With over 200 clubs and organizations on Bradley University’s campus, the upcoming Cereal Club is hoping to find a special place among students and their stomachs.
From a small idea born from the aroma of coffee and early hunger pangs, Lauren Christo, President of the Cereal Club, said she hopes to establish a club that is open and casual while giving students an activity they can enjoy on Saturday mornings.
“First of all, cereal is amazing, and after being part of Coffee Club last year, I noticed that many of the members were purchasing food items from the P.O.D, so I thought, ‘why not bring food’,” Christo, a sophomore psychology major, said. “Eventually, the idea grew from there, and now I’m excited for the club to start.”
Starting a new club begins with the online student organization registration form and gathering the essential ingredients needed to complete the form. A club needs a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and a faculty advisor, along with agreeing to the policies of the university for the club to begin the process.
“Lauren came up with the idea and right away some of the positions needed were filled by friends and members of the coffee club, and I got really excited in joining the club so I became the treasurer,” junior social work major Balie Grady said.
Assistant Director of Orientation and Advisement Gregory Haines is the faculty advisor for College Democrats, Theta Chi, Transfer Student Advisory Council, Commuter Connections and now the Cereal Club.
“I was approached by Lauren and Jess with the idea of Cereal Club at the end of last academic year. I got to know both of them fairly well throughout the school year, and I know that I enjoyed working with them,” Haines said. “Advising student organizations is a side perk to my job, and this was an organization that seemed to want to have fun while actually engaging with cereal in an interesting way.”
Since the club is in the early stages, Christo said she is building a solid foundation for future meetings and events during their first meeting on Friday at the student center. So far the club has roughly 10 to 15 members and it seems more and more students are hearing about the club by word of mouth.
“On first glance, Cereal Club can seem superficial and, admittedly, it can look like it’s something nobody intends on taking seriously,” Haines said. “Knowing the leadership of this organization, I know that’s not the case. The first obstacle a new organization like Cereal Club has to overcome is establishing its validity and identity on campus. Cereal Club has a ton of potential to bring students together through intentional and well-planned activities.”
Christo plans on moving the meetings to Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon with a variety of affordable breakfast cereals for members to enjoy. Along with food and companionship, the club will have board games and club members said they are considering cartoons to watch as well.
In the future the Cereal Club anticipates holding a cereal bracket similar to that of March Madness to identify the best breakfast cereal, according to Christo. Another goal is to purchase international cereals and experience it together as a club.
“I’m honestly surprised about the interest from others about the club, originally as it was going to be the same people from the Coffee Club,” Christo said. “The club was low-key, but I’m really excited for what the semester and year will hold for us.”
