by The Cowl Editor on February 1, 2018
Campus
by Brian Garvey ’20
News Staff
Last week, Student Congress approved two brand-new clubs to be introduced on campus. The first club introduced will be the Excel Club, which wants to provide the learning experience that some students feel that the Computer Applications in Business class (CAB) does not provide. Connor Ayers ‘18, chair of the committee on clubs and organizations, stated during the hearing for the club’s approval that the club was “super organized,” and had “excellent plans to work with others.”
Originally founded on the feeling that the one-hour-per-week CAB class did not do enough, a group of students began meeting weekly. Soon, a group of 10 to 15 students were meeting religiously and decided to create the club to attract more members and expand their scope.
One idea proposed was to expand the help available to students majoring in non-business disciplines; for example, tutoring sessions for students in the biology department. They felt that CAB was not necessarily available to their disciplines and that they needed to be exposed to this vital skill in any sort of professional environment.
Arriana Arroyo ’20 said, “I definitely feel that there will be a lot of interest in this club, especially from the sciences. I feel like I don’t have a lot of Excel experience, and I would definitely love to really develop that skill.” Excel Club would also like to expand to help other organizations, like the Athletic Department and Student Council.
The second club, while vastly different, is just as promising as Excel Club: Music Production Club. Founded by Mark Healy ’20, Ayers stated during the club’s hearing that there was a strong interest generated and that “they had been meeting extensively on their own.”
Healy founded the club out of his own love for music, specifically rap. He writes and produces his own songs out of his dorm room, with several popular songs on SoundCloud.
Healy said, “Rapping, to me, is an outlet to perform that both makes me happy and relaxes me, and I want to be able to bring that to other people.” Healy went on to talk about how he wants to teach people the skills to produce their own music and hopefully give them an avenue towards the same satisfaction he gets out of making music.
One of his ideas was to meet at an off-campus studio so that club members can experience what it is like to be in a real studio and hear what their music sounds like through professional equipment. Healy added, “My end goal is to have a studio on campus. I feel like it is something the campus is missing, and I feel that it could be a huge benefit to the culture of the school.”
Healy also felt that his club could provide an outlet for all types of musicians. For example, many students on campus played an instrument in high school, yet cannot find the time to fit a lengthy instrumental class into their schedule. This club has a massive potential for success with this type of student, as it could be an outlet for their own musical ambition.
Tom McMahon ’20 said, “Being an accounting major, I find it tough to find time to play my saxophone. Maybe now that this club is available, I can bring it back from home and start to play again.” Be on the lookout for the Music Production Club; they could be performing at Providence College events soon!
These two clubs, while vastly different in their premise, have great potential to bring a new aspect of diverse learning experiences to PC. Interested students are highly encouraged to join, and beginners are more than welcome to test the waters. Undoubtedly, these two clubs will leave a great impact on its members and this campus.