UA offers diverse clubs for a variety of interests

On a campus with more than 30,000 students, it may seem hard to get involved and make a difference.

But the UA offers more than 312 clubs and organizations to help students become active on and off campus.

The clubs available cover a wide spectrum of sports, unique hobbies, academic interests and even war games.

Imagine dressed in camouflage, crouched in a small crawl space with bullets flying over head - paintball bullets.

One of the University of Arizona's newest clubs offers an opportunity to live out combat experience without getting arrested.

The Pallas Paintball Club started in March. Founder and president Ty Young recently gave up drinking and wanted to start a club that gave students an alternative to alcohol-related events.

"It was a response to my own personal lifestyle change," Young said.

The organization currently has about 30 members but the club plans to have a major recruitment drive during the first weeks of school, he said.

"We go (paintballing) twice a month, usually on Sundays," Young said. "We rent buses or vans from UA and go to various paintball establishments."

The club does require dues of $20 per semester to cover transportation charges.

Members don't need to have their own equipment to participate. For $25, the paintball establishments will provide participants with everything needed to compete, Young added.

If a quiet night under the stars seems more appealing, the UA Astronomy Club may be the answer.

Last year's club president, Flynn Haase, an aerospace engineering graduate said the club is a great way to meet people.

"We have activities every week," Haase said. "Either we have a guest speaker from the astronomy department or, we'll watch astronomy-related movies like Space Balls or Star Wars."

Every month around the new moon, the club will have a new star party where members will take telescopes out on the UA Mall and observe the stars, Haase said.

For students who would rather be involved with campus events at ground level, then the Associated Students - the UA's student government - may be just the thing.

"(Freshmen) can be involved on a volunteer level in any part of the office," said Kelly Dalton, director of the Arizona Students Association.

Students can help out with voter registration and the UA presidential debate in the fall, said Dalton, a political science junior.

Many freshmen become senate aides, she added.

Dalton said ASUA will be having an informational meeting in the first two weeks of school to notify freshmen of available positions.

ASUA attracts a lot of freshmen who were involved in government during high school, though she is quick to point out that the organization is involved with a variety of programs on campus.

"It's just a way to get involved with campus in general," she said.

If students want to stay out of the limelight and help others on a more personal level, Camp Wildcat could be the perfect opportunity.

Camp Wildcat has been an active, non-profit organization on campus for 35 years that takes underprivileged children camping and does volunteer work at children's' hospitals and schools around Tucson.

"It's a service learning organization," said Jeremy Chambers, the club's summer chairman and an education senior. "Our members can do as much or as little as they want."

Chambers said the members do have to attend a meeting once a week to get updates on club information.

"You get a lot more out of it then you realize," Chambers said. "It's a nice built-in support group."