Students and professors joined together to create the Economics Club, a new organization aiming to extend economic education beyond the classroom.
Junior Mari Garza, founder and president of Economics Club, said both students and faculty have encouraged participation in the club.
“Right before this academic year, one of the [economics] professors reached out to me because he saw that there was in interest in [the subject],” she said.
Prior to the club’s formation, students were looking for ways to expand their economic education outside the classroom, Garza said.
“When I first had my [economics] class, [my professor] was looking for someone to do study sessions and review sessions for exams,” she said. “There were two or three sections of a macro[economics] course, and from that I would host these sessions and have 30 or 40 girls show up.”
Garza said the club held numerous review sessions to accommodate the many students looking to expand their knowledge and perform better in their classes.
“I [wasn’t] an official tutor,” Garza said. “I [was] just there to help people who were struggling.“
As she helped students, Garza said she realized the professor who had encouraged her to host the review sessions had been correct in sensing students' interest in having regular access to the knowledge of their peers.
“We’re providing not necessarily tutoring, but a resource for students,” Garza said.
Freshman Julia Wilson said in an email she joined the organization not only because of her professor's encouragement and an interest in the club's focus.
“My involvement has helped me academically because, by tutoring other students, I am able to better understand the material,” Wilson said.
The club's first event featured a question and answer session and a documentary screening.
The Economics Club hopes to expand its membership to students of subjects other than business and economics, Garza said. The club plans to host several events open to all students throughout April, one of which will be a review session for students preparing for the end of the semester. The others, Garza said, will include a movie and game night oriented towards the social element of the club.
After noting the growth in attendance from its review sessions, the Economics Club decided to keep the timing of its weekly Monday meetings flexible, Garza said, which allows attendees to ask for help or clarification on concepts discussed in classes.
“We’re trying to figure out ways to get more people involved,” Garza said.
Alongside being an additional academic resource for students, Wilson said the organization has given participants the opportunity to meet other people with similar interests.
“My involvement [in the club] has led me to meet new people,” she said.
