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College of Arts & Letters California State University, Sacramento

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Clubs, Organizations & Activities

Work creatively, explore new possibilities and have fun working collaboratively with your fellow Hornets in your major or from across our range of majors and concentrations.

Clubs are an excellent networking device to get in touch with professionals in the Sacramento area. We believe in the experience beyond the classroom setting, allowing students to connect beyond school.

Student Organizations & Leadership (SO&L)

Art Department Clubs

The Art Department has a variety of clubs that students can get involved in, no matter what their focus is.

Joining an art club can help connect you to other student artists and artists in the greater Sacramento community, and is a great way to get involved in events and exhibitions and gain valuable new experiences.

Art Department Clubs

For Communication Students

The Debate Team

Practice critical thinking, research and presentational skills through competition in intercollegiate policy debate. The Debate Team competes and is a member of the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) and the National Debate Tournament (NDT) and is associated with the Northern California Forensics Association (NCFA). Contact the Director of Debate, Jared Anderson, for more information about the team.

Epsilon Phi

The CSUS chapter of the Lambda Pi Eta National Communication Studies Honor Society is the official communication studies honor society of the National Communication Association (NCA). Lambda Pi Eta has nearly 300 active chapters at colleges and universities worldwide. Minimum GPA and other requirements apply. Contact Faculty Advisor Elizabeth Earle, or reach out through Facebook, or on Twitter at @LambdaPiEtaCSUS

The State Hornet

The student-run newspaper at California State University, Sacramento has been the independent voice of Sac State since 1949. Faculty adviser Stu VanAirsdale can be reached at (916) 278-6065.

Apply To Join Hornet Staff

CSUS Society of Professional Journalists

The Society of Professional Journalists is a century-old organization that works to improve journalism through on-going training and networking, offering programs, conferences, and panels nationwide. Get involved via the SPJCSUS chapter website, connect with the SPJCSUS chapter Facebook page, follow the club on Twitter @SPJ_CSUS. Meetings are Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m.

National Organizations:

For Design Students

GRIDS: Graphic Resource Information Design Society

GRIDS is a community of CSUS design students eager to supplement, support, and strengthen their design education through networking, events, and shared resources among other design students and industry professionals. Learn more via the GRIDS Facebook page or the @grids_sacstate Instagram account.

GRIDS meets 6 p.m. every other Tuesday and Wednesday (alternating) in Kadema Hall Room 166. Dues and minimum GPA requirements apply.

PRINTS: Professional Interior Design Students Club

PRINTS is the student organization on the CSU, Sacramento campus serving students in its Interior Design program, and is made up of Interior Design students with concentrations in Interior Architecture and Marketing. Email csus.intd.prints@gmail.com or follow the PRINTS Facebook page for more information.

PRINTS meets Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. in Mariposa 4000B. Dues and minimum GPA requirements apply.

LENS

LENS is the student organization on campus serving students in the Photography Program at Sac State.

Photography Program on Facebook

Clubs For English Students

English Club

The English Club helps students learn and improve their English skills while also promoting cultural exchange and diversity.

The club fosters a supportive and friendly environment where students can practice their English communication skills and make new friends. The club organizes various activities, such as open mic poetry and prose reading, book clubs, movie nights, tutoring, mentoring, and other events that aim to enhance the linguistic, rhetoric, and intercultural competencies of the participants.

The English Club welcomes students from all majors, levels, and backgrounds who share a common passion for the English language and culture.

Contact Us: EnglishClub@csus.edu

Sign up today at the Hornet Hub: English Club on Hornet Hub

Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society

Sigma Tau Delta is the International English Honor Society with over 700 chapters worldwide. Members are encouraged to apply for annual scholarships and publication in Sigma Tau Delta's two journals, The Rectangle and The Sigma Tau Delta Review, to take part in community service activities, and attend the annual convention for a chance to meet and network with other members. For more information and eligibility details, please visit the Sigma Tau Delta official website, or contact the Sac State chapter advisor.

Calaveras Station Literary Journal

Calaveras Station Literary Journal, published each May, provides publication opportunities for all currently enrolled students writing short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and critical analysis. Students work as editors and are involved in soliciting and evaluating submissions for possible publication. For more information, please visit the Calaveras Station website or send an email to cslj.csus@gmail.com.

For History Students

Clio Journal

The award-winning, student-run history journal has been published annually for nearly three decades by the history department and the Rho Xi chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta history honor society. Clio highlights the excellent work of our alumni to encourage such work in incoming students, fostering the academic and personal growth.

  • Call for Papers: Original Research Essays (8,500 words maximum) are due in mid-February each year. Email your entry to Aaron Cohen at cohenaj@csus.edu with the subject line: "Clio Journal Submission"
  • Peer Review: The Clio History Journal class (HIST 190/290) is offered during the Spring semester each year to review and select submissions. If you want to be involved in Clio but don't have a paper to submit, taking HIST 190/290 is an excellent way to get involved and gain invaluable experience on the editing and publishing side of the process, so keep an eye for that when it comes time to register for Spring semester classes!
  • Digital Library of Back Issues

Contact The Clio Journal

Organizations & Clubs for Historians

  • Phi Alpha Theta - Rho Xi Chapter provides outstanding history students with an opportunity to take part in various society-sponsored activities related to the field of history, participate in a variety of research opportunities, and aid in the publication proces of the History Department's annual journal, Clio.
  • Society of California Archivists: Formed in 1971, is a professional association devoted to the support and development of individuals and institutions that collect, care for, and provide access to the documentary of California heritage.
  • Capital Campus History Resources Institute conducts research projects, seeks grants, and provides project experience and job placement in public history. Contact the Department of History for more information.
  • California Council for History Education is a statewide membership organization devoted to the promotion of history education in California. Governed independently but aligned with the National Council for History Education (NCHE) CCHE was established in 2005 to advance the study and teaching of history in schools throughout California. Contact the Department of History for more information.
  • Capital Campus Oral History Program is housed in the Department of History and is also affiliated with the Center for California Studies. The Oral History Program is one of five programs in California that participates in the California State Government Oral History Program (SGOHP).

Language Clubs

Foreign Language clubs bring together students and faculty members who want to learn new languages and master the ones they already know. These clubs are for those who want to improve their language skills in a friendly and informal atmosphere.

  • French Club Socializing: potlucks, outings in northern California, cooking, movie nights, World Language Day. The club is usually headed up by the visiting French Exchange student. Visit the Club Français Facebook page. Advisor: Dr. Kevin Elstob, French Instructor
  • German Club Socializing includes pizza, potlucks, movies, planning for excursions in northern California. You may also be interested in joining the national honors society, Delta Phi Alpha. Advisor: Dr. Marjorie Wade, German Instructor
  • Italian Club Italian Movie Nights, Outings to Italian Restaurants, World Language Day Activities. Visit the Italian Club Facebook page. Advisor: Dr. Barbara Carle, carleb@csus.edu
  • Japanese Club Japanese movie nights, fundraising activities, local school visits, Japanese language tutoring, cultural events, and other social activities. Visit the Japan Club Facebook page. Advisor: Dr. Kazue Masuyama, Japanese Instructor
  • Spanish Club Visit the Club de Espanol Facebook page.
  • World Languages & Cultures Alumni Chapter was chartered to:
    • further the study of world languages and cultures
    • promote cultural activities with relation to world languages and cultures
    • assist members and others in obtaining employment and furthering their education in the field of world languages and cultures
    • establish closer contact between the University and its alumni
    • promote activities and programs beneficial to alumni and the university
    • outreach to current and future students.
    • Contact Information: World Languages & Cultures Alumni Chapter, Foreign Language Alumni Chapter

Activities for Music Majors

At the School of Music, we offer a variety of community programs and workshops, and we co-sponsor programs run by area non-profit organizations. Here's a sampling of our offerings; all events are held at the School of Music at Sacramento State.

  • Summer Music Camp Beginning in Summer 2019, the School of Music will be hosting its own week-long summer music camp for high school age students in band or choir to take their craft to the next level a safe and nurturing environment.
  • CalCap Chamber Workshop A chamber music workshop for musicians of all ages, presented each summer in two, week-long sessions, beginning in late July. Participants interact with a variety of ensembles, personnel and repertoire through intensive rehearsals, daily performances, and coaching sessions by top professional musicians from the Sacramento and Bay areas. CalCap Chamber Workshop Facebook page.
  • Golden Empire Festivals Each spring, the Capitol Section of the California Music Educators' Association runs a series of festivals at Sac State on select Saturdays. Free to the public.
  • Mandarins Academies The School of Music has a strategic partnership with the Sacramento Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps to host the Mandarins Academies on four Sundays between September and December. Youth ages 14-21 will gain experience and further their skills in brass, drums, colorguard, drum major and woodwinds. Pre-registration four all four dates is $50.
  • String Project Carefully structured group lessons in violin and cello for children in the fourth grade and up.
  • Sacramento Youth Symphony Summer Chamber Workshop runs a summer chamber music workshop for youth ages 11-19 with at least two years of experience on their primary musical instrument. This workshop runs in July in two, week-long sessions, the second week of which is hosted at Sac State.
  • Teagarden Jazz Festival Run by the Sacramento Traditionial Jazz Society in conjunction with our Jazz Studies area, this is a day-long festival is dedicated to the performance and teaching of traditional jazz. Open to the public, all-day admission $12 and includes the evening Showcase & Awards concert.
  • Winter Jazz Festival Our Jazz Studies area hosts a jazz festival open to Elementary School, Middle School, High School, and Collegiate Jazz Ensembles, Jazz Combos, Vocal Jazz Ensembles. It is a non-competitive, educational festival with clinicians who provide constructive feedback. Open to the public, all-day admission $10 and includes an evening concert.

Sacramento State Philosophy Club

Interested in philosophy? Whether you are a computer science type, struggling with the reality inside the computer, versus the reality outside of it, or an English major who harbors the sneaking suspicion that it would be nice to really have something to write about … the Philosophy Club of CSUS is just the place for you!

Meetings are held several times each semester, either on campus, or at the home of a professor or of a "friend of philosophy."

Clubs in Theatre & Dance

  • The Dramatist Society is a support and appreciation club open to all students who share a love and appreciation for the stage. The Dramatist Society strives to bring unity to the Department of Theatre & Dance through events and activities, sponsoring productions, and serving as a link between students and faculty. Meetings are help weekly in the Green Room at Shasta Hall. The meetings schedule by members during the first month of each semester. Follow our Dramatist Society Facebook page. or contact dramatist.society.csus@gmail.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter and any infornmation regarding memebership.
  • The Dance Alliance at Sac State offers students an outlet in the form of dance and self-expression through dancing, teaching, and performance on campus and in the community. The club provides dance classes to improve technique, hosts masterclasses, helps fund student attendance at dance conferences and helps expand the dance community in Sacramento. For more information, email or go to follow our Dance Alliance at Sac State Facebook page.
  • Sons / Ancestors Players is one of the oldest African American theatre groups west of the Mississippi, the first to perform at the Kennedy Center in conjunction with the American College Theatre Festival. The club represents theatre from an Afrocentric viewpoint. For information contact Dr. Amy-Rose Forbes-Erickson, or follow our Sons / Ancestors Players Facebook page.
  • Black Dance Collective is a dance organization steeped in the rich traditions of luminaries of the Black Concert Dance aesthetic. BDC provides a forum for the exploration of African-derived movement and culture within the context of American modern dance. Email us for membership infomation and check out the BDC Black Dance Collective Facebook page.