Brianna Wallen – Contributor
With a new season comes new beginnings. For the university’s history club, this calls for the possibility of a new e-board.
On Wednesday, Sept. 20, an election was held in Engleman Hall for members to vote to elect members for various positions.
As each candidate, running for positions ranging from secretary to president, voiced their goals in their speeches, one common trend that emerged was an ardent desire for members to enjoy themselves.
“I want to do everything I can to make sure everyone has fun here,” said a history major Jack Abbot, a sophomore.
Abbot, the club’s current treasurer, is running for vice president. He said that he hopes that his past efforts of creating the club’s Instagram page and budgeting for their trip to New York last year, make him be viewed as a promising candidate by his peers.
Along with the candidates’ desire to make the club an entertaining environment for students, each candidate has their own admiration for history.
History education major Tyler Wetmore, a junior, joined the club in Fall 2022 and became the president this semester. He said that he hopes to continue carrying out his position in office following this election. Wetmore reminded his audience that his initial reason for joining the club was his perspective on history.
“I just really love the beauty that is history,” Wetmore said. “History is what you make of it. I think that history is for everyone, you just have to find what you’re into. Everyone can understand history because they lived it and are currently living in it.”
Including learning about history, the club’s initiatives have created meaningful experiences for its members to participate in. In the past year, they planned trips to New York to view historical artifacts and learn about history firsthand.
Journalism major Avery Martin, a sophomore, said that the trip to Ellis Island meant a lot to her, as it allowed her to create a deep connection with her family lineage.
“I went exactly 98 years after my great- grandmother was there,” Martin, the club’s secretary and social media manager since January, said.
Martin noted that due to her own experience and connection to the club, she wants to ensure that everyone feels included and has a place that they belong.
“When I was a freshman and lived here, on campus, and I didn’t have many friends. I joined the club and met people that have similar interests,” said Martin. “It has been great for me.”
The e-board’s efforts to run a club that breeds friendships have been shown successful through the experiences of members. History education major Justine Dobbin, a sophomore, said that through the club she has developed many friendships and connections.
With the club becoming her social outlet, Martin said it has become: “a reliable thing to look forward to every week. I look forward to trips, movie nights, and getting to hang out with friends.”
As each of the 20 members vote anonymously this week to elect or re-elect candidates, the e-board waits patiently for results to be received. However, after each campaign speech, it can be concluded that each candidate exhibited a fervent passion for history and the club that can not be contained.
“I’m definitely looking forward to what me and e-board can come up to in the future. I want to leave a legacy behind for this club and keep the ball rolling,” said Wetmore.
