Attending college may feel daunting and isolating, especially when the setting, people, and academics are new. Luckily, Elgin Community College provides a solution for this unfamiliarity with its diverse range of clubs and organizations for students to get involved with.

The Art & Design Club is an example of one of the many clubs that students are able to join. 

Anya Alfante, the President of the Art & Design Club, explains that the club serves as a common space for both aspiring professionals and recreational amateurs looking to share their interest in art. 

During meetings students have the opportunity to experiment with various art forms, talk to professors about the fine arts industry and have discussions about their artwork with other students. 

“I like to talk with other artists and read their statements about their art,” Alfante said.  “It’s so interesting to read what kind of ideas and themes they had behind it.” 

Alfante explains the club’s goal to encourage artists to “keep creating.”

“Art is supposed to be fun, it’s not supposed to be super stressful,” Alfante said. “You don’t have to be good at it. I think it should be about enjoyment above all else.”

Meetings are typically held every other Tuesday from 3:30p.m. to 4:30p.m. in B166. 

This upcoming meeting is an exception. It will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 21st in the ceramics lab for a special ceramics event.

Students interested in getting involved with the Art & Design Club should attend meetings and look out for event fliers posted around campus. Information is also posted on the Art & Design Instagram page, @ecc_adc. 

ECC also has a few affinity clubs for students to get involved in, such as Students Who Are Not Silent (SWANS) and ADAPT Club. 

Sfo Foley, the Treasurer of SWANS and President Emeritus of the ADAPT Club, explains that both clubs are meant to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus. 

SWANS is the LGBTQ club and provides both members of the LBGTQ+ community and allies with a safe space to socialize and discuss topics within the community. 

Foley explains that SWANS promotes a message of self-acceptance by encouraging students to have fun being themselves. The club also talks about social issues relating to the LGBTQ community as well as ways to get involved and help. 

SWANS meets every three weeks on Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in room B181. The date of the next meeting is Oct. 4th. 

Students who are interested in joining SWANS should check out the SWANS website. They can also email [email protected]. 

ADAPT Club is the disability advocacy club which functions to provide students both inside and outside of the disability community with an opportunity to hang out. It also opens a dialogue to discuss advocacy.

Foley explains that students who are interested in educating themselves should join the ADAPT Club.

“I think students who just wanna learn a lot more too should join, especially with the disability community being one of the lesser talked about minority groups,” Foley said. 

Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month from noon to 1 p.m. in room B181. 

The next meeting, which will be held on Oct. 4th, will be hosted in the Jobe Lounge at 11:00 a.m. It is a special event for Latinx Heritage Month where Pascuala Herrera, author of “Not Always a Valley of Tears”, will do a reading of her book. 

Students who are interested in joining the ADAPT Club can email [email protected].

Students also have the opportunity to join Student Government.

“Student government in general oversees all the other clubs on campus,” Alison McVey, the Student Trustee of Student Government, said. “We are also the voice of the students.”

McVey explains that people who want to be active within the community would enjoy student government.

Students who have an increased level of involvement with Student Government have the option to become Senators, which facilitate communication between other clubs and Student Government. Applications to become a Senator are open to anyone. 

General meetings are held every other Wednesday from 2:30p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Depending on the week, the meetings are held in room B180 or B269. Sept. 21st is the date of the next meeting. 

Constitution day, an event in which Student Government leaders discuss the Constitution, will be held around noon time on Sept. 20th in room B180.

Students interested in joining Student Government should attend general meetings and look out for more information on their Instagram, @eccsg. 

All of these clubs are available for any student to join.

Foley describes how joining a club improved their experience at ECC. 

“I ended up loving it way more than I ever thought I would…It’s a great way to meet people and get involved,” Foley said.