Clubs and Organizations

Student Organizations

Note: The following clubs and organizations have received official Student Senate recognition, but may not be currently active.  Contact the person or department listed for more information about any specific group, or the Student Senate Office, 683-7211.

Ambassadors: The Ambassadors club provides students with a unique opportunity to promote Western through college fairs, correspondence, phoning, campus tours, Dawg Days Campus Visitation programs, and high school visits.  The club also sponsors a variety of campus activities.  Contact Kathey Hupp 683-7283

Archery Club: Nationally ranked among the 45 colleges and universities that compete nationwide, this club offers lessons in leadership skills as well as competition.  Open to men and women, the club competes in two national tournaments each year.  Contact Mike Morrow 683-7254

Art Club: Provides an opportunity for students to further their art interest both socially and academically.  Contact Randy Horst, 683-7232.

Business Club: Comprised of students interested in business.  Club objectives are social, as well as to provide an opportunity to learn leadership skills and develop future busness relationships.  Contact Shauna Basile, 683-7401.

Catholic Campus Ministry: An outreach of the Catholic Church, this group sponsors various social activities throughout the year, which all students are encouraged to attend. Watch for advertising.  Meets every Tuesday, at 7:00 p.m., in the Fireside room.  Contact Denise Rust, 683-7542.

Red Storm Dance Team: Supports the athletic teams at competitions throughout the fall and winter seasons.  Tryouts are usually held in the fall for each season.  Watch for tryout signs.  Contact Mark Durham 683-7509.

Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship: Holds weekly worship services, Bible studies, social activities, seasonal retreats, and service projects on campus.  Contact Nate Lant, 683-7771.

Equestrian Club: Founded in the Fall of 2001, the team competes under the auspices, rules and regulations of the intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), a recognized member of the USA Equestrian Federation.  Members may have experience in the sport, or may be beginning horse enthusiasts.  Participants may ride Western or English, and owning a horse is not required.  The IHSA's competitions are affordable because individual colleges/universities host each event and provide the horses.  This is not the only unique aspect of IHSA competitions, however.  Riders are not allowed to use their own horses, and personal tack and schooling/warm ups are not permitted.  For further information about the Equestrian Team and IHSA horse shows, contact faculty advisor Dr. John Xanthopoulous, 683-7018.

Gargoyles/Drama Club: Promote dramatic activity and familiarize members with the different phases of dramatic production.  Membership is open to all students and to the public, regardless of drama experience.  Activities in the recent past have included acting workshops, trips to New York City, and fundraising.  Recipient of the 2003-2004 Most Improved Club Award.  Contact Larry Brazil 683-7038

Native American Club: Provides a gathering place for Western's American Indian students to share experiences, give each other support, and eat good munchies!  The club is an equal opportunity club, and everyone is welcome to attend meetings and help with activities.  Contact Dr. Michael Francisconi, 683-7328.

Industrial Technology Club: Available to all students interested in the fields of Industrial Technology, Industrial Arts, and Vocational Education.  The primary focus is to offer the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of technology and vocation forums, as well as social activities.  Contact Dr. Gary Frey, 683-7191.

Kappa Delta Pi: An international honor society in education, this club promotes excellence in and recognizes outstanding contributions to education, encourages professional growth, and honors achievement in educational work.  Contact Mike Schulz, 683-7492.

Lambda Alliance: Lambda is for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students, faculty, staff, and community members.  The club is also open to straight supporters.  Activities have included a movie series, guest speakers, and concerts.  Contact Dr. Gary Lundy, 683-7307.

Music Club: The Music Club is open to all students interested in promoting musical activity on campus and in the community.  Members attend music education conventions and workshops, present recitals, and participate in several other musical events throughout the year.  Contact Dr. Jeri Bonnin, 683-7046.

Polynesian Club: The purpose of the club is to promote awareness and understanding of Polynesian culture, specifically, music, dance, and drumming.  Open to all members of the campus.  Contact Dr. Judy Ulrich, 683-7422.
Rodeo Club: Provides support for the Western Rodeo teams and hosts several functions each year, including the Fall Horse Sale, Heritage Days, and helps with the Rodeo Team's Community Appreciation Banquet.  Contact Ms. Iola Else, 683-7539.

Terra Verde: Terra Verde is the official student organization of the Department of Environmental Sciences at The University of Montana-Western.  As such, the organization's primary mission is to provide an outlet for students at UMW who are interested in the natural world.  The club participates in volunteer work with local agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service in order to provide student's with field experiences in the environmental sciences during their academic tenure at UMW.  In addition, the club sponsors educational field trips to local natural treasures such as Yellowstone National Park, Craters of the Moon, and Glacier National Park.  Contact Dr. Rob Thomas, 683-7615.

Embracing Diversity: Embracing Diversity is dedicated to increasing tolerance (respectful behavior and attitudes) for the diversity among us.  We engage the campus and community in activities that promote understanding and tolerance through speakers, lessons in the elementary school, and participation in the week of the young child.  Contact Dr. Delena Norris-Tull 683-7043

Twisted Ink Club: To draw interest to the English department of UM-Western, we expanded on the old English poetry club, IGNU.  Twisted Ink, (as we have chosen to rename the club), intends to promote creative writing amongst not only English majors and minors, but also those who have a love of writing.  We publish a webzine two to three times a year, in which Western students can showcase their literary talents.  Club members will be able to improve on and/or gain editorial skills in the process of editing and publishing manuscripts.  Contact Dr. Diana Francis, 683-7102.
UMW Education Club at Tech:  The UMW Ed Club at Tech is an outreach program for education students at the Montana Tech in Butte.  Through this club education students can interact with other education students and network, as well as build contacts for the future.  Contact Kathy Shipman
Montana Western College Democrats:  The College Democrats pledge to support the candidates and philosophy of the Democratic Party and declares its intention to support all efforts to increase the participation of college students in Democratic affairs.  Contact Richard Turner.
Montana Western College Republicans:  Montana Western College Republicans make known and promote the principles of the Republican Party among the campus and community, aid in the election of Republican candidates at all levels of governments and develop political skills and leadership abilities among Republican students as preparation for future service by them to the party and community.  Contact Brooke Erb 683-7211.
Biology Club:  The Biology Club is open to all students and non-students wha are interested in biological sciences and how they relate to the world today.  Club activities include organizing the campus-wide Spring Reasearch Symposium, helping k-12 students with science projects, and judging science fairs.  The purpose of the club is to educate the campus and the Dillon community on biological issues, as well as to emphasize biological research that is taking place at UMW.  Contact Dr. Mike Morrow 683-7254.
Draft Horse Driving Club:  The Draft Horse Driving Club's purpose is to promote draft horse driving as an organized and standard sport.  They would like to generate interest, understanding, appreciation, and vigilance over the Western way of life, culture and Western Affairs.  They encourage the humane treatment of animals and would like to encourage students and community members to embrace activities of the west.  Contact Margaret Hebel.
Western Gaming Aliance:  The purpose of this organization is to offer studnets of UMW and the surrounding community a chance to come together in an informal setting to enjoy a wide variety of gaming activities.  Contact Dr. Sara Glasgow 683-7204.
Alpha Chi Honors Society:  Alpha Chi is a select, national honor society open to the top 10% of juniors and seniors who have completed at least 30 credits at Montana Western.  Invitations are extended on the basis of GPA; starting in the fall of 2008, nominations may also be made on the basis of faculty recommendation.  For more information, please contact Dr. Sara Glasgow at 683-7204.
Honors Club:  The purpose of this organization shall be to facilitate the interdisciplinary learning through the Honors Progarm at UMW.  The Honors Student Association may organize speakers, trips, lecture series, service- learning opportunities, etc. with the purpose of furthering students educational experience.

UMW Horseman's Club:  The University of Montana Western Horseman's Club strives to promote and enhance the art of horsemanship.  We seek to increase camaraderie between members of all horsemanship disciplines.  Promoting interest, understanding, appreciation, and vigilance over the Western way of life, culture and Western affairs is one of our goals.  We encourage the humane treatment of livestock while enjoying the art of horsemanship.  We will work to increase and maintain the interest of college students and community members in the art of horsemanship and other activities of the west.  We will sponsor activities that will help club members with educational and horsemanship goals.  And we seek to foster good relationships with the University of Montana Western, the college community, and the communities of Dillon and Beaverhead county.

Humans In Performance:  The purpose of HIP is to promote an appreciation of, commitment to, involvement in, and responsibility to the fields of health, physical education, recreation, and dance through involvement in club activities.