142WINTER SOCIAL CLUBS The social club recruitment process consisted of men’s and women’s social clubs prepared to welcome potential new members (PNMs). Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Zach Neal noted that social clubs allowed for long-lasting friendships. “Social clubs have been a significant part of the Harding experience for decades, providing students with opportunities to enjoy a host of activities while fostering lifelong relationships and developing servant-leadership qualities,” Neal said. The social club process began within the first weeks of the semester. The initial events to introduce PNMs to social clubs were officer open house and club open house. Officer open house consisted of five officers from each social club meeting PNMs on the front lawn. Club open house was similar, but with the entirety of each club present in the Ganus Athletic Center. Following the open houses were the first and second round mixers. These took place at various times and locations on campus with the entire club and typically had a theme that PNMs dressed to accordingly. The many mixers could be overwhelming to students interested in several clubs at once. Junior Elizabeth Dillard, member of women’s social club Shantih, found the club process was difficult in the beginning. “All of the mixers at the beginning of the process can be a lot,” Dillard said. “I went to eight first rounds, and I literally worked myself into a sickness because of it. If someone doesn’t pace themselves, they can quickly get overwhelmed by new people and information. I acknowledge it is necessary to start ruling out clubs, but it can be brutal if not done in moderation.” The mixers helped PNMs narrow down which social clubs they were interested in. PNMs had to be invited to the third round mixer of a club, so after the second round mixer, the clubs would vote on who would receive invitations. While this could cause disappointment for PNMs who were not invited, third round mixers were often more exciting. Senior Nick Delapena, member of men’s social club Knights, believed that Knights’ third round mixer was always interesting. “My favorite part about the entire club process is the Knights third round mixer,” Delapena said. “It is always chaos, and you never know what to expect.” Once third round mixers concluded, both the PNMs and the social club members had to rank each other. After ranking the clubs and members, fourth round mixer invitations were distributed to those selected for each club. The final stage of the social club process was club week. Club week introduced the new members to their club through learning traditions, songs and cheers. Club week activities varied for each club, but they all united new members with old members. “Depending on the club someone joins, club week can look very different to different people, but the two I have been involved in have been some of the funniest and most heartwarming memories I have yet to make,” Dillard said. “It helped to turn a group of random girls and beaux into a close-knit community and family.” WRITTEN BY BONNIE SPANN C L U B The social club selection process returns to normal in fall 2021. Welcome to the
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