Clubs & Organizations
Get Involved
With more than 30 student clubs and organizations, you can be part of a lot of excitement at Manchester. The hardest part is deciding what you’re going to do! Whatever your interest, there’s probably a group that shares your passion at Manchester. And if there isn’t, consider the opportunity to start your own club.
Explore all clubs and organizations at Manchester University at Spartan Life!
Activities & Events
VIAs
VIA stands for Values, Ideas and the Arts – a series of convocations that includes speakers, performers and gifted persons from within the community. It’s an important part of Manchester’s curriculum that exposes students to cultural and intellectual enrichment. You’ll earn credits from attending VIAs.
Move-in Day
Move-In Day is a big day for all students! Everybody here wants to make your transition to be as easy as possible. Upon arrival, you’ll be gleefully greeted by students, faculty and staff here to help you find your room, unload your vehicle, and make sure all of your belongings are in the right place. Then you can begin to settle into your new home away from home!
Garver Shoe Tree
Every fall, Manchester’s newest Spartans kick off their first year with a quirky tradition — tossing a pair of shoes high into the branches of the tree outside Garver Hall. It’s a lighthearted way to say, “We’re all in this together” and leave a little piece of your first year behind.
Pro tip: Only throw shoes you don’t need — the real entertainment comes when a few freshmen suddenly realize they do need them and attempt some creative retrieval. (We won’t name names… but the squirrels might.)
Intramurals
Do you just want a chance at some fun, healthy, friendly competition? Manchester offers a wide range of intramural activities. Participate in activites such as flag football, soccer, basketball, softball, even euchre! Get together with your friends to quench your need for competition, or just go have a ball!
The Otho Winger Experience
Our professors are rock stars, literally! The Otho Winger Experience is a group of faculty and staff rock the stage in Cordier Auditorium and wow the campus with their musical talent. The entire campus comes out for this awesome musical experience. And you’ll love seeing a completely different side of some of your favorite professors.
Festival of Trees
Each holiday season, campus organizations decorate a Christmas tree for the Festival of Trees. Decorations often break the mold of typical ornaments and tinsel. Above, an entry by the Accounting and Business Club creates a whole new personality for this tree-turned-businessman.
Casino Night
What’s your game? Blackjack? Texas Hold ’em? Roulette? Put on your poker face for the annual Casino Night. It’s a risk-free evening of gaming and prizes, and everyone goes home a winner!
May Day Weekend
As the end of the school year approaches, May Day Weekend is the biggest event of the year and a great way to unwind and have a bit of fun! Join a team for the trike race, rock out in the Airband competition, or dive in head first into the mud volleyball tournament. Or be a spectator and cheer on your friends. You won’t want to miss meeting up with everyone at the bonfire.
Mud Volleyball
It’s an MU tradition – the annual mud volleyball tournament during May Day weekend. Get a team together with your buds and enjoy some muddy competition! Don’t enjoy mud? Many students come just to watch this hilarious event.
Senior-Year | First-Year Toast
This MU tradition bookmarks the student experience as incoming freshmen are greeted by the Presidential Toast along with senior students completing their undergraduate degree. Classmates clink their glasses and are offered the opportunity to give their own inspiring toast to their classmates.
Theatre at Manchester
Step into the spotlight with Manchester’s vibrant theatre community, where creativity and collaboration take center stage. From student-written plays to musicals and operas, there’s a role for everyone—on stage or behind the scenes.
Love Music? Keep playing and singing
Bring your Music to Manchester
Whether you’re into vocals or instruments, there’s a place for you here. Singers can audition for the A Cappella Choir, Cantabile (women’s chorus), or the select Chamber Singers. Instrumentalists can join the Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble, or even perform with the Manchester Symphony Orchestra, where students play alongside community members and professional musicians. No music major required!
Multicultural Affairs
Manchester University offers a variety of student organizations that serve as social and cultural outlets for all students. Under the auspices of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, these groups enrich student development by focusing on leadership development, cultural awareness and exchange, as well as academic success. These groups work collaboratively and individually to achieve the following:
- Solidarity and cultural understanding among individuals of differing backgrounds through various educational and recreational programs
- Promotion of experiences that culturally enrich today’s students, such
as forums, speakers, film series, and social activities - Enhancement of leadership ability and academic success of members
via attending and/or conducting forums, conferences and workshops - The dismantling of stereotypes that exist locally and abroad
Student Organizations
There are five (5) organizations that are associated with the Office of Multicultural Affairs and may be of interest to new students.
Jean Childs Young Intercultural Center
The Jean Childs Young Intercultural Center is a welcoming space for all students to study, connect, and engage across cultures. Named after Jean Childs Young ’54—civil rights activist and the University’s first Black May Day queen—the center honors her legacy of leadership, equity, and inclusion.