The SHE Club and the X-Club give Dixie State University students a chance to experience sisterhood and brotherhood without living the Greek life.
The SHE Club and the X-Club are advertised as respectively the only all-female and all-male DSU clubs on campus and are known as the closest thing DSU has to a sorority and a fraternity. According to KaitLynn Carnahan, a sophomore nursing major from Sansbury Park and the SHE Club president, and James Kener, a senior English major from Murray and the X-Club president, both groups are an resource for those looking to forge deep bonds of fellowship with other students and to have fun doing so.
Service projects and making friends is at the heart of the SHE Club, said Carnahan.
Carnahan said most of her friends are from the SHE Club, which brings in all types of girls. The SHE Club strives to create a “home away from home” for its members, which is what draws many of the girls into the group. It’s easier to transition to a college life by having people of the same age and gender around you, Carnahan said.
SHE stands for Sophistication, Honesty, and Elegance. These set of values inform everything that the SHE Club does, whether it be a sports event, a committee event or a party, Carnahan said.
“We try to be a positive influence on the community with the SHE values,” said Ali Cisneros, a sophomore nursing major from Port Saint Lucie, Florida, and the SHE Club vice president.
The SHE Club, however, is still not a sorority; having no Greek life on campus is still disappointing for many girls on campus, Carnahan said.
But on a positive note, unlike a sorority, “there are no big fees,” Cisneros said.
To have a full sorority rush like other schools would be good, but [the SHE Club] still has fun and makes a difference, Cisneros said.
While the SHE Club promotes itself as an all-female group, anyone can be accepted as a member regardless of gender. Similarly, the X-Club is known as an all-male club but is open to female members.
“We recently gained our first male member,” Carnahan said. “We don’t want to push anyone away. We want everyone and anyone to join.”
The SHE Club does not require an interview process; as long as the club fee is paid, anyone is welcome to show up at a SHE Club meeting.
“This is a judgment-free zone,” Cisneros said.
Like the SHE Club, the X-Club prides itself on its “proud history on the [DSU] campus of traditions, spirit and service.” It also offers a way for DSU students to grow closer together, specifically “service-minded gentlemen with a strong love for [DSU],” as the X-Club’s Orgsync page states.
Kevin Schwartz, a junior communication major from Lehi, said the X-Club helps him feel like he’s improving his life and like he’s a part of something.
“A year ago, I wasn’t super involved [in the DSU campus life],” said Weston Zimmerman, a junior accounting major from St. George. “I was struggling with depression, and I eventually found my way to student government and then the X-Club. Now I have a newfound drive to be strong…and to be involved.”
The X-Club offers many activities for its members; one of the recent events was a bring-a-date night to the haunted corn maze located at the Staheli Family Farm. The club also has many traditions, such as singing the DSU song with spirit at meetings and opportune moments, sharing stories, and performing with trash cans at DSU home football games.
Daxton Dubach, a senior communication major from South Jordan who joined the club last year said the X-Club focuses mainly on service projects to help the community.
“When I joined, no one knew [what the X-Club was], but our goal is to become more public,” Dubach said.
The X-Club caps off at 15 members per semester and requires new members to be invited for an interview by a current club member.
“The X-Club changed my whole life,” said Kener. “I found my best friend [through the club], and it led me to join student government. All of [the members] are very different...So when I look at these guys [serving together], it’s amazing.”
