By Sarah Hendrix | Staff Writer

Going to college can be daunting with endless projects and exams to write throughout the semester. To help lift the weight and provide an avenue to meet new people, there are a variety of clubs at KCC that provide opportunities for students to get involved. The clubs appeal to many interests ranging from environmental issues to math contests. Some of the clubs have weekly or bi-weekly meetings and other clubs gather a few times each semester.

1. The Civics Club
Where: ʻIliahi 123C
When: The third Thursday of every month from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Contact: Jacquelyn Chappel at jchappel@hawaii.edu

The Civics Club is a new this year. Jacquelyn Chappel and Krista Hiser founded the club in response to President Donald Trump’s election last year to familiarize students with the levels of power in government and to show them that their vote counts and their voice matters in politics. This year the Civics Club has had events to start a letter writing campaign in response to the Las Vegas shooting and has hosted former Representative Gary Hooser, who is a politician and the former State Senate Majority Leader representing Kauaʻi and Niʻihau, to speak on environmental issues and civic engagement. In the future the club plans to hold more events about immigration, Hawaiian sovereignty and environmental issues like ocean pollution.

2. The Ecology Club
Where: Kokiʻo 202
When: Every other Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Contact: Katie Gipson at katiesg@hawaii.edu

The Ecology Club is comprised of both KCC and UH Manoā students who are passionate about the environment. Each semester the Ecology Club teams up with local organizations with the purpose of dedicating time to protect and restore the natural environment as well as native Hawaiian cultural sites. Some of the events the Ecology Club has participated in are working in lois (taro patches), transplanting endemic and indigenous plants, invasive species removal, and restoring endemic bird habitats. Currently the main focus of this club is on its semesterly trip to Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. While in Hilo the Ecology Club will be out-planting (to move a plant from a nursery to an outside area) and transplanting endemic plants.

3. The Math Club
Where: Kalia 104
When: Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Contact: Austin Anderson at austina@hawaii.edu

The Math Club is open to all KCC and UH students, faculty and staff. It presents an opportunity for students to compete in math contests, receive help in math or just hang out with other like-minded people who enjoy math. Along with weekly meetings the Math Club has online contests every week for group members to participate in. This semester the Math Club has plans to host a pizza party along with a Game Theory and Math Bowl but the date for the event has not been decided.

4. Kapiʻolani Association of Research in Microbiology
Where: Lē‘ahi Hospital room 312
When: Friday at 3 p.m.
Contact: Quinne Uchida at qauchida@hawaii.edu

KARM is led by three faculty members: Dr. John Berestecky, Dr. Matthew Tuthill and Dr. Alan Garcia. KARM is comprised of UH Mānoa and KCC students enrolled in biology, microbiology, cell and molecular biology and biochemistry. A project that KARM is working on is the production of monoclonal antibodies and the analysis of Campylobacter jejuni (which is the number one cause of bacterial gastroenteritis). KARM meets weekly to work on these products and do research for future projects.

5. Korean Culture Club
When: Three events each semester
Contact: Jason Sung at kor808cc@gmail.com

The Korean Culture Club started last semester at KCC and aims to be a platform where students of all nationalities can come together to share and promote their interests in Korean culture. This club has three events each semester and all announcements are sent out by email. The Korean Culture Club held its first event this semester at the Korean restaurant Sorabol in Honolulu. This event had around 30 students attending who enjoyed Korean food together and sang Korean karaoke. The Korean Culture Club plans to hold one more event this semester that has not yet been decided.

6. The Physics Club
Where: Lama library 207A
When: Every other Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The next meeting will be on November 15, 2017.
Contact: Yuma Yamamoto at yuma2@hawaii.edu

The Physics Club aims to provide a place where students can study and learn more about physics. The club has plans to invite guest speakers to talk on modern physics topics like quantum mechanics and gravitational waves. The club tries to tackle more taboo topics in the world of physics with the hopes of understanding new concepts that could help improve humanity and change the world for better.

7. The New Media Arts Club
Where: Kapiko 202A
When: Once a month on either Tuesday or Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Contact: Allyson Villanueva at ambv42@hawaii.edu

The New Media Arts Club is exclusively for the students enrolled in the New Media Arts program, which consists of first- and second-year Animators and Interface Designers. The New Media Arts Club does outreach to the community through art, design and animation to express the importance of visual communication. This year the club is hosting an event called the New Media Arts showcase, which is an informal presentation of the work produced by the students in the program. The main event each semester is the Demo Reel and Portfolio Show. This event is for second-year students where professionals from the industry along with family and friends can see polished work produced from the New Media Arts Club.

8. Engineers for a Sustainable World Club
When: Once a month depending on the availability of members.
Contact: Christopher Blake at cjblake@hawaii.edu

The Engineers for a Sustainable World Club (ESW) is a national organization and KCC’s specific chapter was founded in 2015. Its goal is to engage Hawaiʻi student engineers and the surrounding community to design and implement projects that will create a more sustainable campus and community. This semester the ESW Club has been working on modernizing the Kokiʻo greenhouse with remote monitoring and control, improved sensors and more data storage. The ESW Club has also been working on developing sustainable surf wax from beeswax and natural oils.

9. Hoʻopili Hawaiian Club
When: Events are throughout the semester with a full schedule
Contact: Alexandra Kaupu at huihoopili@gmail.com

The Hoʻopili Hawaiian Club started at KCC in 2006 with the purpose of connecting and reconnecting students with the Hawaiian culture through Hawaiian language and traditional Hawaiian activities. This club aims to provide opportunities for students to make new friends and experience cultural activities with a group. Currently the Hoʻopili Hawaiian Club does not have any scheduled future events but the community events that the club is involved with are scheduled on the website.

There are a number of other clubs available on campus that have not been included in this list. The clubs are: Warriors Assistance League, Every Nation Campus, Anime Club, Accounting Club, Rad Tech Club, Ungraduated Cylinders Chemistry Club, ICT and EBC.