Clubs come in all shapes and sizes at BYU, and there’s a simple reason for that: the students do too. Fall is the perfect time to find the club that fits best for freshmen, returned missionaries, budding salsa dancers and everyone in between.
Some students love playing sports, while others are die hard fans of the Boy Who Lived. One club has come to BYU with the goal of bringing these two unlikely groups together.
BYU Quidditch Club president Alexis Kaegi said that the club unites a lot of different kinds of people.
“You have people who barely even know about Harry Potter but are there for the athleticism,” Kaegi said. “You have people who are there just for Harry Potter.”
Each Quidditch team is made up of seven players: one seeker, one keeper, two beaters and three chasers. These team members use broomsticks, a deflated volleyball and three dodgeballs to play the game, while a neutral player represents the Snitch and runs around the field to avoid being caught by the Seeker.
Vice president Tyler Hopkin said that Quidditch is one of the most fun sports he has ever played.
“It’s a culmination of all these different sports put together, using the best parts of all of them,” Hopkin said.
Other student clubs lean more toward comedy than fantasy.
BYU’s Humor U is a stand-up comedy club that invites one and all to attend its weekly joke practice meetings. Anyone that attends can practice stand up and get feedback on material. Humor U officers sometimes invite regular participants to perform in dress rehearsals and maybe even an official Humor U show. After the show, the officers evaluate whether each guest would make a reliable cast member and extend an invitation.
Humor U cast member Michael Meehan said the process is more about growth than exclusion.
“We want to provide an opportunity for people to tell jokes and then get better at telling jokes,” Meehan said.
Humor U welcomes all students to its Tuesday practices in the Maeser Auditorium, from those who want to try stand-up comedy to those who simply prefer watching and laughing.
“If you don’t want to laugh, don’t come, ” Meehan said. “But if you do want to laugh, do come.”
For students interested in learning more about Disney and participating in Disney-themed activities, there’s a club for that too.
Brady Leavitt, vice president of the Disney History Club, said the club is a good way to unite Disney fans.
“It creates a fun environment for kids who like Disney,” Leavitt said.
Last year’s activities included a night learning how to animate Disney characters, a Haunted Mansion Halloween party and a Cinderella viewing party at the Wynnsong 12 movie theater.
The Disney History Club also accommodates those who are more interested in lightsabers and superheroes than mice and princesses.
“Since Disney owns things like Star Wars and Marvel, we’re doing a lot more with those,” Leavitt said. “We’ve seen growth. We like to cater to everyone.”
The growth has accelerated in the past year as students have heard about the club and gravitated toward it.
“There’s a club for everything, but there’s only one happiest club on campus,” Leavitt said. “If you want Disney, this is the place to come.”
BYUSA’s annual Involvapalooza event takes place in Brigham Square on Sept. 18 for students curious about the variety of on-campus clubs. Students can shop around as clubs jostle for new members, and they can check the clubs out on various social media platforms.
