A new semester is underway at Ashland University, but this semester is different compared to those of years past. 

With COVID-19 placing barriers and restricting opportunities for students, the amount of stress can become overwhelming for all sorts of Ashland Eagles, from freshmen to students who are returning upperclassmen. 

One organization that can help AU students relieve some of their stress is the Psychology Club, a group that can help students build a resume for future workforce opportunities while also offering fun activities, according to the group’s Facebook page. 

The theory behind the Psychology Club is that anyone who wants to broaden their knowledge about psychology can join, according to the student president, Brianna Jurosic, whether or not that they are a psychology major or minor.  

“In summary, the Psychology Club is an organization for anyone interested in learning more about psychology,” Jurosic said.  Jurosic was first involved in the Psychology Club as a sophomore in the 2018-19 school year as a secretary, and she moved to the position of president last year. 

The meeting schedule for the club has changed from twice a month to once a month, with each meeting having a predetermined theme.  The themed meetings will tie into some aspect of psychology, such as behavior and personality, which are divided into subcategories called dimensions. The dimensions fall under three titles. The first is cognitive, which deals with the process of what is in the brain and understanding the thinking of topics. Secondly, there is emotional, which deals with how people feel about subjects. The final dimension is behavioral, which looks at the actions of the person behind the thought.  

Some previous themed meetings have included a sensory night to help students relieve their stress and a psychology jeopardy night. For the first scheduled event of the school year, conspiracies will be the topic of discussion.

“We will most likely be discussing the psychopathology of criminal behavior and have members propose their ‘favorite’ conspiracy theories,” Jurosic said.  Criminal psychopathology is defined as the study of what is going through the mind of the criminal when committing the behavior and action that could get them in trouble, according to the imedpub.com website. 

As to what could lead a person to pick a ‘favorite’ conspiracy theory, such as the flat earth theory, they need to find sources that agree with what information they believe.

Being in an extracurricular group like the Psychology Club can provide valuable leadership opportunities and develop experiences that can be useful for graduating students when they move into the workforce.  One opportunity available is helping with planning meetings and talking to group mates on how to work with different types of people.

For one member of the Psychology Club governing board, these experiences are valuable. “I have learned to think outside of the box coming up with ideas and plans for meetings,” Brynna Leach said.  Leach is involved as the Vice President and Communications Coordinator for Psychology Club, and her roles have helped her develop a better work experience with fellow students. “I feel like carrying those roles has helped me learn how to work with different types of people,” she said. 

Taking information from these roles and other pieces of the governing board of students and advisors could help to develop a better work resume.  “I feel like this experience with the roles I am currently in will help me succeed in the work environment after I graduate in the spring,” Leach said. 

The events are free, and there are no fees necessary to join the Club.

The Ashland University branch of the Psychology Club is also part of Psi Chi, a psychology group of the National Honors Society.

As students are getting adjusted to college life with COVID, multiple challenges can present themselves over a semester. Having an extracurricular activity like the Psychology Club can help to relieve some of the built-up stress. 

Ashland University students are ready to prepare themselves for what’s ahead, and the Psychology Club is an available resource to turn to when thinking about ways to decompress.

Meetings are usually scheduled for bi-weekly on Mondays or Wednesdays, but due to the pandemic, the group will meet once a month beginning Oct. 7 at 8:30 p.m.

For more information, students can contact student president Brianna Jurosic at [email protected], Vice President Brynna Leach at [email protected], or advisor Chris Chartier at [email protected].

The group can also be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AshlandPsychologyClub/, and on Blogspot at aupsychology.blogspot.com.