The best way to boost a resume or make great friends with similar interests is to join a club. But which clubs, you ask. Well, as Honors College students you have access to some very fun extracurriculars based right here at 1707 Riverside! From community service to literary journals, let’s take a look at each of the Honors College’s six organizations!
Student Honors Council
The Student Honors Council is the Honors College’s morale-boosting organization, putting together fun events and activities for the Honors College and general campus to enjoy! Their most popular event is the annual Haunted House each Halloween, which is also rivaled by the popularity of their spring Honors Formal dance. While it may be the governing body of the Honors College, there are no rules made here! Just fun memories! SHC also helps to form award selection committees that seek to recognize outstanding faculty members and students in Honors. These morale-boosting events and recognitions seek to strengthen the bonds between faculty, staff, and students in order to create an Honors Community. Meetings for SHC are open to Honors Students on Tuesdays from 8-9 p.m. in the Honors House, so be sure to check them out on Instagram at @bsushc or on Bennylink!
Honors Association for Community Engagement
HACE, as it is so lovingly nicknamed, seeks to better the relationship of Ball State students with their campus and Muncie community. Open not only to Honors students, HACE pairs with many organizations to help promote community service events and program morale-boosting activities. The most recent events HACE has helped to host include East Washington Academy’s literacy night, Muncie Mission’s Walk a Mile in My Shoes, and more. On campus, HACE also helps decorate the Honors House, run bake sales to benefit the Muncie Animal Shelter, and more! HACE also has two upcoming community service events on campus: Community Cares, which will have attendees help to assemble care bags full of necessities for those who currently seek refuge and shelter at the Muncie Mission’s shelter. These two events are on September 27th, starting at 5:30 p.m., and September 30th, starting at 11 a.m., in the backyard of the Honors House. Students are welcome to come and earn community service hours while making a difference in our local Muncie community. To learn more about HACE, which meets on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m., visit @bsuhace on Instagram or Bennylink.
Honors Organization for Promoting Equity
Formerly known as the Honors College Diversity Program, HOPE is the Honors College’s organization that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion across the college’s staff, faculty, students, curriculum, activities, and more. From the Honors Inclusive Excellence Series to even securing an official Land Acknowledgement for campus grounds from the Muncie mayor in respect for our occupation of Native American lands, HOPE is the organization for those who seek to better our Honors College. The organization is made up centrally by its Diversity Fellows, which is open only to those who apply, but its events are open to the public and entrance is always free charge. To learn more about HOPE and the Honors Inclusive Excellence Series, please visit @ballstatehonors to view the calendar on Instagram. HOPE’s Instagram can be found at @bsuhope.
Cardinal Classics Book Club
Want to read the classics, but with a fun new twist? Then Cardinal Classics is the right student org for you! Reading everything from timely “Banned Books” to the Magical Realism genre, Cardinal Classics has something for everyone! Currently, the club is making its way through the stunning work “The Alchemist.” Worried about having missed a meeting? Don’t have a copy of the book yet? Never fear! Cardinal Classics carries extra copies of their current reads for any prospective readers to borrow, or you can DM their Instagram (@cardinal_classics_bsu) to get your copy today! Cardinal Classic’s next meeting will be TOMORROW, Thursday, September 7th from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., and will focus on the prologue and part one of this novel. All are welcome! And to get your name on the roster, feel free to check them out on Bennylink!
Odyssey
Submission Review Board applications are currently open for this organization: The Odyssey! Odyssey is a creative literary journal that is written, edited, produced, published, and promoted by and for the student body! Published once each academic year and accepting works that include art, photography, poetry, and more, Odyssey is a great way to express yourself and your art through a public, published journal! Their current Instagram handle is @odysseyhonors, and their Submission Review Board applications close on September 15th at 7:00 p.m., so be sure to submit yours today! Copies of the most recent edition of Odyssey, entitled “Rejuvination” can be picked up at the Honors House or read in our very comfy living room area!
News & Notes
Last, but certainly not least, is the Honors College Organization News & Notes, the bi-yearly published newsletter magazine for the Honors College! News & Notes is written by Honors student body for its student readers, similar to Odyssey. Last year’s two publications included “Overlap” and “Talk it Out,” and contained many great stories of the Honors College and its people, most notably its piece on the retirement of Dean John Emert. Interested in learning more? Check them out at @news.and.notes today, or pick up a previous copy here at the Honors House!
Across six different student organizations, we know that the Honors House can get a little busy, which is why we love our amazing spaces such as BA 117, the Colloq Room or BA 200, the Dining Room, and the Gathering Area! Week three of fall semester is here, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to join a student organization! We love welcoming new members into our organizations at every meeting! Previous Honors Blogs feature some of these organizations, including “Honors College Diversity Fellow LeAndrea Rainey“, “Declutter Your Closet for a Cause with HACE“, “News & Notes Assistant Editor Karisa Candreva”, and more! Student organizations are a great way to make friends, find leadership opportunities, give back to the community, expand your learning, and more!