We erroneously referred to the Health and Wellness Club as the Nutrition Club. The story has been updated with the correct name.

By Ben Riggleman

Q. What does it mean to “get involved” at SMCC?
A. Walloping your friends with foam quarterstaffs (Boffing Club); sitting in a circle discussing poetry (Midcoast Campus Poetry Club), the meaning of life (Philosophy Club), or social justice (SPLC Club); volunteering at a food pantry for hungry students (The Captain’s Cupboard); building a student newspaper from scratch (ahem); joining a SeaWolves athletic team — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

On Thursday, Jan. 25, the Noisy Lounge at the South Portland Campus Center was the setting for a Student Involvement Fair. A gamut of student clubs and organizations had set up tables, and the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership (CeSIL) had provided free pizza, which went as fast as you’d expect.

Traveling clockwise around the room, the first table I landed at belonged to the Student Activities Committee, which is itself a student activity. The Committee members I spoke to were untroubled by paradoxes of self-reference, and gladly told me about their club. Sam Gilbert: “We plan activities for students, and, you know, that can include commuters.” Ali Pearl: “We just sit in a room and plan events around campus, all year round. We do movies, we do craft nights, we organize and run the dances that are on campus; we do fun little things off campus, too. There’s all kinds of stuff in the works, like Spring Fest.” There’s also a winter dance on March 1. You don’t have to get elected to Activities Committee — anyone can join.

Next I visited the SPLC Student Group. Their table was full of colorful pins (“Fighting Hate, Teaching Tolerance, Seeking Justice,” “Y’all means all”), ribbons, bracelets and brochures from the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Southern Poverty Law Center, or SPLC, is a national nonprofit, formed in 1971, that advocates for civil rights; it tracks hate groups, and often fights them in court. The SPLC Student Group is only loosely affiliated with the SPLC, and mainly provides a forum to discuss race, inequality, and other social issues. All are welcome at their meetings, Wednesdays at 3 p.m. in Howe Hall’s seminar room.

John Rodgers, a Captain’s Cupboard volunteer, speaks with students. Photo Courtesy of Negin Ahadzadeh. 

“The Captain’s Cupboard is an on-campus food pantry that provides food to students,” as student volunteer Isaac McIntire explained to me. “Basically, what we try to do is have plenty of food that’s available on campus for any student to come and take, at will. We’re volunteer based, and student run.” Customers need only bring their student ID. The Captain’s Cupboard is located in the Captain’s House at 126 McKernan Drive. Its hours will be posted shortly on its Facebook page (“The Captain’s Cupboard”) and emailed to students. Volunteers are always needed.

At the next table I talked with Professor Kitty Broihier about the new Health and Wellness Club on campus. The club, which had long existed only in name, was revived by Nutrition & Dietetics students at the start of this semester. Yes, there will be snacks at their meetings. Healthy ones. For more information, email Ms. Broihier at cbroihier@smccme.edu.

A couple tables down was the Veterans Club. Kristy Howarth, a motor-vehicle transport operator in the Maine Army National Guard and a fourth-semester student at SMCC, gave me the rundown on the club: “It’s just a big group for all the local veterans, and veteran dependents, to get together. And we do monthly bake sales, and the money that has been raised has been going towards book scholarships. We’re also going to try and put that into fuel scholarships and grocery scholarships.” The Veterans Club also hosts an off-campus social event for veterans and their families once a semester. The Club meets twice a month in the Captain’s House, on Mondays from 3 to 4 p.m. and Tuesdays from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.

Chuck Ott, a Beacon faculty advisor, repped this paper at the next table. The Beacon always needs student writers, photographers, and graphic designers. All are welcome to join us at our meetings, every other Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Captain’s House. The next two are Jan. 30 and Feb. 13.

Finally, I spoke with Zahra Abukar of the Multicultural and International Student Club. The club will meet monthly, and will be kicking off with a multicultural potluck. Contact Zahra at zahramabukar@smccme.edu to learn more, and check the weekly CeSIL updates in your student email for dates and times!

You can find out about many other student activities and clubs on the SMCC App and in those CeSIL emails.