Club Sports: games for all
■The co-ed organization
gives students an athletic
outlet without the high-level
competition of the NCAA
By Jeff DeMoss
for the Emerald
From fencing to footbag and
baseball to badminton, the Oregon
Club Sports program has a recre
ational activity for just about every
one.
Club Sports is a co-ed athletic or
ganization based on student in
volvement in the planning and co
ordination of various activities.
Students organize their own teams
and events, choose their own stu
dent coaches and schedule appro
priate meeting times based on what
works best with everyone’s sched
ule.
A Club Sports activity can be a
happy medium for students who
aren’t able to approach NCAA or
other intercollegiate competition,
but still want to be recognized as
college athletes.
“We provide a program that en
ables students to feel connected to
campus by gaining recognition
through competition,” said Sandy
Vaughn, the Club Sports program
director and recreational coordina
tor. Vaughn also said that the pro
gram helps the University by pro
viding student representation in a
positive way.
Most Club Sports endeavors fit in
with students’ schedules well, re
quiring a time commitment of only
a few practice hours per week plus
competitions.
“It’s a great way to take your
mind off school after sitting in class
studying all day,” said Philip Ger
hards, a member of the ultimate
frisbee team.
Anna Greaney, who has played
on the women’s water polo team,
agrees that Club Sports can be a
welcome diversion.
“Being active in sports can help
you get through school,” Greaney
said. “It’s a healthy outlet for the
frustrations of student life.”
The wide variety of individual
and team activities within the Club
Sports program reflects the diversi
ty and far-reaching interests of the
student body. There are 36 different
activities to cater to an assortment
of interests.
The program offers activities for
varying interests including team
sports, individual and one-on-one
competitions of strength and skill,
and a wealth of outdoor-oriented
activities. Club Sports also offers
several styles of martial arts.
Any student with desire and or
ganizational ability can start a new
club. Since the program is run by
students, it functions much like a
grassroots organization; therefore,
new ideas are always encouraged
and welcomed.
Club Sports has thus far been a
successful program and is growing
every year. Vaughn gives the credit
to the students.
“Students are really the ones
who design the programs. The ad
ministration does not set the goals,”
she said. “I would like to see stu
dents get more University recogni
tion for their hard work and com
mitment to these programs.”
Establishing lasting connections
■The FIG program is offered
to incoming freshmen to help
ease their transition into a big
university
By Bennett Lacy
for the Emerald
A new year at the University has
brought with it more freshmen,
reaching the highest number in
University history. With packed
classes and more 18-year-olds than
you can shake a Frog’s Jokebook at,
Freshman Interest Groups have be
come even more popular this year.
For those unsure what a Fresh
man Interest Group is, it’s a group
of 3-4 classes that allows first-year
students to get their feet wet in
their chosen subject area. The FIG
structure typically carries a 12
credit load while simultaneously
• satisfying some general education
requirements. Participation occurs
during fall term of a student’s
fc- freshman year.
“One aspect of the program that
helps ease new college students
into the transition of attending a
large university is making sure stu
dents have familiar faces in their
classes,” freshman exercise and
movement science major Liz Hof
fard said. To accomplish this, FIGs
are organized so groups of 20 to 25
students attend their core classes
together.
{ { / think it's important
to have a good connection
to the University and I
thought I could be the one
to help students foster
those connections.
Windy Borman
junior FIG leader
“I like having most of my classes
with the same people,” Hoffard
said. “It’s easier to make friends
when you have the same classes as
them.”
The FIG experience doesn’t al
ways end with winter break. Many
students return in their following
years to become FIG leaders. As
the program has grown with the
number of freshmen attending the
University, so has the number of
inspired students who decide to
take on the role of a FIG leader.
Windy Borman, a junior double
majoring in journalism and theatre
arts, is an example of a student
who simply wants to help fresh
men make the transition into col
lege. Borman leads the FIG group
Understanding Images.
“I think it’s important to have a
good connection to the University
and I thought I could be the one to
help students foster those connec
tions,” she said.
Leaders are responsible for plan
ning weekly meetings for the stu
dents in their FIGs. At these meet
ings, the students take a break and
talk about how the week went and
vent about anything that they
might have on their minds. They
take tours of campus resources
pertaining to their interest and
break the ice with fun activities.
“I’m just fun,” Borman said, ex
pressing what she tries to include
as part of the experience for the
Turn to FIG, page 6B
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