SGA approves serveral new clubs to meet every interest

KELLY VAUGHAN ’17
FEATURES EDITOR
Colleges offer students the opportunity to pursue an area that particularly interests them, develops a skill that they have been working at perfecting for years, or trying out something new entirely for the first time. From club sports to acapella groups to various campus publications, there is seemingly something for everyone. However, some students have found voids in what is offered. With the ease and encouragement of the office of Student Activities; Involvement, & Leadership (SAIL) and Student Government Association (SGA), six new clubs have recently been approved as official school clubs. These groups include the Trinity College Orchestra, Trinity College Ski Club, Women in Arts, Ballroom Dance Club, The Beacon newsmagazine, and Dog Lovers Club.
One of the biggest complaints at Trinity is the lack of space for creative expression and small arts community. With the renovation of Austin Arts Center and addition of a new performance space, Ian King, President of the Trinity College Orchestra, expressed his enthusiasm for his club’s recent approval, saying “we are very excited about filling the obvious void in the opportunity for Trinity students to rehearse and ultimately perform in the orchestral setting…We’d like to think that the new orchestra is a positive first step in the direction of eventually having an orchestra that is run by the music department and is fully accredited by the college.”
Another addition to the arts at Trinity includes the new Women in Arts club, which aims provide a space for women to look at influential female artists both locally and globally and their current influence in society. One of the founding members, Karolina Kwiencinska ’16 says, “We are so excited about becoming a new addition to Trinity and collaborating with different clubs and all of the talented students on campus to create awareness and interest in feminist art as well as in female artists! We hope to provide a safe space for all students to discuss feminism in art as well as a space where students can showcase their artistic work throughout the year.”
Alicia Abbaspour ‘18, one of the founding members of The Beacon, alongside Natalia Claro ’18 and Emily Dowden tells the Tripod, “The Beacon…is an online monthly publication with a mission to engage and inform the student body through accessible news pieces. We hope to encourage our peers to be outwardly focused – that is, to understand and reflect on issues that affect Trinity campus, but also the larger communities of Hartford, our country, and the world.”
After the excitement that ensued among students during finals week when puppies were brought to campus, it’s no surprise that The Dog Lover’s Club has already received lots of enthusiasm from the canine-loving community. Aside from attending weekly meetings, the club is hoping to offer a dog-sitting program for faculty and staff members, monthly showings of dog-related films with dog-themed snacks, a finals week stress-free dog event each semester, and at least one volunteer event at a dog shelter per semester. Co-Founder Molly Schnieller discussed her inspiration for starting the club saying, “Our friends used to make fun of us and say ‘why don’t you just start a club about dogs since you love them so much.’ They were probably kidding, but when we started the process of founding Dog Lovers Club, we discovered lots of ways to use our puppy love for good.” Schnieller says in addition to being active on Trinity’s campus, they are “in the process of starting a dogsitting program on campus that’ll start with faculty and staff dogs and might expand to the Hartford community depending on how things go. We’re also in contact with a foundation called Fidelco that trains guide dogs for those that are blind or visually impaired, and we hope to volunteer for them soon.”
Ballroom Dance Club president Linh Tran ’17 is offering students the opportunity to both learn how to ballroom dance and compete in a professional setting. The club will offer at least dancing class each week under the direction of a professional instructor and a relaxing, unique experience for Trinity students.
Trinity College Ski Club received re-approval for their club. The Trinity College Ski Team has a long history as a top racing team within the Thompson division of USCSA.  The Thompson Division is comprised of colleges including fellow NESCAC schools Tufts University and Connecticut College, as well as larger universities such as Saint Lawrence and UCONN. President Becca Levy ‘16 and Vice President Rob Klein ’16 tell the Tripod, ”The ski team is happy to once again be part of student life at Trinity. We look forward to many successful racing seasons in the future!”
This past Sunday, four more clubs presented in front of SGA seeking approval. The new club additions will allow even more students to become involved in campus organizations and have opportunities to express themselves in a creative and active way.