Trine Campus Book Club

By: Meghan Schrader

A Campus Book Club will be coming soon to Trine University.

Sophomore mechanical engineering major, Stephanie Stagemann, is in the process of beginning a book club for students of any major and reading skill. The club will meet twice a month, during the second and forth week of the month. Meetings will take place in either in the LINK, or the student lounge on the second floor of Shambaugh Hall.

“I was inspired to start the book club because I love reading, but I feel that becoming an engineer hasn’t allowed me to read like I did in the past,” Stagemann said, “This made me want to start the book club so that other students who enjoy reading, but who feel like they don’t always have time to read for fun, have an excuse to do so.”

The Book Club is open to fiction and non-fiction books. Each month, a poll will be taken in the club’s GroupMe for fiction or non-fiction, then a poll for the genre. A third vote will take place during the second group meeting to decide the specific book that will be read that month.

Currently, purchasing the books will fall onto the individual students, but other options are being explored to reduce any financial strain.

“If you absolutely cannot afford to buy a book, but want to be in the club, contact me. We can work something out,” Stagemann said. “You shouldn’t be excluded just because you can’t afford something.”

To students on the fence about joining, Stagemann states, “Come to one meeting. If you like it, then keep coming. If you don’t like it, then don’t come back. You won’t know if you don’t try.”

The club is currently planning a meeting to write their mission statement and vote on their execu-tive board, but they are open to anyone joining at any time. Upon joining, students will receive an introductory email about the club and the first meeting date and time. Stagemann is hoping to begin reading the first book in April.

“We are open to every person in every major, you don’t have to be able to read quickly or even hold discussion about the books,” Stagemann said, “The point of this club is to make friends across majors by coming together to do something we all enjoy and do on our own, only now we can do it with other people.”

To get involved or learn more, students can contact Stephanie Stagemann, or speak with the club’s faculty advisor, Dr. Sarah Franzen.