The Wake

Sweatpants: You know them. You’ve worn them. You’ve skipped class in them while eating day-old pizza and watching bad John Cusack movies. Now there is a chance to appreciate sweatpants on a whole new level.

There is a student group whose entire purpose is to lounge around and do leisurely activities while wearing the comfortable cotton leg wear.

Their name is the Sweatpant Club.

“It’s a club about nothing,” said Mike Langland, coordinator of the Sweatpant Club. “It doesn’t really have a particular purpose.”

The group isn’t entirely about nothing. It serves a much-needed purpose for the stressed-out student seeking a break from the hectic pressures of college life. It’s a time to get away from homework and anything else school-related, Langland said.

The club tries to meet bi-weekly to do a variety of low-pressure activities. On September 24, the sweatpants-clad group members went to a Minnesota Twins game. At other times, they’ve watched movies. And in the winter they go sledding.

“It’s just a chance to have some fun,” said Langland, a junior majoring in accounting and finance. There are about 25 members in the club but Langland said there is a lot of interest in the group. He receives e-mails from interested students on a regular basis. The group is always looking for more people who enjoy the comfort of a good pair of sweatpants.

The Sweatpant Club is just one of many diversions from normal college life. But perhaps you’re looking for a group with a bigger agenda. With more than 500 student groups on campus, there should be something to fit anybody’s tastes.

Take, for instance, the Mel Brooks Club. This was a small group of students who came together to spread the humor of comedian Mel Brooks around campus.

But unlike the Sweatpant Club, the Mel Brooks Club “never really got off the ground and never went past three members,” said group member Jeremy Wilcox.

That, however, is one of the great things about student groups at the “U”: You only need three people to form a certified student group on campus. That’s right, it only takes three people to create something extraordinary.

Even The Wake is a student group and it began with only a handful of original members. Now, it has a staff of more than 40 and a circulation of 10,000 copies.

But maybe sweatpants and newspapers aren’t your thing. Maybe you’d be interested in the Anatomy Memorial Service Committee. This is a group of students who plan and carry out an annual memorial service for the cadavers used in the medical school anatomy lab. That’s right, cadavers: the dead bodies the medical students use to really learn about gross anatomy.

The Anatomy Memorial Service gives a chance for students to show their appreciation for the people who have donated their bodies through the Anatomy Bequest Program. Once a year, in a memorial service for those who have donated their bodies, students exhibit such talents as “singing, playing musical instruments, reciting poetry, dancing and engaging in whatever creative endeavors they pursue,” said former committee member, Richard Mitchell. The program is run by students currently studying gross anatomy, Mitchell said. This year’s memorial service will be held in November at the Ted Mann Concert Hall.

The choices of student groups are limitless, really.

Judging by the riots that have become an annual tradition every spring at the U of M, the Pyrotechnics Association of America may be of interest to those automobile and tree burners of the student body. According to the group’s description on the “U” student group web site, the Pyrotechnics Association aims to “provide a learning environment for fireworks,” and of course, “promoting [their] safe use.”

And for those of you who not only enjoy the legal profession but also love being a thespian, check out the Theatre of the Relatively Talentless (TORT). This is a group of law students who write and perform musical theater for the “U” Law School community. This could provide a good background for all of those young lawyers who plan on acting in the courtroom someday.

But even if you’re not interested in one of the University’s already-established 511 student groups, it’s easy to create your own. All you need to form your own group is three U of M students and $15.00 for an annual registration fee. You can register your group on the Student Activities Office website (see below). Once you’ve registered, you’ll be able to post your group’s events on the University Events Calendar and use free meeting rooms in Coffman Memorial Union and the St. Paul Student Center.

It’s up to you. Get out there, start something new and get this campus together.