Emerson has always been a chapter that likes to take risks, so emailing the chapter network to spotlight different Her Campus Chapters at other schools was no different. One of the schools that we decided to introduce to you is the chapter at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). The school is located in Indiana, Pennsylvania and IUP is about 10,000 students. The chapter itself was founded in 2011, and is only about 15 members, however, this doesn’t stop them from working hard to ensure that all of their members have a voice on campus.
IUP is run by two talented people, Kate and Gaby. Kate and Gaby are both senior communications media majors, and love their jobs as CCs for the IUP chapter. The rest of their executive board, includes a secretary/treasurer, head editor, events planner, and a social media coordinator. Taylor, who acts as both the chapters secretary and treasurer, is a junior english major. The chapter’s head editor, Michaela, is a junior psychology and sociology major. Chelsey, who runs the chapter’s event planning, is a sophomore, studying business management, and lastly, their social media coordinator is Alicia, who is a sophomore pre-med major.
When asked about their favorite feature article that was written, the chapter selected a piece written by one of their CCs, Gaby Bonnar. The piece is a letter about all of the things that she was able to accomplish, written to her father, who chose not to be a part of her life. This piece is incredibly powerful, and well worth the read.
Additionally, we asked about the chapter’s favorite profile that their members have written. Kate Marodi, the other CC of the chapter, wrote an article about “Candid Confidence,” which is a website that was started by IUP alumni Leah Pardee. This website is a place for women to receive advice to help them become more confident in themselves.
As we know, Her Campus is not just about the articles, it is also about the events that chapters put on! Last year, the IUP chapter was able to hold a really successful bake sale, which they set up in the HUB. The event was completed with a variety of goodies, such as cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and virtually anything else you can think of. If you missed the bake sale though, don’t worry, because IUP has a lot more exciting stuff lined up for this semester too (we know because we asked them)!
They are particularly looking forward to hosting a Halloween themed paint event in October, and partnering with other on campus organizations, such as the campus radio station, for “Radio Bingo” night. On the socially conscious side, HC IUP has even started putting baskets of pads in the restrooms on campus, so that women in need of them can use them in case of emergency. But, if you are really bummed about missing those treats, rumor has it that another bake sale might be just around the corner. They are really hoping to hold more events this semester, and to get their name out there through lots of giveaways!
With all of these great events, it’s hard to imagine which one was their favorite, but, one of the chapter’s favorite memories was from the end of last semester. They had a team bonding night in which they went out to a local ice cream shop near campus. Members were able to get to know each other and take a much needed break from the stresses of the semester.
What we really wanted to know though, is what people would have to do to get involved with IUP, since they are such a great chapter. The CCs explained that there were a ton of different ways to get involved. First, people looking to join could attend IUP Day (in the fall semester) or Winter Warm Up (in the spring semester). At these events, hundreds of organizations set up tables, and you can go and take to the members of HC IUP to get to know them more in order to join! Additionally, you can also make your way to the Crimson Connect, which is where all of IUP’s clubs are listed online. This site will also allow you to get in contact with the members of HC IUP. Finally, if you want to get involved, you can always visit the IUP social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and their HC page)!
After talking all about the chapter and IUP’s involvement on campus, we wanted to know what IUP would describe their chapter with, using 3 words. The three words that the CCs selected to describe their chapter, were: “Creative,” because they are always coming up with unique ideas; “Close-knit,” because they are such a small chapter and they all love being with each other; and “Driven,” because even though they are small, they work hard to ensure that they are always producing quality content and planning fun events for everyone on campus.
Lastly, we wanted to know what IUP wanted people to know about their chapter, to which, the CCs responded that they wanted everyone to know that their “chapter is friendly and always open to new members.” So you heard it here! If you’re an IUP student, be sure to join IUP’s chapter!
Bonus Questions:
TS: What Hogwarts house does your chapter most identify with?
CCs: Hufflepuff
TS: If your chapter could be described with one animal, what would that animal be and why?
CCs: Cheetah – Our chapter is full of feisty girls!
TS: Is your chapter more cat people or dog people?
CCs: Dog people
TS: Does your chapter identify more with beaches or lakes?
CCs: Lakes (we’re from Western Pennsylvania, we barely know what beaches are!)