Six of the 11 prospective clubs that presented to Student Government in the last two weeks were approved and will be official organizations next academic year.
The approved clubs include Bridge H2OPE, Women’s Club Basketball, Culinary Club, Lafayette’s Students for Life of America, Brain Exercise Initiative and National Alzheimer’s Buddies. Cheese Club, Maker’s Guild, Global Medical Brigade, Problem Solving Club, EDM & DJ Club and Glassmaking Club were not approved.
According to Bryan Kibet ’27, chair of the Student Government Student Organizations Committee, the rationale for each club’s approval or denial was included in its individual decision email and will not be shared publicly.
“The decisions that were made were made through objective criteria,” Kibet wrote in an email.
Abdi Kusata ‘26 and Goodness Obadofin ‘26, president and vice president of Bridge H2OPE, presented their club last Thursday and were approved on Monday.
“Bridge H2OPE Lafayette aims to provide clean drinking water to rural Ethiopia and expand its efforts nationally,” Kusata said. “The club unites students eager to support this cause, helps fund water projects and collaborates with campus groups to make a meaningful impact on global water issues.”
Kusata reported that Bridge H2OPE is working to offer internships for students to study abroad in Ethiopia, where they would assist in well-building projects firsthand.
Culinary Club, presented by Kevin Ding ‘24, was also approved.
“Our primary aim is to give students better food options and build connections between our dining services and students, especially because this has been such a controversy this year,” Ding said. “Students can use this club as a showcase to share recipes, share creativity and share our cultures through food, which is really important.”
Amanda Friedman ‘25 presented for the Brain Exercise Initiative, also known as BEI, which was approved.
“Since BEI comes from a sort of academic angle when it comes to helping the aging population complete brain games/puzzles to stave off some of the effects of memory disorders, the organization should hopefully bring a nice twist to your typical volunteering in the aging community,” Friedman wrote in an email.
Brain Exercise Initiative will also exist as a weekly volunteering program under the Landis Center for Community Engagement’s MOSAIC program. Notably, National Alzheimer’s Buddies is also a new MOSAIC program. It is unknown at this time how either club will be funded.
Friedman will be the co-program coordinator of the BEI program, along with Grace Comfort ‘25.
Students for Life of America, a national pro-life organization, was also approved. Sidney Jones ‘27, the club president, declined to comment.
Cheese Club – a proposed club dedicated to celebrating various forms of cheese – was not approved. An email from the Office of Student Involvement and Student Government communicating this result to the club’s founder and president, Gabriela Cristobal ’26, cites concerns about approving such a “food-centric” club.
“If a Cheese Club were to be approved, it could open the door to similar proposals for other food-related clubs, such as a Chocolate Club, Milk Club, or any number of culinary-focused groups,” reads the email, emphasizing how this potential domino effect could lead to a strain on resources.
“I think they don’t like giving money out for clubs just to spend on food,” Cristobal said.
Global Medical Brigade, a national organization that takes undergraduate students to developing countries to provide medical care, was not approved after a presentation from Michaela McCusker ’27.
McCusker feels that Student Government overlooked the necessity of this organization.
“Because there’s not many [Student Government members] who are pre-med, they didn’t understand the need for this club on campus,” McCusker said.
Despite the club’s rejection, McCusker plans to potentially bring Global Medical Brigade to campus through the Study Abroad office or the Landis Center for Community Engagement.
Representatives from Women’s Club Basketball, Maker’s Guild, Problem Solving Club, EDM & DJ Club, Glassmaking Club and National Alzheimer’s Buddies did not respond to requests for comment.
