Newer BYUHSA clubs said their membership has gone up during the Winter Semester World Fest club sign-ups where every chapter and club has its own table to promote itself and its purpose. This gives students the opportunity to see the diversity of BYUH and allows students to be a part of several chapters and clubs. The event, which was held all day on Jan. 22 and 23, was located in the Aloha Center. Hailey Rice, a senior in biology from Canada, said she really enjoyed World Fest. “Everything is very exciting here. Being a biology major, I am always a part of the Health Care Professionals Club. I want to pursue a career in medical care.”A few of the smaller known clubs on campus were glad to report there was an increased interest in their clubs this semester. For example, just three-semesters old, one of the new clubs this year is the Baseball Club. Current member Kemjai Koide, a sophomore math major from Japan, described how the club was born when he said, “Two students started to play catch together in the fields in front of campus. They played catch often and started thinking it would be nice to have a baseball club because there wasn’t already one in existence.” Koide also said he never had the opportunity to play baseball in Japan, but he always wanted to play. The Baseball Club gave Koide the chance to play. Because the club is a mere introduction to baseball, Koide said, “You don’t have to be good to play.” Another relatively new chapter added to BYUHSA is the Native American Chapter. This chapter is going on its second semester, according to Adam Conte, a sophomore in EXS from Arizona. Conte said, “Fall Semester was our first time, so we didn’t really know what to expect and kept things very simple.” The chapter hopes to grow this year, although Conte pointed out that Native Americans are a minority on campus. He said they are trying to create a club that everyone wants to participate in although they may have no cultural bonds to Native Americans. They look forward to making a new video and beating their $500 raised at last year’s Food Fest with their Navajo taco sales. One of the busier tables at World Fest, crowed with TVs, gaming systems, and students, belonged to the Gamers Club. Sitting behind the table as a representative was Sydney Diamond, a senior art major from Utah. According to Diamond, the Gamers Club meets every Thursday night from 7-11 p.m. to play games with each other. Diamond said everyone brings whatever game they want to play. “On a weekly basis, 20 to 40 people show up. It also depends if we are having an event or not.” About 100 students come to the club when there is a tournament, she said. Last semester, the club has a League of Legends tournament, and 80 people were there to compete. Like any other sport, Diamond said, “For the tournaments, they usually form some sort of team and there is usually someone in charge. Within teams there are rankings and stuff. Everyone gets together and we give out prizes.”Uploaded Jan. 29, 2015
Writer: Jessica Tautfest
