By Kathy Williams, Staff Writer
Clubs on campus allow students to have outlets for creativity, thinking and being involved with activities that make them passionate. St. Bonaventure University’s Psychology Club allows students who are pursuing a career in psychology or a related field to dig deeper into this area of work.
Alexa Full, a senior psychology major, is the current president of the Psychology Club.
“Our mission is to be an organization of students from all majors that are brought together by an interest in psychological topics. We promote high-quality mental health on our campus and in our community by hosting educational events and programs throughout the academic year,” said Full.
Thier focus on mental health is vital for our campus because one in four students have a diagnosable illness yet 40 percent do not seek help.
Advised by Dr. Stephanie Vogel, the Psychology Club is not just for psychology or science majors.
“Right now, there are 55 members in the Psychology Club, but only about 30 people are actively participating in the club. We are always looking for new members and we are open to all majors,” said Full.
Faith Topolski, a junior psychology major, is an active member of the Psychology Club and is their current secretary.
“I would say [Psychology Club] is a group of people who genuinely enjoy the study of psychology and everything that goes with it… It is open to anyone who appreciates what makes people tick.” said Topolski.
Another organization that goes hand in hand with the Psychology Club is Psi Chi. Psi Chi is a merit-based national honor society that is available for psychology majors and minors.
“The officeholders for Psychology Club also hold the same positions for Psi Chi. I am the President. Nicholas Sanders is our Vice President. Alexis Glaza is our Treasurer. Elaine Nunez is our SGA liaison. Taylor Winchell is our Historian. Faith Topolski is our Secretary,” said Full who became a member of Psi Chi during her junior year. Vogel is also the advisor for Psi Chi.
Members and people interested in joining are encouraged to attend meetings.
“[Meetings] are usually once or twice a month in the evening,” said Topolski.
Topics discussed at meetings vary depending on the time the semester is at and ideas provided by those in attendance.
“In the beginning of the fall semester, we will usually design a t-shirt during the first meeting to sell at Parent’s Weekend. If people are interested, we will talk about stress management and relaxation techniques closer to midterms/finals,” said Full.
Psychology Club does activities to help build relationships with fellow members and bring awareness to mental illnesses.
“We have had movie nights where we watch a popular movie that focuses on a psychological disorder. In the past, the club has attended walks for suicide awareness/prevention, and we have held a ‘make your own stress ball’ event near finals week,” said Full.
The club’s officeholders are upperclassmen, so they are looking for people to step up soon to be open to leadership roles.
“If someone would like more information about Psychology Club or would like to join, they can reach out to me! Most of our officeholders are seniors, so we need people to take our positions,” said Full.
“I would encourage everyone, regardless of year or major, to check out psych club and give themselves and the group the opportunity to offer input on events that would benefit the campus and spread the word about how cool psychology is.” said Topolski.
With how active the club is on campus, Psychology Club and its members are the unsung heroes bringing about mental health awareness to a college setting.
williakp18@bonaventure.edu
