Getting involved with the Coastal community includes joining new clubs, which are constantly growing on campus, adding onto the existing 180 active clubs.

Kathryn Hanson, sophomore at CCU, is the president of the Horticulture Club and said she is really looking forward to this year’s events.

“The Horticulture Club is essentially all about teaching students practical planting and horticultural skills,” Hanson said.

Hanson and the rest of the club plans on doing workshops on multiple topics such as propagation and soil composition, along with hands-on experience.

“We can learn together how to properly care for and maintain plants,” Hanson said.

Biology Instructor David Miller is the faculty advisor of the horticulture club at Coastal. The Horticulture Club’s first event will be painting cups for plants to sell at their fundraiser later this semester.

“There’s no other club that concentrates on the science behind plants, as well as the conservation aspect,” Emily Boling, junior secretary, said.

Boling is looking forward to painting events, charity events, planting events, and anything else that deals with plants. Her goal this year is to gain more members. Students who are interested in learning different languages, including sign language, also have an organization that can be helpful to them. Learning the manual signs and gestures and facial expressions helps to communicate to those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

“The American Sign Language Club is one that brings together a lot of people from an abundance of backgrounds,” Jada Alston, junior, said.

Alston is the president of the ASL Club and has been involved for the past two years. Alston said she enjoyed winning the Student Involvement and Leadership Award. “Our members all have different majors, life paths, and reasons to be there,” said Alston. One of Alston’s favorite things to do in the club besides teaching sign language is having open discussions about the deaf community.

“Being able to address problems facing our campus and community as a group of advocates with one collective goal,” Alston said.

Senior Treasurer Haileigh Miller certainly enjoys the ASL Club. Miller said she likes to go outside the community to parades which advocate the deaf and hard of hearing community.

“It’s very beneficial, especially being a future educator of students with disabilities,” Miller said.

Haileigh Miller said her goal for this year is to outreach the club with being on campus and in the Conway area, which she considers to be a loving and judge-free zone.

“I know we had a couple reach out to us, to teach them specific American Sign Language regarding their desired interest,” Miller said.

Students can still join organizations on campus, or create their own if they can’t find one that suits them.