The Student Federation approved the creation of one new student organization, the Hillsdale Honky Tonk Club, and granted five funding requests from existing clubs in its meeting Oct. 10. 

The Honky Tonk Club, informally known as the line dancing club, is under the presidency of sophomore Amelia King. 

“The goal of our club is to ultimately cultivate relationships between students of all different backgrounds by bringing them together, dancing, and having fun,” King said during her club recognition request. 

King said the difference between the Hillsdale Honky Tonk Club and existing social dance clubs is that it is not focused on partner acquisition and knowledge of dance choreographies.

“It’s overall just a really fun way to take a break from school work, do something fun, and to meet new people,” King said. 

The club held its first event, the Hillsdale Honky Tonk Hoedown, Oct. 5 and nearly 50 people attended throughout the evening, according to King.

The federation also approved five funding requests from existing clubs, one of which was for the college’s pro-life club, Hillsdale College for Life. Almost half of the $3,000 requested will go toward repaying the club’s debt to the Students Activity Board, according to junior Grace Marks.

When planning for last year’s annual March for Life trip to Washington, D.C., Marks said the club attempted to make the trip cheaper for students by only having transportation via carpool. However, the club was informed by the deans that mass carpooling would be a legal liability to the college, Marks said. 

With limited time, the pro-life organization rented two buses with assistance from the Students Activity Board, which contributed $1,200.

“We would like, as a club, to not be in debt,” Marks said. 

The $1,800 left over would contribute to a 10% down payment for two buses for the 2025 March for Life trip, Marks said. 

The Women’s Holistic Health, started this semester, requested $650 to cover three events for the semester and general advertising costs.

“Our mission statement is to generate knowledge, cultivate community, and inspire action pertaining to women’s health on campus,” said senior Carly Callahan, the club’s treasurer.

The club wants to host one event per remaining month of the semester, Callahan said. Currently, the events consist of a speaker event, a collaboration with the Women’s L.I.F.T. Club, and another event to be determined. 

Beta Beta Beta, the biology honorary, requested $500 to restart its recycling project.

“We’ve had a deficit in our budget this past year,” senior Max Aylor said. “We’ve been focusing on doing other events with tri-Beta, I think this is the first year we’ve appealed to Student Fed for any money.”

The honorary has focused on speaker events and educational experiences, but the school administration requested that they resume recycling, which they have done for around five years already, according to Aylor.

Alpha Rho Tau, the art honorary, requested $300 to replace three French easels in the art building for the honorary’s usage.

“The ones that are currently in the art building are pretty old,” Marks, who also spoke on behalf of ART, said. “They’re also terribly difficult to use.”

According to Marks, French easels are necessary for plein air painting, also known as outdoor painting.

The final funding request came from the new Billiards Club, which requested $150 to buy six new pool cues. 

Four of the new pool cues would be higher quality options for everyday use, according to freshman Tommy Flud, secretary for the Billiards Club. Two of the new cues would be used specifically for prospective tournaments.

“Our intent is to have a tournament or two every semester,” Flud said. “We thought it would be smart to get two higher quality pool cues solely for tournament use because we know people in the tournament would use them correctly.” 

Junior and president of the Student Federation Jacob Beckwith said he is enthusiastic about the increase in campus clubs.

“It’s an exciting thing that we have more clubs presenting in front of Student Fed and that student fees are being disbursed more fully,” Beckwith said. “More students are getting to benefit from their student fees because more clubs are asking for funds and, by extension, putting more events on for campus.”