Bob Jones University has dozens of student organizations. Some have been established for decades, while others started more recently. The newest BJU organization is the Photo Club, which was created by Andrew Castilla in January of this year. It aims to train beginning photographers through photographers with more experience. There are many student organizations such as the Photo Club that aim to teach specific skills to the student body.
The BJU Robotics team, consisting of four students, works to build an intelligent ground autonomous vehicle to compete in the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC). The event is held in Michigan every summer, where the team must present their robot, submit a design report, and navigate a course strewn with obstacles in the shortest amount of time.
Any majors are able to join the team, though it consists mostly of engineering majors.
Hannah Hagans, a member of the team, explains how she became interested in the robotics team, saying, “When I chose computer engineering, I wanted to build robots but had no experience, so I wanted to learn what I could with different experiences. I have learned a lot by working on this team to create a robot.”
The robotics team uses competition to show Christlike love and good sportsmanship.
The Exercise and Sport Science Association (ESSA) exists to support kinesiology and sports management majors, though any majors are able to join. This organization focuses on connecting these majors with each other and providing opportunities for networking. One major event that ESSA hosts is a career fair for jobs related to kinesiology and sports management.
It was founded by Morgan Stewart, a student who graduated in 2023 and served as the president for three years. Recently, ESSA is reorganizing leadership roles to better serve the organization and provide more networking opportunities.
Samuel Nason, the current vice president of ESSA, first found out about it through Nathan Carter, the previous co-president, and was asked to serve as communications coordinator. Now, Nason is devoted to providing meaningful opportunities for members of ESSA.
ESSA equips its members with a biblical worldview by inviting Christian professionals in the field to share their perspectives. Some of these professionals include Aaron Andrews, athletic director at Furman University, and Elise Sanders, director of ticket operations at The Greenville Drive.
The Public Policy Organization (PPO) aims to educate the student body on political matters and current events. It offers students a non-partisan view of public policy. The PPO desires its members to gain critical thinking skills to interpret the world around them and make decisions through a biblical worldview.
Noah Price, current president of the PPO, says that it teaches “not what to think, but how to think.”
The PPO hosts many events around campus, including the election watch party in November, and will host an event with the School of Communication on social media and politics on March 3, as well as an event with the Reader’s Society on book bans later in the semester.
“Politics is found in everything,” Price explained. “It can be applied to any topic and any major.”
The PPO’s primary focus this school year was the election and the direction of the USA. Though the PPO is a relatively new organization, founded in 2019, it has won BJU student organization of the year twice in five years.
More information about BJU’s student organizations can be found here.
