Attention all Leopard puzzle-masters, photographers and car design enthusiasts: there may be a new club for you coming to campus soon.
Student Government has approved three new clubs for the fall 2022 semester: Lafayette Cubing Club, Lafayette College Photography Club and Lafayette Motorsports Team.
Lafayette College Photography Club
For Ricki Blaustein ‘25, photography has always been a source of solace.
“Growing up, I’ve been super passionate about photography,” she said. “It’s kind of been a comfort zone for me.”
She wanted to start a photography club in order to share this passion with others.
“When I came to college and I saw that they didn’t have [a photography club], I thought I should start one because if it’s comfortable to me, then it probably is to a lot of other people,” she said.
Starting in the fall 2022 semester, meetings for Photography Club will occur every other week. Members will be given the opportunity to share their work in a judgment-free zone.
“What someone sees as ‘photography-worthy’ might not be what someone else sees,” she said. “It’s in the eye of the beholder.”
The club will also launch a website where members can showcase their work. Students will not need to submit their photos to the executive board before uploading them, giving members full creative freedom.
Photography Club plans on collaborating with other clubs and sports teams to arrange for students to photograph events on campus.
“I’m hoping to get involved in sporting events and school events like Lafchella,” she said. “I want other clubs to be able to utilize [Photography Club] so that they can capture their event.”
Blaustein wants the club to encourage students to express themselves through the camera’s lens.
“I’m hoping that it helps people express their ideas and their personalities,” she said. “Being behind a camera, you’re able to find the things that go unnoticed.”
To get involved, follow @lafcolphotographyclub on Instagram and fill out the Google Form linked in their bio.
Lafayette Cubing Club (LCC)
Jared Sofair ‘25 first started envisioning the LCC during winter break.
“I dismissed [the idea] because I wasn’t sure how much interest there would be,” Sofair wrote in an email. “When I started solving my cube before my classes, some of my peers struck up a conversation about it.”
With the help of Alexis Granville ‘25, Quang Nguyen ‘25 and Lucas Lindenmuth ‘25, Sofair plans to host weekly meetings where members can come together to create and share solving methods, improve their puzzle solve times and design interesting patterns.
“We hope to make cubing as accessible as possible, so we will have various puzzles for all members to enjoy. Members are encouraged to bring their own puzzles, too!” he wrote.
Sofair plans on submitting mosaics and patterns created in the club to the Lafayette Art Gallery. Additionally, LCC will host speed-solving competitions for club members.
He hopes for the club to connect with the cubing community beyond campus, as well as introduce cubing and other puzzles to newbies.
“Our main goal is to bring together and expand the campus cubing community. We will present all aspects of cubing to show there is a spot for everyone,” he wrote. “We also want to provide members with a way to engage with cubing off of campus. We will be working with local schools and the Easton cubing community to hold friendly events similar to our weekly meetings.”
People of all skill and interest levels are invited to join the club.
“If you’ve ever been impressed by somebody solving a cube, if you’ve ever been inspired by the art created with cubes, if you’ve ever been fascinated by the mathematics behind the puzzle, you should join the LCC,” he wrote.
LCC meetings will begin during the Fall 2022 semester. Follow LCC on Instagram @laf.cubingclub to get updated on club activities.
Lafayette Motor Sports Team
The Lafayette Motorsports Team, which has been active for over a decade, will be getting remodeled next semester.
“The project, as a whole, is shifting focus away from academics,” Kevin Durfee ‘23, president of the club, wrote in an email. The team was previously affiliated with the Lafayette College Engineering Department but will now be recognized as a club.
The goal of the team is to build an electric formula style race car that competes in the FSAE’s Formula Hybrid Competition, an annual college racing event.
“In the past, this project has only been a mechanical engineering and electrical computer engineering senior design project. Only those select seniors would be working on the project. When they would graduate, a new group would come in and start from scratch, with no prior knowledge or experience on the project,” Durfee wrote.
“It became a frantic rush to just get a finished product and a passing grade. I created the motorsports team to allow this project to be refocused around a passion for motorsports and wanting to attend competition while having that sense of institutional knowledge,” he continued.
The club will be open to students in all disciplines.
Durfee describes the club as a “safe and inclusive environment and community to learn about motorsports, design, project management and the future of transportation, electric vehicles.”
To stay up to date with the Motorsports Team, follow them on Instagram @lafmotorsports and Twitter @LafMotorsport.
