Timothy Moynihan
In Motion Staff Writer
Looking to fit in? Searching for other like-minded human beings on campus to share time and ideas with? Look no further. Daytona State College offers a vast number of extracurricular activities and events for everyone.
At last count, there are more than 60 clubs on campus, with more being added every year. Every day DSC plays host to a wide variety of student activities, both new and old, including everything from art and the sciences to religion and student government.
Mondays is a prime example. Brain Bowl practice — a statewide, annual competition pitting the brainiest students on each of the 28 state college campuses against each other — begins at 3 p.m. in the Lenholdt Student Center, building 130 room 154. It is a semester-long preparation for DSC students to do scholastic battle against the brightest representatives from other colleges in a competition of the minds. English Senior Professor Frank Gunshanan is adviser of this year’s Brain Bowl team.
But that’s just one campus option. Clubs are a gateway to meeting fellow students and working towards a vast assortment of academic goals, while also helping the College and community in many ways.
Alyssa Tedrick, Student Government Association Treasurer and a Quanta program writing fellow said, “Working in the College Writing Center, and having the opportunity to talk to students on a one-on-one level, really helped me understand the needs of the students and their awareness of campus activities. I had a drive to get more involved to help this school and everyone that uses it.”
Gay Straight Alliance member Christin Colucci said, “When I found the GSA Club I found my family, I finally felt like I found a home away from home.”
According to Jennifer Thomas, a Senior Staff Assistant in DSC’s co-curricular activities office, the two newest clubs are the Table Tennis Club and the African-American Student Union.
And, of course, there is always Student Publications, the In Motion monthly newspaper and the annual literary and arts magazine, Aeolus. Working at the school newspaper offers everything from web design and photography to cartooning and writing. All are welcome to see if they can hack it as a journalist, in whatever capacity they want, and many who have find it a great entry into the professional working world. Former Student Publications staff members are working at WESH-Channel 2 in Orlando, for the Houston Chronicle and even a glossy magazine based in Hong Kong, to name just a few.
Encounter President Bianca Baptiste said her club, “Is a place where you can encounter God for yourself, not another religion but a chance to experience God. He desires a relationship. We are open to all questions. There is a desire within every one of us for the truth, freedom and love. I have come to the realization that there is an answer and it can be found.”
Encounter is one of four Christian clubs at DSC, along with Campus Crusade for Christ, Baptist Collegiate Ministries and Intervarsity. These clubs offer prayer support, Bible study and fellowship with other Christians on campus. Club members also reach out to students who might want to know more about faith in Jesus Christ.
Mohammed Alshaer, originally of Dubai, and Donavan Morrell, who moved to Daytona Beach from Long Island, N.Y., recently formed Da’Wah. Although the club is waiting to be formally approved, the two say they expect to launch the club in the spring semester with some 25 new members. English professor Harun Thomas is advising Da’Wah, which translated means “to invite.” They say while there was a Muslim-based club years ago, they are not sure how long ago. Currently, there is a need and support to start a new organization.
The club will offer films on Islam, as well as flyers to help others understand its teachings. According to an FBI report released Nov. 19, hate crimes against Muslims spiked in the United States in 2015. Statistics show that anti-Muslim hate crimes rose from 154 in 2014 to 257 in 2015, a 67 percent rise. During the same time frame anti-Jewish hate crimes rose 9 percent, anti-black crimes went up 7.7 percent and those against transgender people were up 16 percent.
The Associated Press reports that 20 percent of last year’s hate crimes were due to religious bias and 60 percent based on race/ethnicity/ancestry bias. The FBI was given a mandate by Congress in 1990 — the Hate Crimes Statistics Act — requiring the Attorney General to collect such data annually.
All of President-elect Donald Trump’s talk about creating a Muslim registry and banning Muslims from the United States does not frighten Alshaer and Morrell.
“Trump could be a (spiritual) test, not just for us, but also our fellow Latinos and African-Americans too. As far as fear, we have nothing like that in the Islamic community,” said Alshaer, adding, “We believe everything happens for a reason.”
To see a full list of club options available visit the DSC website and find student clubs under “Student Life,” https://www.daytonastate.edu/student_act/clubsandorganizations.html. You can also go to the Co-Curricular offices in building 130 (Lenholdt Student Center) for more information or contact Lori Lemoine at (386) 506-3486 or Jennifer Thomas at (386) 506-3131.
- Staff contributed to this report