Over 150 student organizations tabled on Greene Street for the Spring Student Organization Fair Jan. 22. Students made their way through a large variety of clubs, such as the Gamecock Spikeball Club and the Beekeeping Club.
The organization fair is organized by Student Affairs to give exposure to different clubs across campus. The fair allows students to learn more about organizations at USC and get more involved during their college careers.
Black Medical Student Association (BMSA)
BMSA started in the 2018-2019 school year after its current president saw a need for the club. It offers support and connections for medical minority students in the hopes of increasing graduation rates.
“We create networks and events that help students who are pre-med feel that they have some people that they can connect with, because it's a hard road,” Raven Walters, a second-year biology student, said.
BSMA holds several events, including the Member Mixer. This event allows students to network with medical admissions and physicians. They also hold many volunteering events.
The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS)
NSCS is an honors society that is open to students with a 3.5 GPA or higher in their freshman and sophomore years.
NSCS inducts new members in the fall and holds professional development and member meetings.
According to NSCS’s profile on Garnet Gate, the club "provides career, graduate school, leadership, and service opportunities and gives out over a million dollars in scholarships."
The president of NSCS at USC, Lexy Johnson, said her favorite thing about the club is the "many connections" she has made in the national organization.
“I met some of my greatest friends, and we’re all on exec, and we have countless opportunities from just internships and part-time jobs that they offer us,” Johnson said.
Collegiate Curls
Collegiate Curls is currently nominated by the Association of African American Students as the organization of the year. The organization promotes body positivity for multicultural students and helps them embrace their natural beauty.
Courtney Hicks started the club at the College of Charleston, and it spread to many other college campuses, including USC, Coastal Carolina and the University of Kentucky.
Katelynn Wall, a third-year retail management student and president of Collegiate Curls, said the purpose of the organization is to teach multicultural students "to be confident in their curls and how to love their natural hair." They also focus on skincare.
Currently, the organization has over 70 members, and they’re looking to recruit more men for the club.
Gamecocks Aiding Refugees in Columbia (GARC)
According to its Garnet Gate page, GARC supports the local refugee population through their work with the Carolina Survivor Clinic (CSC), an organization that works "to comprehensively aid refugees living in the Columbia area who have been victims of torture in their native countries."
The club started in the spring of 2018 on campus. They work with refugee families to tutor, mostly helping with English, and work in CSC’s health center.
Currently, the organization has about 100 members, with about 50 active members.
“We’re always looking to grow and get more members, but we also want members who are going to be dedicated and come to tutoring and show up to our events so that our families have some consistency,” said Alexis Vetack, a fourth-year public health and social justice in developing countries student and the president of GARC.
The Gamecock Quidditch Club
The Gamecock Quidditch Club is a sports club inspired by the iconic game from the Harry Potter novels. Club president Erin Smekrud describes the sport as a mix of volleyball, dodgeball and the contact rules of rugby.
The club hosts a tournament every semester, bringing teams from surrounding states. They also travel to teach kids how to play the sport, an event they call "Kidditch."
The club has been around for nine years, according to Adam Orfinger, one of the team’s coaches and a 2019 USC graduate.
Find information on these clubs and more at garnetgate.sa.sc.edu.