By: Dimitri Stergiou, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, djs6962@psu.edu 

One of the most rewarding, yet underappreciated, aspects of college is club life. There are many great experiences to be had in clubs, yet many students will go through their whole college careers without knowing.  

This is why I met with Gary Miller, the senior associate director of student affairs at Penn State Brandywine, to discuss the wonderful nature of clubs. Miller has been at Brandywine since 2017, taking on a variety of responsibilities throughout his tenure, all having to do with student affairs. 

It was immediately clear that Miller is very passionate about his work.  

 “I was really involved when I was in college. I was involved with our campus activities board, Film Buff Committee, campus ministry, criminal justice club, history club…” 

 Miller clearly understands and appreciates the value of club life on campus and wants Brandywine students to as well. He further explains that college is about taking the opportunity to explore new things, meet new people and attend events that one normally would not be able or willing to attend.  

 Despite Miller’s eagerness to help, Brandywine does have one challenge with regard to club life, which is the fact Brandywine is a commuter-heavy school. To combat this, Miller explains that having on-campus events is very helpful. Events like the Student Involvement Fair help tremendously, as well as the many individual clubs holding their own events.  

 Additionally, Miller mentioned that his favorite club is, “whatever is the newest,” especially if it’s something he has never heard about. He truly loves being able to learn about something new while also helping students get their club off the ground.  

 Though our discussion pertained to club life in general, Miller explained the key factors to maintaining a long-lasting club. These factors very much hold true within the Multicultural Club.  

At its core, the Multicultural Club is about celebrating different cultures and making international students feel at home. However, after sitting down with second-year student and Vice President, Momna Asif, I learned there is even more to it.  

 Asif explained that the club’s origin dates to 2016 and was started by South Asian students. As time went on, the club branched out, including more cultures until it became what it is today.  

 The club regularly holds events pertaining to a culture, most recently being an Eid event this past spring. The best part is that since the club is funded by the school, there are no fees and events are always free! 

 When asked about the club’s goal, Asif stated that she simply wants everyone to feel at home. 

 “I know some people feel like they have no culture or maybe they don’t know their culture, so they assume this club is not for them, but that’s not true! Even if it’s something that pertains to just you, come share it with us!”  

To Asif and her fellow club members, it is not just international cultures that matter. Anything that makes you, “you,” is considered culture to them, and they would love to learn about it, as well as share their own.  

 For anyone interested in joining the Multicultural Club, meetings are held every other Friday during common hour in Vairo Library room 131J.  The next meeting is scheduled for November 22. The club is also holding a Christmas tree event on December 2.  

 For anyone who may be interested in starting their own club, contact Gary Miller via email, gmm21@psu.edu.