IU offers variety of organizations

Looking to get involved this semester? Check out these out-of-the-ordinary organizations.

EmBRAce

Senior Farihah Hossain started emBRAce last year after reading about a Chicago organization dedicated to collecting bras for women in need.

“We’re essentially giving (bras) to women who are in homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters ... A lot of them can’t afford a proper bra,” Hossain said.

She said emBRAce aims to give women not only the physical support a bra provides, but also the emotional support and confidence that comes from having a new or gently used bra.

Ab Society at IU

Ab Society at IU is a club dedicated to the toning and maintenance of abdominal muscles.

Junior Ben Miller, the club’s president and founder, said he started the club last year as sort of a joke, inspired by his gym-going fraternity brothers.

But now, about 25 male and female members later, it’s a serious club that, among other things, organizes weekly or monthly group workouts and e-newsletters with workout ideas.

Backgammon Club

Started in March, the Backgammon Club at IU meets at 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday in the William Lowe Bryan Room of the IMU to talk strategy and play the game.

Although the club is mostly composed of graduate students, president and founder Brian Rogers, a second-year optometry student, said the members would love to see more undergraduates participate. Interested students can show up to the Tuesday night meetings.

“All skill levels are welcome,” Rogers said. “And if you don’t know (how to play), we’ll teach you.”


Pizza Mania

Pizza Mania is now in its fifth year at IU, continuing to blend philanthropy with Bloomington’s love for pizza.

Founder Christina Howell, a recent graduate of the Kelley School of Business, said the club was inspired by a tradition in her Cincinnati high school.

“There are plenty more pizzas (in Bloomington) than a small town,” she said.

Pizza Mania’s annual pizza-tasting competition raises money for local food pantry Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard while seeking out Bloomington’s best pizza across various categories.

The competition allows students to give back to both local charities and local pizzerias, and also offers breadsticks.

CLASSIC ROCK CLUB

Inspired by his own Black Sabbath cover band, Atomyk Tyde founder Jeff Bainter, a recently graduated masters’ student, started the Classic Rock Club in 2010 as a way to provide classic rock cover bands at IU access to campus concert spaces at reduced cost.

Typically, venues like Dunn Meadow and Kinsey Hollow (located between Read Quad and the Wright Education building) charge students to rent, but IU clubs get access at lower rates.

Bainter said the club gives students the opportunity to get together and play music for their peers.