Introduction
Blount’s social organizations are divided into two categories: student organizations and clubs. Student orgs (including HOP, Mentors, and Ambassadors) are overseen by faculty and are perennial. Clubs, on the other hand, are started and run by students and may pop up or die out from year to year.
Student Organizations
Blount’s three student orgs are the House of the People (HOP), Mentors, and Ambassadors. If you’d like to view the current roster of these organizations (and who to contact with questions), you can view the directory of student org members. See below for a description of the purpose of each organization.
The Blount Ambassadors are the face of the program. These students lead tours for incoming freshmen, assist with promotional materials, and coordinate orientation in the fall.
The Blount House of the People is the student government of the Blount Student Organization (BSO). They host events, carry out DEI initiatives, and coordinate with the Alumni Fellows. Elections are held at the end of every spring semester (for all positions but first-years) and a few weeks after the start of the fall semester (for first-years).
The Blount Student Mentors are a cohort of upper-class Blount student volunteers who help facilitate all aspects of incoming Blount students’ transition to the Blount Program and undergraduate life at UA. They provide incoming students with information, support, and role modeling to ensure their successful adaptation to college life; this comes in the form of essay proofreading sessions, mentor group bonding events, and so much more. Through their relationships with incoming students, mentors help to foster a well-adjusted and cohesive living and learning community.
Clubs
The tasting menu of clubs within Blount is ever-changing; the leaders of clubs might graduate, or a group of enterprising freshmen might come up with a great idea for a new group. There are always opportunities for you to create your own club, or join an existing one. Take a minute to meet with the ghosts of clubs past, present, and future below.
Ghosts of Clubs Present
These clubs are currently in operation. The meeting times might not always be up-to-date (for the most accurate information, check out the weekly newsletter or the flyers in Tuomey), but the descriptions are.
The Japanese art of origami has often attracted the brightest minds. The Paper Crane Coalition is the outlet that Blount students have found for that very art. Come to the weekly meetings of the Paper Crane Coalition and we can teach you. We will easily fold you into our crew.
Be it crochet, needlepoint, or knitting, we as an academic family have both the need and tweed for your skills and interests. Blount Fiber Fiends formed from a desire of a variety of Blountees with a unique common interest of knitting. The BFFs have begun several initiatives, from the Tuomey Tapestry Initiative to Beanies for Blount. Not a Fiber Fiend? With the multitalented students of Blount, I am sure that you can learn. Come to the LLC lobby most Sunday evenings to learn from Murrie, Keene, and your fellow students.
The Blount Chess Club, formerly known as “Check, Please” and recently revived by some members of the cohort of 2026, is for chess enthusiasts of any skill level! Come to learn, challenge your abilities, or watch some epic chess.
Perhaps the most chill group in Blount, the VAC gathers to simply listen to music in its greatest form. Join us to study, do homework, or hang out in the presence of some epic tunes.
Do you like singing? Are you a Blountee? Then Blacapella is for you! Originally started as a freshman-only group, we are expanding to include Blountees of any year! Acapella is the art of performing music without any instruments; everything is done vocally. Think Pitch Perfect.
Ghosts of Clubs Past
Interest in Blount clubs tends to waver over the years. As such, clubs may disband from time to time. Don’t despair! This isn’t the end for the club. You can revive a former Blount club at any point during your tenure at UA.
The Blount Literary Journal is the main undergraduate journal for the Blount Scholars Program. This journal publishes everything from poetry to analytical essays. Our journal is as expansive as our students want it to be. There is a reason that this journal is entirely undergraduate led and published. If you want to learn more about the Journal, check out their own website.
The BPC is a club for anyone who wants to improve, develop, and hone their poetry. They meet biweekly to talk about everything from fundamentals to poets themselves and, most importantly, to write poetry. This club is open to anyone, no matter their prior experience.
The Blount Instruments is an organization of musicians and musically-minded students within the BSP. Their interests range from classical to jazz to pop to experimental Baroque-Electronic fusion. With various combos and groups meeting weekly, they welcome all students, from novice to advanced, who are interested in music. Blount also houses a music corner in the LLC that frequently fills the building with everything from intense Chopin and Bach to off-key holiday sing-a-longs.
An ancient tile-based game developed in Qing China. With a multitude of variants, this strategy-based game has challenged the best minds of the world. So why shouldn’t Blountees have their minds challenged as well? Roll Tile (see, we too create menial puns. What? They’re catchy) is hosted by one of the original founders of the Blount Program in the LLC. Seriously, what could make this experience any better?
The GAC is an organization that is seeking to beautify the halls of the LLC. If students are interested in creating art for display, there are ways for it to be potentially framed/hung up.
Ghosts of Clubs Future
Someone (usually Whiting) occasionally has a genius idea for a club, but no way to start it. You could be the chosen one. If you have a club you’d like to start, just come to a HOP meeting (Sundays at 7pm in the LLC) to pitch it!
A collective of film appreciators and makers.
A group of intro or experienced players of DnD (or any other tabletop role-playing game).