capacity. Basically, you're not going to find these stations on your car radio dial.

The university is home to the amateur radio club, W8UPD. Who knew we had an amateur radio club? By the looks of their website they have a nice little organization going too. Their opening statement says it all: "As a club, we use our time and resources towards expanding our knowledge and experience concerning not only amateur radio, but all aspects of technology. Club meetings are conducted in a semi-formal manner, and normally conclude with a general discussion and group chat, and afterwards we normally head to a local eatery for a bite. Fox hunts are normally done on foot around the campus, although there has been some interest for mobile foxhunting. You can find some more information in the Activities secton of the site. We regularly go to ham-fests as a club, including an annual trip to the Dayton Hamvention. For more information, please stop by a meeting, all are welcome!"

This is a great way for anyone who is interested in radio to get familiar with it on a small, yet professional scale. If anyone is interested in possibly setting up their own personal station, they might want to consider going to this site. It gives you all the information you need to start blasting out your favorite tunes to those young, out of control, hormone enraged, rebellious teenagers out there listening your amateur radio station.

For anyone interested in joining you can attend their meetings which are held Tuesdays at 8:00pm EST in Zook Hall Room 501(The Shack).

(image courtesy of http://www.w8upd.uakron.edu/?about)

Student Art League

I never considered myself an artist, which is probably why I dropped out of the Graphic Design program after my first college semester, but I found myself revisiting the Myers School of Art in my last college semester. This time however I am fortunate enough to share my two art classes with the President of the Student Art League (SAL), Joey Augustyn.

SAL is open to all students enrolled at the university.

"It's a fun organization to build a better sense of community in the art school through fun programs, and just going to participate in art activities that one wouldn't normally do inside the classroom," said Augustyn.

There is much more to be experienced if you join SAL. When asked about what his favorite part of the group was Joey was not short with things to say. "My favorite part of the group is the activities that we plan and which the students get involved with. We hold a movie night every Thursday at 8:00, attend Tremont Art Hops in Cleveland, and every spring we go to New York City. We have SAL Art Shows once a semester in one of the honors galleries for students to exhibit their work."

To raise money for the group they sell coffee, coffee mugs, and t-shirts in the "slide library" right next to the Folk Hall Auditorium.

People can get involved through contact the SOuRCe, or checking out what SAL is about at our meetings every Tuesday and Wednesday at 12:30PM in Folk Hall Auditorium. You can check out their Facebook page, or they can contact: Joey Augustyn SAL President at jma60@zips.uakron.edu or Sarah Murphy SAL Vice President at slm90@zips.uakron.edu for more information.

Ice Hockey Club

So everyone knows we have a football team, a baseball team, and a softball team, oh and don't forget about that little soccer team we have too. But who knew we had an Ice Hockey team?

Akron's Ice Hockey Club was started in the Fall of 2005 by student Joseph Frato. The main goal of the student organization is to give students at The Univesity of Akron a chance to continue their hockey careers either competitively or recreationally. Students compete competitively through the club team which plays other college club teams.

Currently, the University of Akron Ice Hockey Club participates in the Tri State College Hockey League, a new team at Center Ice Sports Complex in North Canton, Ohio. This league gives students a chance to learn how to work on the ice together and also a chance to showcase their skills and leadership abilities. Center Ice Sports Complex is the home arena for the University of Akron Zips, hosting weekly practices and games on the weekend.

If you have ever wanted to learn hockey, or played in high school, then this club is a must to check out. With the winter season quickly approaching, now is the perfect time to start playing a winter sport. Our soccer team won't be playing all semester long, but the hockey clubs plays all the way until March.

University of Akron students get into their games for free and can see their schedule here. They also have a Facebook group for updates and results. You can also go to the contact page and email team members for more information.

New Improv Group: On In Five

So it's Thursday night and the weekend is practically here. Why not start your weekend off right by going to see the Theatre Guild's new improv group, On In Five?

This group holds a special place in my heart because I am a member of this group. It is exciting to be apart of such a new group that is unlike anything else we have here at the university. I always tell people, "We aim for comedy", so you'll probably have a good time when you see us.

It's a great show to come see. Every night is something different. We always have different suggestions, different performers, and different venues. You can show up one night, and have a completely different experience the next. We like to keep things fresh for the audience members, and always want to leave them wanting more.

Anyone who is new to improv comedy might want to check out the show, "Who's Line is it Anyway?" On In Five performs some similar appetizer of short-form improv games, and serves up a main course of long-form improv.



If you would like to come out and watch the group in a live performance, their show dates are:
Thursday September 30th 7:00PM Ballroom E in the Student Union
Friday October 29th 7:00PM Ballroom C in the Student Union
Thursday November 18 7:00PM Ballroom B in the Student Union
Wednesday December 8 7:00PM BallroomC in the Student Union

We do not yet have a website up, but one is on the way. We are excepting new members to practice with us and no experience is necessary, but a willingness to perform is a must. If you are interested in joining the group you can contact me, Ben Lolli at brl12@zips.uakron.edu.

2380 Film Club

Have you ever been watching a movie and thought to yourself, "I could make a better movie than this piece of crap"? Well, why don't you? The University of Akron's 2380 club is dedicated to making at least one feature length film a year as well as many short-films. They are appropriately named for the distance in miles between Akron and Hollywood, 2,380.

They are a relatively young group going into their 7th year at the university, but the group already has created a storied history. In 2006 and 2007, they hosted the Akron Film Festival at the Student Union Theater. They are also working on their 6th feature film.

Here is a trailer of their most recent completed film, Myra.



If you are just interested in seeing the final product then make sure to show up to their annual film festival this March 4, 5, 6, 2011.

Club president Ben Sliwa said, "We have already started working on that. The theme is 'bringing hollywood to akron'. One night there is gonna be a survivor horror night and entertainment, its gonna be great."

The group meets every Monday at 4:30 in Kolbe Hall room 111. Anyone is welcome to attend and no previous film experience is required. They are always looking for writers, actors, directors, production assistants, videographers, and web designers. For those who want to put their creative skills to the test, show up to their Monday meetings. Dues are $30 for the year, and you will become a full voting member. Monday Oct. 4th they will be voting for this years feature length film.

"We are trying to expand substatially this year, so the more people who know about us and want to join the better," said Swila.

For more information you can check out their UA organization page here, or go to this years feature film production's Facebook page. You can also email Ben Sliwa at bjs49@zips.uakron.edu.

Lights, camera, action!

New Video Game Club

What's fun, intense, competitive, and the newest club at The University of Akron? If you guessed the "Video Game Club" you are correct! This new organization was the brainchild of Erik Kasminsky, who is promoting console and handheld video games with people all over campus. He has been developing the club since the beginning of the summer.

Their first recruitment event went well with over forty people showing up. Erik has the club open to all University of Akron students who are in good standing with the university.

With new games coming out this fall including: Halo: Reach, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, Fifa 11, and Fallout: New Vegas, they club won't have a problem scheduling meeting times.

Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3 are some of the systems they are currently featuring, which is a nice way to keep things fresh. This allows the club members to become educated with the different systems if they never played them before, without individually purchasing them. From novice to expert, the video game club has something for everyone.

The club is also connected with the Association of Computing Machinery and the Akron Anime Association.

Video games are no longer a nerdy thing. The club has members from many different major, and yes, there are girls. Men and women interested in joining can go to their Facebook Fan Page, or email Erik at akronvideogameclub@gmail.com.