Some 170 undergraduate organizations are currently registered with the Division of Student Affairs for receipt of University funding and the opportunity to reserve campus spaces for events. To qualify, they must have identified a volunteer faculty advisor. And during the approval process, all were assessed on uniqueness, level of interest (a minimum of 10 members is required), and potential for longevity. Some clubs fold when their founders graduate, some disappear with the times, as did the Rifle Team in 1970. The literary journal Stylus (est. 1882) is the oldest, predating the Chestnut Hill Campus by 31 years. Among the new organizations since fall 2013:

Anime Club

Founding president: Daniel Morales ’15, physics major. Faculty advisor: Ritsuko Sullivan, lecturer in Slavic and Eastern languages and literatures. Mission: As its website states, to be “a world where fantasy meets reality.” At weekly meetings, the 15 members discuss Japanese manga comic books, watch films, and draw. “We are also somewhat the unofficial games club. From visual novels to SSB [Super Smash Brothers], from Pokémon to JRPGs [Japanese role-playing games], we’ve got all bases covered.”

Baking Club

Founding president: Courtney Roggekamp ’17, finance. Faculty advisor: Stephanie Jernigan, assistant professor of the practice of operations management. Mission: To provide an opportunity “for students to bake at school, as well as have a chance to meet other people in the Boston College community and relax,” says Roggekamp. More than 550 students signed up at the Student Involvement Fair in September 2014.

Ignition

Founding president: William Johnson ’16, English. Faculty advisor: David Storey, assistant professor of the practice of philosophy. Mission: A mentorship program for sophomores run by juniors and seniors. Each student mentor, or “Igniter,” will lead monthly group conversations with up to eight sophomores on matters of “moral, intellectual, social, and spiritual development.”

Latin American Business Club

Founding presidents: Ana Gill ’15, economics; Federico Pineda ’15, finance and management and leadership. Faculty advisor: Richard Keeley, undergraduate associate dean of the Carroll School of Management (CSOM). Mission: To promote interest in careers in emerging markets of Latin America. In addition to holding networking events with alumni, the 100-member organization offers weekly presentations and discussions. Topics so far include “Venezuela’s Economic and Political Struggles,” “Regulatory Struggles of Multinationals in Latin America,” and “Why did Argentina Default?”

Minutes for Memories

Founding president: Caroline Karalias ’16, psychology and English. Faculty advisor: Sarah Cabral, lecturer in the CSOM Portico program. Mission: As the Boston College chapter of a Boston-based nonprofit that aids youths who have sustained traumatic injuries, the 10 members meet every other Tuesday to write letters to local survivors in the early stages of recovery.

Musical Theater Wing

Founding president: Samantha Goober ’15, theater. Faculty advisor: Alison Bane, assistant director of the Office of First Year Experience. Mission: To provide student performance opportunities—at venues range from the University’s Bonn Studio Theater to local nursing homes—and musical theater workshops led by local actors.

The Philosophical Society

Founding president: Erick Barrios ’15, biology and psychology. Faculty advisor: Douglas Finn, assistant professor of theology. Mission: To host discussions in a “conversational atmosphere that is not governed by rhetoric, inflammatory remarks, or the illusion of two sides,” says Barrios. About a dozen students meet twice a week in Stokes N401 to discuss topics such as “What is the Role of Government?” and “The Pros and Cons of Killing a Fly.”

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