Editor’s note: This is third in a series of stories this semester about how to get involved in various organizations on campus.
Sign
Heather Frye has a vision: to take the gospel to the deaf community. Since the first few gatherings of a sign language group, her dream may become a reality.
“My mom and stepdad are deaf, so over the years I’ve always been involved in deaf culture. I even taught my best friend sign language,” said Frye, sophomore applied linguistics major.
“Since I’ve been [at Union], I started looking into the real need for evangelism within the deaf community. What better place than Union to get something like this started? We have people that are willing to learn.”
These thoughts prompted Frye to begin “Sign,” a sign language club that meets at 2 p.m. every Saturday in the Bowld Commons, room 247.
The purpose of Sign is to equip Union students with basic, conversational sign language.
Frye said the group is not meant to replace the sign language course Union offers but is designed for “people who have an interest but don’t have time to take the class.”
“Eventually, I hope to be able to go to West Tennessee School for the Deaf [in Jackson] and start evangelism,” Frye said. “This could mean playing charades with kids, teaching small Bible studies or taking our members to deaf meetings here in Jackson.”
Sign welcomes any student, regardless of his sign language proficiency.
At each meeting, Frye plans to review signing basics like finger-spelling and conversational, small phrases such as “My name is …”
“You don’t need to have this gigantic working knowledge of sign language to be able to have a conversation,” Frye said.
“You can know a few signs, and so many deaf people will be forgiving and happy that you are taking the time to talk to them.”
Sign is in the process of becoming an official campus organization.
For more information, contact Frye, president, heather.frye@my.uu.edu or Philip Ryan, faculty adviser, pryan@uu.edu.
Union Judo Club
As people pass the gym in the Bowld Commons, they often see Union students pinning each other down to a mat, performing self-defense techniques or throwing one another across a mat.
The Union Judo Club, which has been active since 2010, exists to promote the study and practice of classical judo and to develop nationally competitive judokas (people who practice judo).
Matthew Taw, junior chemistry and physics double major and club president, said the club also focuses on “the development of Christian judokas [by] training our bodies, helping people gain confidence and a respect for the art, while providing practical self-defense lessons.”
The Judo Club meets from 7 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday in the Bowld gym for lessons taught by instructor Mario Melendez, a professor at Union’s Germantown campus who commutes to Jackson every Tuesday for training.
“I feel like I’ve learned not only about the art of judo but about the culture from which judo comes as well,” Taw said.
“I’ve obtained some physical skill in judo because of the training we do with Mario, the visiting instructors and the older students who take the time to practice with the younger students.”
In addition to training approximately 30 students weekly, the Judo club also sends members to regional judo tournaments.
This semester, several Union students are entered in the Gateway Invitational Tournament Oct. 5 in St. Louis and the Club Judo Tournament Nov. 16 at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville Club.
On Nov. 1-2, the club will host a “Newaza Seminar,” a groundwork seminar taught by visiting judo instructors Nick Long and Pat Parker.
The seminar is open to anyone from beginner to advanced skills; it will cover ground techniques such as pins, chokes and locks.
Any student, faculty member, staff member or alumni is invited to attend Judo meetings.
Because of safety issues, Taw encourages students who are interested in learning judo to wait until the beginning of next semester to join so that they can learn the basics.
However, anyone is welcome to observe during belt testing sessions or regular meetings.
For more information, contact Taw, president, matthew.taw@my.uu.edu or Toby Brown, faculty adviser, tbrown@uu.edu.
BIOME
Whether students are interested in biology as a career or simply enjoy learning about the world around them, BIOME may be a good fit for them.
BIOME, which stands for Biology in Observation of the Master’s Earth, serves a variety of purposes on campus.
First, the club exists to “attain a greater appreciation of our Creator,” said Sarah Porter, senior zoology major and club president.
In addition, BIOME seeks to provide students with a professional environment where students and faculty with similar interests in biology can learn and grow together.
“I really enjoy being among a community of other biology lovers,” Porter said.
“Through BIOME I have learned the importance of organization, cooperation and communication skills in making events come together, and I have been challenged to improve in those areas.”
Though most BIOME members are from the biology department, the club welcomes any student with an interest in biology.
The club participates in a variety of community service events; for this year’s Campus & Community: A Day of Remembrance and Service, members of BIOME will volunteer at the West Tennessee Safari Park in Alamo.
On Oct. 18, BIOME will host a viewing of the movie “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,” a documentary about intelligent design and the scientific community. Anyone may attend, and a potluck dinner will be provided.
BIOME meets the fourth Monday of each month at 10 a.m. in White Hall, room 101.
For more information, contact Porter, president, sarah.porter@my.uu.edu or Tamara Popplewell, faculty adviser, tpopplewell@uu.edu.
