Eastern Michigan University has over 16,000 students, all of whom have their own individual sense of belonging. At EMU, a wide range of clubs is offered so that every student has the chance to find their community.
The Psychology Club at EMU takes pride in three foundations: diversity, professional development and community building, the club’s President Jenna Walters and Vice President Derek Berger said.
Throughout each semester, the club holds meetings where members are encouraged to ask questions, get to know others who share the same or similar field of interest, and get a chance to hear guest speakers talk about the field of psychology.
Although there is a big focus on educating about what studying psychology has to offer, members do not need to be in the field to join. Students are encouraged to show up and ask questions or simply listen if a topic is being discussed that interests them.
The Psychology Club is very member-orientated.
“At the beginning of the semester, I always have everyone vote for which subjects they want to hear from the most, and I organize everything based off that,” Walters said.
While some clubs are often selective of who can join, EMU’s Psychology club prides itself on being open to all students, whether or not they are knowledgeable in the field of psychology or simply looking for a way to be involved in campus life.
One of the club’s most popular events was the Holiday Pride Party which was hosted in December 2022. It provided students with a safe space to relax and hang out, whether they were a part of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally.
“At the pride party we had [provided] a ton of information about [the] LGBTQ+ history, and the psychology of sexuality, and things like that,” Walters said.
Much of the club’s events focus on building connections among the members and chance for them to find a strong community to be a part of during their college experience.
Being able to provide a safe environment for people to come and relax as well as educating people in the field of psychology is what the club strives for.
One of the more prominent aspects of the club is providing those currently pursuing a psychology major or minor with the knowledge that “psychology is a major you can go into and expect to come out being more knowledgeable about jobs that would be available to you.”
The Psychology Club's unique factor is that it serves as EMU’s Psi Chi chapter.
“Psi Chi is [an] International Honors Society specifically for people who are in the psychology field or have a psychology degree,” Walters said. “They tend to have a chapter at every university; we are Eastern’s.”
While the club is free to join, joining the Psi Chi chapter requires a one-time payment of $55 and nine psychology credits.
Walters conveys that getting undergraduate students involved in clubs like Psi Chi is difficult, so combining Psi Chi with the club helps expose more undergrads to Psi Chi and broaden their ranges in the field of psychology.
One does not need to be a part of Psi Chi to join the psychology club and vice versa.
Although it is uncertain when The Psychology Club was first founded, Walters and Berger both agree that it has progressed in recent years. Due to COVID-19, many positions got switched around and lost over time, including the club’s historian. However, Walters and Berger are certain that the original founders would be proud of how the club has progressed.
“The idea surrounding psychology has changed so much since the past. It has become way more inclusive, and we have a very diverse group that attends regularly,” Berger said. “I hope the founders would be proud of how we’ve built a community and what we promote.”
Both Walters and Berger are majoring in psychology.
To stay current on EMU’s Psychology Club/Psi Chi chapter’s upcoming events and meetings, follow @emichpsychclub on Instagram.
