Whether students are into playing Uno and frisbee, dancing to K-Pop or performing in stand-up and sketch comedy- there’s a club for that.

Four new clubs were recognized by The United Student Government (USG) this past week, adding to the university’s other 50 student-run clubs. 

Rachel Phillips, Assistant Coordinator of Student Involvement, says the school sees a lot of unique clubs.

“I think they are fun,” Phillips said. “We see a lot of special interests that I would never think of.”

There are certain criteria to become USG recognized and to be eligible for funding.

 Alex Popichak, Parliamentarian of USG, says there are three requirements: the club must have 10 members, a written constitution and must pitch their case to the committee.

One new club that has caught a lot of attention is the Point Park Uno League, whose motto is simple: “All we do is play Uno.” 

Bryan Partika, senior journalism and political science major, is head of the club that already has nine executives and over 100 new members.

“We started this kind of two years ago in our dorm rooms,” Partika laughed. “Last year we decided, ‘Hey, let’s have a tournament!’”

Partika decided to make the club official after their last unrecognized tournament had a lot of outside interest. 

Being recognized by USG can help them schedule events, find a consistent place to play, and buy a lot of Uno cards. Partika’s hope is that the club will continue to thrive after he graduates.

“There’s a lot of freshmen in executive positions, so I hope to see it carry on,” Partika said.

Brand new to the campus, Dennis McDermott, freshman secondary education major, already started a new club – the Point Park Ultimate Frisbee Club.

“I’ve always loved it and realized we didn’t have it but other schools do, so I thought, ‘Why not here?’” McDermott said. 

In addition to their original 10 members, 40 more have signed up. The club got more interest than expected, and McDermott hopes to see the enthusiasm continue. 

Winter may put them on hold, but if the enthusiasm carries through to next year, they hope to get funding to rent an indoor space. 

McDermott hopes recognition will get more students involved.

“It will look more like it’s for everyone,” McDermott said. “Not just for people who already play.”

Students can now also get involved with stand-up or sketch comedy thanks to the Point Blank Comedy Collective. 

Sophomore cinema production major Chris Copen started the club for creatives to come together to work on comedy projects. The club has quickly gained interest.

“We started with 20 people… and now have 107 last time I counted.” Copen said. “It’s good to see.”

Copen plans to host multiple stand-up and sketch comedy nights a month, and hopes being recognized will get funding for these events and advertising.

“We’re trying to set the club up for long-term success,” Copen said. “It would be a lot of fun if even when I leave, I could come back, and it will still exist.”    

The last club to get USG recognized was Point Park University K-Pop Dance Club. Short for Korean Pop music, the club started as just a group on Facebook. 

Once enough interest populated online, it was decided that they’d try to get the group recognized on campus. Freshman theater performance and practices major Laina Stanek became a member after seeing the group on Facebook and a post inquiring about interest in a club.

“I saw the post and I said, ‘Hey, I might be interested.’” Stanek said. “I guess others probably did the same.”

Although no formal plans for the club have been set, Stanek says they plan on having an official meeting soon to decide on if they want to remain casual or to choreograph and put on performances. 

“I think it will be fun.” Stanek said. “I’m excited.”

Popichak says USG loves to see the influx of new clubs and the support they get from the campus. They encourage anyone with an idea to come to them. 

“There is no idea too big or too small.” Popichak said. “We’re here to help students find their own place on campus.”