Three new clubs highlight majors and athletics
All photos by Senior Photographer Morgan Kiehl. Tennis Club pictured above.
This academic year, Lee University students have launched three new clubs to create more opportunities for social and academic engagement. The Tennis Club, Criminal Justice Club and Anthropology Club were created in late 2021 and are now hosting meetings to introduce themselves to the Lee community.
Karli Tilley, sophomore accounting major, and Cami Hopkins, freshman psychology and criminal justice major, met in a dorm meeting last year and immediately bonded over their shared love for tennis. Within two months, the students formed the Tennis Club.
The Tennis Club receives new applications every day, and Tilley and Hopkins are optimistic for their new venture.
“There's so much potential for a new kind of community at Lee, and for new connections,” said Tilley. “It's people that you wouldn't meet regularly in your classes, so it's really a nice crossover of majors and all other kinds of classifications.”
Tilley and Hopkins hope their new club will provide opportunities for students who are passionate about tennis. Tilley believes the club’s purpose is “creating this positive space where people can feel good about themselves and feel that it is possible to improve yourself, whether it is physically, mentally or in your tennis skills.”
The Tennis Club aims to practice twice a week to develop their skills and compete in tournaments in the future. The club is open to all students on campus. Hopkins says no matter their skill level, all students are welcome.
Tilley said the Tennis Club “is a different kind of community,” and “when you experience [community], you want other people to experience it.” The pair want to build a foundational legacy of love and support within the Tennis Club, with an emphasis on taking care of spiritual and physical health.
Follow the Tennis Club’s Instagram to stay updated and to become a part of this new community.
The founder of the Criminal Justice Club, sophomore sociology major and criminal justice minor Madilyn Voiles, started the club with the goal “to create community within [the] major.” Though Voiles only recently changed her major, her aspirations for a full college experience inspired her to start the club.
Criminal Justice Club
Voiles defined criminal justice as “studying the behavior and patterns of societies, individuals and criminals.” It is a new major at Lee, and as an incoming freshman, Voiles presented the idea of a club to sociology professor Dr. Arlie Tagayuna. After a year and a half of preparing, waiting and pursuing the club, Voiles and her classmates finally held the very first Criminal Justice Club meeting on Jan. 19.
Voiles believes her club is all about inspiring other people to consider justice career options.
“Ultimately, whatever you want to do with your life, I hope that you find joy in it, that it would be fun,” Voiles said.
The club strives for community among people with similar interests through interactive learning.
Twice a month, the club meets and presents lessons to develop an interest in criminal justice. The club will host numerous events this semester, including a female empowerment safety class, a Mad Bomber case study and a Q&A session with a former FBI agent.
Voiles is passionate about fostering community, not only among criminal justice majors but with students of any field. The club’s “come and go” meeting style is designed to be flexible for busy students. The ever-expanding club aims to provide a new and exciting way to engage with the criminal justice major and to unite people with similar interests.
Follow the Criminal Justice Club’s Instagram page for more information.
Anthropology Club
The Anthropology Club was created with a mission “to teach people about people,” according to their founder, sophomore anthropology major Taylor Lambert. Lambert is dedicated to learning and telling the world about anthropology.
Lambert describes anthropology as “the study of linguistics, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology and archeology in order to understand ourselves in past, present and future.” She believes in her field and its ability “to make people comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
The club began with the “Twilight Saga” resurgence on Netflix in 2021. Lambert said the movie helped shape her childhood, but she noticed “insensitivities” toward the Quileute Tribe when she rewatched the film.
In “Twilight,” Jacob Black’s tribe is based on the real-life Quileute Tribe. Upon noticing the “animalistic representation” of the indigenous tribe, Lambert “[wanted] to explain to people that these are real people. They have not received any royalties.”
This prompted Lambert to “bring some awareness, and do something fun.”
Lambert hosted a free viewing of the original “Twilight” movie and used the opportunity to teach her audience about the real Quileute Tribe. The night was a success, but Lambert said she felt her work was not finished.
The following week, the club organized a bake sale to raise money for the Quileute Tribe’s Move to Higher Ground Project. This effort aims to relocate the tribe from a dangerous tsunami zone.
Lambert is thrilled to share her studies with the people around her, as she believes those who are often disagreed with are simply longing to be understood. The core of the Anthropology Club is “finding the Image of God in every person.”
Lambert feels the club’s passion is “unique in academia,” and distinct within the variety of Lee clubs. She hopes people feel more understood through the Anthropology Club.
Lambert invites “anybody and everybody” to take part in learning about themselves and others by joining the Anthropology Club.
Follow the Anthropology Club’s Instagram to stay up to date on meetings and future events.
