By Katie Henry, Guest Writer
October 25, 2023
The Ouachita History Club was restarted in the Spring of 2023 by Dr. Hicks and Dr. Mortenson, the faculty sponsors. History students elected officers from members of Ouachita’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honors Society, who promptly got to work reviving the club. The History Club had been a part of campus before the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted club activities, and has finally come back after three long years.
The club was revived to provide students with a space to learn about history in an outside of class setting to facilitate comfortable discussion and meaningful activities. Students are encouraged to engage with each other to share their passion for history and community. The club welcomes people from all departments to become members and recognizes that not all history lovers are history majors.
The History Club sponsors several different events throughout the year that students are welcome to join. The twice-a-month meetings are a casual environment where the members gather to eat snacks, talk about history and discuss future events. These meetings are hosted every other Monday at 8 p.m. in Lile 308. The club also celebrates a wide array of holidays and hosts movie nights throughout the semester.
There are four officer positions in the club: President (Katie Henry), Vice President (Sierra Douglas), Secretary-Treasurer (Makena Munger), and Social Media Chair (Alexis Hawkins). Douglas is currently studying abroad in Lithuania, so Munger has taken over as interim Vice President, and Hannah Smith has been appointed as interim Secretary-Treasurer.
Chloe Jamora, current member, shares how the History Club has positively contributed to her time at Ouachita while she recalls the clubs recent involvement in the Purple Plaza Party during Homecoming Weekend.
“I joined the History Club because it was a good way to make friends with people who enjoy history as much as I do. The History Club has given me the opportunity to become more involved on campus,” Jamora said.
Membership has grown significantly since the Purple Plaza Party, where the club hosted a recruitment table, and the club now boasts students from several different departments around campus.
Mortenson was at first unsure if the History Club would be able to take hold on campus once again, but has since said that the club really has everything under control. The members have worked hard to make the History Club a legitimate part of campus life and are excited to see the club thrive and grow at Ouachita in the coming years.
For more information, students can follow the History Club’s Instagram account @obuhistoryclub_ or email hen72369@obu.edu.
