Many clubs didn’t survive the COVID-19 pandemic. In-person activities ceased, recruitment got too difficult, e-boards graduated and particularly inactive ones got derecognized.
UB’s Sociology Club was one of those derecognized clubs.
This year, a group of students decided to rekindle it.
It started when Dylan McCann interviewed Robert Adelman, his professor and chair of the UB Department of Sociology, for an assignment in his sociology class and learned that UB’s Sociology Club has been inactive for over two years.
“Once he pitched it to me, he gave my name and email to some people in the department,” McCann, a sophomore sociology major and president of the club, said. “Eventually I made an announcement in my class and got them [the e-board] on it.”
A large chain email was also sent out to criminology and sociology students.
“I think it’s great. The more interaction among students themselves and with speakers, guests, faculty, etc., the better,” Adelman said. “A community of learners always does better when there is more activity inside and outside of the classroom.”
Students in his class were eager to join, with some even signing up to be on the club’s e-board.
“I hope our club brings awareness of what kind of problems we face not only on campus but in the whole Buffalo area,” Dylan Knight, a sophomore sociology major and secretary of the club, said.
Although the Student Association (SA) has not officially approved the club, McCann says they are far into the approval process, having already written their constitution. Now they are just waiting for SA to get back to them.
The new adaption of the club will host meetings where students can discuss societal issues in the Buffalo area and listen to guest speakers. Students are also welcome to present opportunities for community service events.
“Our ideas are mainly focusing on social issues in the Buffalo-New York area and some criminal statistics,” Jamal Pugh, a junior sociology major and treasurer of the club, said. “We’re going to be talking about a variety of things. It’s perfect for anybody that wants to focus on different topic points from around Buffalo, like segregation of the Buffalo population.”
Knight says the club will also discuss housing and redlining, citing them as some of the most prominent sociological issues in Buffalo.
The club will be open to students of all majors — all opinions and expressions of thoughts are welcome. The club will incorporate more aspects of other majors than they did before the pandemic.
“It’s not supposed to be like school,” Knight said. “You’re supposed to be there to have fun and talk. It’s not just homework.”
McCann says awareness is the “greatest tool you can have” and how once people have this awareness, they can form their own opinions.
“It’d [sociology] be beneficial to learn more about if you’d like to stay here and have a career, have a home, anything like that,” Pugh said.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Jamal Pugh's name.
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Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
