As a way of chronicling the student experience at Fort Lewis College The Independent will be running a series of articles spotlighting the Registered Student Organizations on Campus. The RSOs chosen for each article are randomly generated and featured in the order they were chosen.

Students at FLC have the potential to receive the full college experience through involvement in clubs and other extracurricular activities instead of limiting themselves to strictly classroom material.

Beyond the variety of academic courses available to students, FLC offers multiple registered student organizations that explore and are put on by students, FLC staff and faculty members.

Three particular RSOs that are options for Fort Lewis students include Beta Alpha Psi Club, Economics Club, and Animas Chapter Association for Women Geoscientists Club.

Beta Alpha Psi

Beta Alpha Psi Club is an international honors organization of about 25 members that deals with accounting, finance, and management information systems, Ande Lampert, president of Beta Alpha Psi Club, said. This club welcomes students majoring in accounting who strive to expand their communication outreach and heighten their worldly experiences.

“This semester our biggest initiative is recruiting,” Lampert said. “Part of accounting is taking advantage of recruiting season for accounting firms.”

The second week of the fall semester, Beta Alpha Psi took a trip to Denver and met with five or six firms, got a tour of the office and learned more about what it’s like to pursue an accounting career, she said.

“It was really, really good talking to them and getting comfortable in front of them so that if we submit a resume for a job or internship, they know who we are, and we’re not just a total stranger,” she said.  “Just talking to them, it’s really not accounting based.”

Lampert went on to explain that getting to know the members of the firm on a personal, human level rather than a strictly business level helps familiarize students with the adult world of their potential career.

Economics Club

Along the lines of finance, Economics Club at Fort Lewis has about 15-20 members and is organized by students to help each other understand the curriculum in their economic courses, Michael Conway, president of the club, said.

“We want Econ Club to be a group of students that feel comfortable using the communication systems we’ve created to from study groups themselves, share reviews, and collaborate with other students to better understand Economics,” Conway said.

The meetings they hold discuss current events and their economic relevance, the structure of certain Econ courses, and the best ways to review for exams, he said.

Economics Club plans to invite guest speakers who graduated from FLC with an economics degree to share their experiences regarding the shift from college student to business person and to answer any questions that students may have regarding economics in a career, Conway said.

“We hope to turn Econ Club into a club similar to Beta Alpha Psi: field trips, networking, career opportunities, and other scholastic encouragement,” he said. “Ultimately, Economics Club is changing into more of a beneficial or assistance group for all students learning Economics.”

Animas Chapter Association for Women GeoScientists

Another successful club on campus is the Animas Chapter Association for Women Geoscientists, made up of about 15 members, Allison Mastenbrook, club president, said. This club, led by Mastenbrook, looks to increase the involvement of women and girls in geoscience.

“For Earth week, our club went to Florida Mesa Elementary School to get kids excited about science,” Mastenbrook said. “This was an after-school activity that included rock smashing with our hammers, showing examples of minerals in everyday items, and a short course on the rock cycle.”

This club also includes a strong emphasis on female involvement in geology to break the stereotypes of this being a male-dominated area of study, she said. The club members invite female speakers to come talk to FLC geology students about the nuances of their jobs and professional experiences.

“Our club brings the community of women in geoscience together, including support in our studies as well as a safe space,” Mastenbrook said. “We start the discussion of the visible lack of women in geoscience and highlight the realities that we, as female scientists, may face in the workforce.”

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