A lot has changed for Hardin-Simmons University in the past 105 years that The Brand has been around. The first edition of The Brand came out on Oct.13 of 1916 and in the first article there was only one official club mentioned: the Press Club.
Other organizations, such as the Philomathian Literary Society and Student Missionary Association, existed on campus at the time. Without a doubt, our campus has always had opportunities to get involved.
Three clubs that existed early on in HSU’s history caught my attention. The three clubs were the Science, Glee and Choir Clubs. The Science Cub was more academic in focus, as its name implies. The Glee and Choir Clubs were about the same, with the difference being that the Glee Club was for men and the Choir for women.
In another article written in 1916, the Science Club was featured for creating what was called a “titan” or an iron man that was 9-feet tall and weighing 1,500 pounds that could potentially be made to perform on stage. The Glee Club was featured for performing in chapel that week.
There have been numerous changes to the clubs and social activities here on campus since then. One change is that there are more co-ed clubs with a presence on campus. Another big change in the clubs is the number of clubs there are on campus. We currently have over 20 different clubs ranging from social clubs, like Delta or Kappa Phi Omega, to clubs that serve children with cancer, like Pinky Swear PACK.
Although the original Science, Glee and Choir Clubs are no longer on the list of social activities, there are plenty of options to choose from regardless of your interest.. You could start your own club if you really wanted to, and maybe your new club will be featured in The Brand about 100 years from now.
It is interesting to see how our school has changed and grown over the years, and this trend is sure to continue.