by Adrian Mendoza ‘25

In my first year at USC, like many freshmen, I scrolled through the endless list of student orgs and clubs on campus and attended the involvement fair, but I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of clubs to choose from and the lack of substantial information about what each club entails. I ultimately found nothing I was interested in joining. It turns out that the best way to gain insight on clubs is to talk to people who’ve attended the meetings and paid the dues.

To ease your search for student orgs, I did precisely that for an eclectic group of clubs you may not have heard about. I’ve compiled a list of these clubs with all the information you need to make an informed decision about which clubs you should join.

Garden Club | Fridays 2 p.m.-5 p.m. @ Parkside Garden

Garden Club is the only student-run green space on campus and works to maintain the Parkside Garden. Their stated goal is to “promote community and educate on urban gardening and food justice” through their work. Gardeners at all skill levels are welcome to participate with assigned tasks such as watering, weeding, planting, and harvesting assigned by the e-board.

There is no official membership process, so weekly meetings are open to all. The garden itself is also open 24/7 to the public to visit, garden, or drop off compost. Garden Club also occasionally hosts fun events like pot painting and plant swaps.

Photo Club | Dates Vary

Photo Club is a photography club that welcomes all skill levels to learn and practice their photography. The club hosts free workshops as well as paid day trips and weekend retreats to locations such as Joshua Tree and San Diego. This makes the club ideal both for those who are passionate about photography as well as those who simply want to explore new places and make some friends.

There are no regular meetings for photo club, but there are frequent events. All events are open to members and non-members alike, but members receive a discount – meaning the more events you attend, the more you save by becoming a member. All it takes to become a member is paying a $25 semesterly due, which can be done at any time throughout the semester.

Trojan Debate Society | Tuesdays and Thursdays 7 p.m.-9 p.m. @ ASC 330

Debate Society was described by one of its members as “a family of people who want to better their argumentation and public speaking skills.” This is a fun, open club meant to increase the confidence of its members and prep them with skills they can later apply to their school work and career. Participating members travel the country, competing in debate tournaments against other top schools.

Meetings are structured with an initial lesson in debate and concluded with a practice round with all attendees. New members are welcome to attend meetings at any time to learn and participate in practices without any applications or auditions. For tournaments, the only requirement to participate is attending a certain amount of practices first.

Open Alpha | Mondays 7:45 p.m.-9 p.m.

Open Alpha is a game development club that takes a game from conception to an “open alpha” release each semester. This means members begin by brainstorming an idea for a game to create, and by the end of the semester, they bring it to a playable stage. This includes all aspects of game design and development through five teams: design, art, sound, programming, and production. At the end of the semester, the game is made available to the public on Steam.

Applications for membership open at the beginning of each semester and are open to all years, majors, and experience levels. There is a $50 semesterly due. Meetings are held weekly to update members on the progress and also offers time for members to participate in “open floors” where they are given a slot of time to present on any topic of their choice. Past open floors have included K-pop groups, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the Batfam. Once a semester, Open Alpha hosts a “game jam,” where participants (members or not) have 48 hours to create a game that fits the given prompt.

Literary Society | Dates Vary

Literary Society is an “organization to promote the literary arts while fostering a driven writing community in LA.” It began as a group of writers who would workshop their writing with one another and has grown to include many facets of literature engagement and appreciation. They also have a book review blog in the works that will be included on their website.
Applications for membership open at the beginning of each semester and membership costs $10 per semester. Those with a major or minor in English as well as other majors who are interested in literature, writing, and poetry are encouraged to apply. Membership provides access to “society activities, reading groups, workshops, coffee hours, and other professional and social events” as well as weekly job posting, writing competitions, access to a club Discord, and the ability to participate in e-board elections.

Trojan Stunt Team | Fridays 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m. @ PED 207

Trojan Stunt Team is a group of stunt performers and filmmakers of all experience levels who train throughout the semester, collaborate with the local stunt community, and create a piece of action content by the end of the semester. At the core of this team are the values of safety and education in their approach to stunt acting and filmmaking as they work together to train members and create together.

Friday meetings start off with warm-ups outside then move inside for the main lesson and practice. On Sundays, more in-depth training is offered. New members are encouraged to join at the start of the semester, but those interested in starting late can contact trojanstuntteam@gmail.com about joining. Applications are also opening soon to be a part of their fall semester action film.

Chess Club | Thursdays 7 p.m.-11 p.m. @ LVL 13

Chess Club is an entirely open and free club that hosts casual chess, competitive chess, socials, and an outreach program where they teach chess to kids. All skill levels are welcome and lectures are occasionally provided to get beginners started. Their ultimate mission is to “create a thriving chess community at USC and to spread the love of chess throughout campus.”

Chess Club hosts weekly meetings that are open to all and have no official membership process. Students can simply show up and play chess for free. In addition to their regular meetings, they also set up in the village at noon on Fridays and hold their outreach program every weekday 4 p.m.-6 p.m.

Remedy Through Music | Mondays and Thursdays 8 p.m.-9 p.m. THH

RTHM is a musical outreach club that performs for people in need from the local community at venues such as hospitals, retirement homes, and family centers. The club’s mission is “healing the community, one song at a time.”
Each meeting starts with event planning and coordination, then they typically have a music-related activity for team building. Most new members join at the start of the semester but those who are interested can request to join through an application on their website, paying a $25 due, and attending a meeting.

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Getting Involved at USC: A Survey of Clubs You Should Join