Pierce College displays student enagagement and school spirit for two days

Each semester, Associated Student Organization (ASO) hosts Club Rush, an event that provides a space for groups on campus to recruit new members and make connections. The event took place Wednesday and Thursday on the Mall from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

ASO President Efren Lopez said clubs are essential to the Pierce community and it strengthens student engagement.

“Seeing the students be motivated enough to create diverse clubs just makes this campus more unique, special and stronger,” Lopez said.

Some of the clubs seeking recruitment were the Student Business Entrepreneurs and Investors Group, Love is for Everyone (L.I.F.E.) and Young Americans for Liberty.

First-year student and volleyball player Steven Bulgrind said Club Rush serves as a catalyst to form strong and potentially lifelong bonds.

“This event is a great way to socialize and meet new people,” Blugrind said. “Sometimes I feel meeting new people can be more important than success.”

Ambrose Ngo, the president of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor

Society (PTK), said the club looks good for students applying to universities. “You get unlimited scholarship opportunities as well as automatic transcript recognition,” Ngo said. “You can get a lifetime membership which means you can get scholarship opportunities for your undergraduate, doctorate and master’s endeavors.”

Joey Glasser, the vice president of the Young Americans for Liberty said that people should try to see another person’s political perspective.

“We go out and promote all forms of liberty,” Glasser said. “Regarding this climate, I don’t think people should be so polarized. We should try understanding each other and reach a level ground. If we don’t, we won't make any progress.”

ASO Club Council President Kosar Afsari said the next Club Rush will be hosted in fall.

“You’re here to learn, but you also come to college to really just celebrate with people, and how you do that is by really just engaging, talking to them, seeing what interests them and working together as friends, as peers, to grow and have fun.

“Honestly, this is why we have Club Rush. We want students to come here, join a group of people with similar interests and enjoy themselves,” Lopez said.

Aguilar-Rosil said she is most looking forward to the student club debates, which she will moderate this semester.

Tahmineh Dehbozorgi, a

YAL statewide chair, said the intercollegiate club event is about students realizing their political agency and living into their civic responsibility.

“It doesn’t matter if they’re democrat, republicans, conservatives libertarian—we want everyone to be aware what is going on in the country so they take a stance and stand up for their ideas,” Dehbozorgi said.

Dehbozorgi said Day of Politics facilitates information exchange that challenges students’ ideologies and deepens their political investment.

“First what you want to see is what the opposing side stands for so you can debate with them intellectually— not just be offended—so you can also take a stance yourself,” she said.

A lot of times, I hear the opposing side and I think maybe they’re right, maybe they have some point, and also it helps me better understand them.” One of the topics up for debate this semester is the policies surrounding gun control, Aguilar-Rosil said.

“America has the most public shootings out of any country in the world, so I think this is an issue that a lot of college students are worried about,” Aguilar-Rosil said. Dehbozorgi said the quadripartisan event encourages discussion and open mindedness.

“Even though we might not agree politically, it’s really important to come together and hear each other out,” Dehbozorgi said. “A lot of us do not agree with each other, but that’s a time where we can bring the arguments forward.” roneil.roundupnews@gmail.com