If you are interested in zombies, stand-up comedy, riding horses or protesting war, then there is a club on campus that caters to you.

More than 200 Associated Students (AS) clubs offer students a wide range of opportunities, which include common organizations, such as Western Democrats, and less familiar ones, such as the Western Students Against Zombies club.

(Please see the feature article on page 12 for more information about the zombie club.)

Students also can participate in more than 20 sports clubs, including water polo, cycling and judo. Sports clubs help foster healthy competition and social interaction between students with similar athletic interests.

All of these campus clubs help students develop academically, physically and socially. Club memberships can bolster resumes, friendships and maybe even biceps.

For example, the AS club Students for Renewable Energy educates students on environment-friendly technologies and energy conservation. Its members have also worked with the university to pass the green energy fee, which was approved in June 2005.

Students for Renewable Energy is just one of the many clubs encouraging students to come together for a common interest and help make a change in the university and community.

Joining a club with a purpose helps broaden students' horizons. The phrase, "member of a club that helped pass green energy fee for the university" doesn't look too bad on a resume either.

Recreational clubs don't focus on education as much, but still encourage members to learn and meet new people.

The Step to This AS club gives its members the opportunity to step dance and learn more about the culture of step dancing.

Joining a club cultivates leadership, social interaction and self-improvement overall.

Sports clubs offer a competitive and social atmosphere for all students, regardless of athletic ability.

Intercollegiate sports, on the other hand, are often too competitive for most students to participate in them.

Some clubs offer sports that Western doesn't in its intercollegiate athletics, such as baseball and lacrosse.

These two clubs are competitive in their divisions and give team members an opportunity to continue playing sports they might have played in high school.

The perks of joining clubs are plentiful, aside from bolstering resumes and learning.

Having experience in a club can help students acquire on-campus jobs and provide a base of networking with other like-minded people in the university.

When a club is formed, the AS gives it $50, as long as its starting members ensure they're going to use it for legitimate reasons.

If one of the clubs that already exist isn't appealing to you, it only takes five interested members and less than 30 minutes to fill out necessary forms to start the process.

The $50 start-up money and operation costs associated with campus clubs comes from tuition and fees.

So, at the very least, you may as well join a club to get your money's worth.

Every type of club, from the Harry Potter Club to the fencing club, is an opportunity to acquire skills you can't quite gain sitting in a classroom.

Please refer to the AS's club Web site and the sports club's site for more information.

The editorial board is comprised of Editor-in-Chief Jessica Harbert, Managing Editor Taylor Scaggs, Opinion Editor Amy Harder, advertising representative Kim Higginbotham and student-at-large Western senior Zach Frazier.

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