DU clubs offer varied interests for students

NEW ORLEANS (Nov. 9, 2017) – Two new clubs joined the roster of registered organizations at DU this year: Color Me Free of Disparities and DU Alliance of Mental Illness, according to Courtney Williams, director of Student Engagement and Leadership.

In addition to sororities and fraternities on the list, clubs operate that link students to others from their home state or their majors (The California Club or Public Health Club); share tips on natural black hair (Kinks, Curls, and Coils); and connect students interested in fashion (Black Ivy Couture), to name a few. There’s even one for preachers’ kids (Preacher’s Kid Club).

And if you don’t find anything that suits your fancy among the 51 groups on campus, Dillard students can start the process to charter a new club anytime by visiting bit.ly/BleuConnect, Williams said.

As is typical, Williams said, the newest clubs are the smallest because they’re still getting their information out there to recruit members. The BleuConnect profile for “Color Me Free of Disparities” said its focus is “to educate the Dillard community on the risks of illnesses and physical diseases…to empower and support students who are afflicted and promote solidarity within the Dillard University community.”

The DU Alliance of Mental Illness, believed to be a local chapter for the National Alliance of Mental Illness, or NAMI, did not have a BleuConnect profile.

Williams said the oldest organization on campus is the Student Government Association, and the largest is Sister 2 Sister.

Every year, Dillard hosts an organization fair on the Oaks within the first month of the school year for students to learn about all the different organizations. During this fair, clubs pitch themselves and students sign up for what interests them.

Jamya Robinson, a freshman business major from Chicago, said none of the clubs “touched her” enough to want to join: “They were all the same.”

On the other hand, Curtez Joseph, a sophomore social work major from Marrero, participates in seven organizations, including Pre-Alumni Council, Kinks, Curls, and Coils, Miss Empowered, Sister 2 Sister, Association of Black Social Workers, Honors Council and Preacher’s Kid Club.

Joseph said, “I find that being active in many different clubs has a lot of lessons to give. As a board director and event manager for Pre-Alumni council, then as vice president for Honor’s Council, the most important thing is time management. I have to manage my time well all while getting everything I need done.”

Nzingha Bomani, founder of Kinks, Curls, and Coils, said the club membership runs between 40-45 members.  She attributes the club’s success to “the large natural hair community on campus and a yearning to learn about all things natural.”