The sheer number of student organizations Bloomsburg University encompasses is enough to rival their inclusive list of majors and minors available to study; a fact known by most students once they attend the activities fair each semester. A club exists for every possible interest, and most majors have their own club for students to get more involved with their passions. This is the case for the lesser-known Anthropology department: Bloomsburg Anthropology club’s original description was “a place for anthropology majors to learn more about the discipline.” However, this club is seeking to plant its feet firmly on the ground and make its presence known across all walks of life in the campus community.
When brought up in daily conversation, the word “anthropology” has most people asking for a definition. Others remember the introductory course they took during their first semester at Bloomsburg and promptly shudder. It isn’t all bad though! In its most basic sense, anthropology is the all-encompassing study of people and their possessions across all time and places; however, they aren’t all Indiana Jones or Temperance Brennan from Bones.
So, what does that make Bloomsburg Anthropology club if they don’t go into ancient temples or solve cases for the FBI? Taken from their page on HuskySync, Bloomsburg Anthropology Club’s mission statement is simple: “Anthropology Club seeks to inform students about Anthropology in a manner that is enjoyable and easy to understand. Through the use of various events, students can learn about Anthropology as well as its application to the real world while making close friends and having fun with a community that is all about inclusivity.” Rather than focus just on the academic components that go into this discipline, Anthropology club seeks out practical ways to show how easily Anthropology can fit itself into every activity on campus.
Since their resurgence in fall 2016, Anthropology club regularly participates in annual bake sales held in Centennial Hall, spring T-shirt sales, and makes the effort to attend various conferences and museums that fit the discipline. Their recent trip to the Mütter Museum and Penn Museum in Philadelphia was a hit among students, and their goals to attend the Society for Applied Anthropology Conference as well as the PASSHE Undergraduate Conference seem achievable thanks to their massive involvement in campus events. This semester alone, the club is holding two back-to-back bake sales on February 14 and 15, a T-shirt sale throughout the month of March, and has plans to participate with many other clubs in Bloomsburg’s first ever Unity Week on the last week of March.
On a day-to-day basis, Anthropology Club holds weekly meetings at alternating times to ensure their members can get the most out of the extracurricular experiences they offer. Held in a laidback environment where anyone is able to attend, no dues are required and meetings are not mandatory, Anthropology club seeks to support its members in their academic lives as well as personal. We work hard with our advisor Dr. David Fazzino, PhD, JD to make sure the club can get the most out of its involvement on campus, meaning there is a constant lineup of great events awaiting Anthropology Club’s future. Dull moments will be hard to find as long as the executive board continues their run with great ideas and a critical approach to applying Anthropology in all parts of the Bloomsburg community.
Bloomsburg Anthropology Club is currently run by President Rachel Eicholtz, Vice President Micaela Hoadley, Treasurer Brent Rice, Secretary Alyssa Theurer and Fundraising Chair Alison Storm. With each member having different ideas regarding what they would like to do with their Anthropology degrees, the club will always be able to look at one event with numerous perspectives on how to make it the best it can be. Anthropology Club constantly encourages those interested to join to show that their discipline is not just digging up really old things: it is a close community waiting to take Bloomsburg University by storm.
Rachel is a senior Anthropology major. She is a member of Phi Sigma Pi, President of Bloomsburg Anthropology Club and an on campus tutor.
