Students often feel alone in college, but clubs can help – The Nevada Sagebrush

Finding a sense of belonging can be difficult for those who choose to move away for college. At the University of Nevada, Reno, students are widely encouraged to join clubs and extracurricular activities to connect with their peers. However, it’s difficult for some students to find something that speaks to them.

Isabelle Shaw, founder and president of the Crochet Club, had to create a club to see her interests on campus.

“I really like crocheting. I was hoping to join the UNR crochet club, but they didn’t have one,” Shaw said. “But one of the research assistants in my hall told me about how she started a hiking club and she suggested I start a club. So I went through the process and we have our constitution, and the club has been established since October 2023.”

Shaw met many of its current leaders through a similar interest in crochet. Addy Larson, the club’s public relations officer and Shaw’s roommate, joined the club after discovering there was a new club for what she calls her “multi-purpose hobby.”

“You can build connections and friendships around something that you find interesting to yourself and others,” Larson says. “I tend to be an introvert, but it’s easy to sit in a room with people and crochet and still have the opportunity to start a conversation.”

Shaw says that since starting the club, she feels more involved in her community.

“Being a part of clubs is super cool,” Shaw said. “I’m a part of them too, but running a club, I get to see how everything works behind the scenes.”

While students don’t have to start a club like Shaw did, she said being part of extracurricular clubs and activities has helped her, especially during her first year of college.

“I think universities encourage students to join clubs because it allows them to be more involved on campus,” Shaw said. “It especially helps with mental health because when you’re part of a community, you feel less alone. (…) I think it touches campus life a little bit more because imagine if we didn’t have clubs. I can’t imagine going to my room and studying all day.”

The Crochet Club meets every Friday in different locations and welcomes anyone interested, regardless of their knowledge of crochet.

“We try to make a lot of effort to make newcomers or people who have never crocheted before feel welcome,” Shaw said.

In the first few months since the club started, about 10 to 20 people have been showing up regularly, Larson says, though she believes the Crochet Club reaches a broader group of people than just its regular attendees.

Tatum Hanshew, Campus Life Club commissioner in the Associated Student Unions Department of Clubs and Organizations at the University of Nevada, Reno, believes that joining clubs is very important, especially for non-local students. ASUN is the university’s student governing body and oversees the funding and administration of clubs and activities.

“It’s critical for students to have a specific community that aligns with their interests, goals and career development,” Hanshew said. “Even hobby clubs can be a kind of community for these students.”

Hanshew added that she finds purpose in expressing herself through extracurricular activities.

“I’m from Las Vegas and I didn’t know anyone who was coming here,” Hanshew said. “It was hard to adjust, but joining clubs and getting involved really helped me find my place and meet people who were like me.”

Hanshew says clubs can be a way for students to find a sense of belonging and can feel like an “escape” from homesickness, even though they can take up some of a student’s already busy time.

Hanshew also believes students benefit from participating in many extracurricular clubs and activities, including the Queer Student Union and the Black Student Organization for students from the LGBTQ+ and Black communities.

The Crochet Club has upcoming events planned, including a collaboration with the University Art Club in the spring. For more information or to contact the club, you can do so via the club’s Instagram: @unrcrochetclub or the club’s email: [email protected]

For more information on social events and club suggestions on campus, ASUN can be contacted through their Instagram: @nevadaasun.

You can contact Alex Psak via email @apsak.unr.edu or on Instagram via @alexandrapsak.