Student Groups

Join one of these student groups who engage and support the Northwestern community with the topics discussed in The Night Watchman.

A&O Productions

A&O Productions has provided Northwestern University undergraduates with top-notch large-scale programming since its inception in 1969. Interested in booking concerts or speakers, producing shows, screening films on a 35mm projector, promoting events across campus, working in the entertainment industry, or just want to be backstage? A&O is the group for you!
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Academy of Music and Arts for Special Education

Academy of Music and Art for Special Education (AMASE) is a student organization that provides individuals with disabilities with music and art lessons. Every Saturday, Northwestern student volunteers meet with students from the local community on Evanston campus for individual music lessons and group arts and crafts activities. We work with children as young as 3 years of age to people who are in their early twenties. Through our partnership with other non-profit organizations in Evanston, such as Our Place and Transition House, we also organize weekly Community Music Choir on a weekday for other community members with or without disabilities to sing together. At the end of each quarter, we put on a concert for our students, their families, and volunteers to celebrate their hard work and talents. Through our Saturday Ensemble and Community Music Choir programs, we hope to provide our students, regardless of their cognitive abilities or age, a safe space to make music. AMASE volunteers are also dedicated to promote awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity to the greater campus community through various campaigns, fundraisers, and collaborations with other student organizations with similar interests.
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Active Mind

Active Minds works to change the conversation about mental health. Through campus-wide events, we aim to remove the stigma that surrounds mental illness, and create a comfortable environment for an open conversation about mental health issues. NU Active Minds utilizes the student voice to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness through education, advocacy and awareness events.
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Advancement for the Undocumented Community

Advancement for the Undocumented Community (AUC) is a student organization dedicated to providing resources and support for undocumented student and students with undocumented family members. Through events, workshops, and organizing we hope to raise awareness, uplift, and advocate for this community. We hope to work with a number of local and national organizations to find resources and foster an inclusive environment.
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AIESEC

When you join AIESEC, you join the world's largest youth leadership organization, full of globally minded young leaders. People who want to grow their own potential while contributing to something much greater than themselves. We give you immediate responsibilities so you can learn by doing, step outside your comfort zone and experience both success and failures amongst a supportive community. If you’re keen on activating your potential and contributing to a mission that changes the world, then we’re looking for you. We can’t promise you that it’ll be easy, but it sure will be worth it.
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All Paws In

We are a volunteer based organization focused on giving back to our community through volunteer work at and alongside the animal selters in the area. We are committed to bringing the Northwestern community together with animals.
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Alliance of Chicago Minority Students

The Alliance of Chicago Minority Students (ACMS) seeks to establish a comfortable community and social environment of diverse students on the Chicago campus. Our goal is to rally underrepresented minorities (URM) and allies to be active members of the community through community service engagement and to be a support system to navigate the ups and downs of graduate and professional school while staying up to date on current controversial issues through student discussions. We also look forward to promoting professional development for all students on the Chicago campus. Our organization promotes camaraderie through socials and organization outings.
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Alliance of Evanston Minority Students

We are the Alliance of Evanston Minority Students (AEMS), a student-led club on campus geared towards creating intersectional spaces for graduate students that center people of color (POC) and other marginalized racial/ethnic identities. Our goal is to foster relationships between POC/minority students across campus and to host events that celebrate the diversity of cultures represented by Northwestern’s graduate student body.
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Arts Alliance

Arts Alliance is the oldest and largest student arts group at Northwestern University. Founded in 1974 by a collection of arts groups looking to share space, Arts Alliance has grown to become one of the largest student arts organizations in the country. Its annual season consists of three mainstage shows and two Mee-Ow Improv & Sketch Comedy shows. Arts Alliance Executive Board consists of twenty three members committed to bringing accessible, exciting, and entertaining theatrical experiences to the Northwestern and Evanston communities. All Arts Alliance programming revolves around the three pillars of our mission statement: art that is easy to relate to, art that is easy to speak with, and art that is easy to reach. We tell stories that resonate with our community members by delivering theatre that they want to see without physical or financial barriers.
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Crescendo for a Cause

Crescendo for a Cause is an officially registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States and a Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) certifying organization. Allen Beckwith, Kiran Mohan and Jonathan Raymond founded Crescendo for a Cause in 2018 with one mission in mind: to improve music education in underserved areas and utilize music performance as a vehicle for advocacy and community service. The NU chapter is dedicated to establishing a mentorship program between Northwestern students and students in Chicago public schools that lack funding for high-level fine arts instruction. Our mentors foster these students’ interests in music and provide them with support outside of the classroom. Additionally, we give back to the community by performing virtual and in-person benefit concerts. Namely, we perform therapeutic music for residents in senior living facilities, and continue Crescendo for a Cause’s portfolio of virtual performances that have been sent out to nursing homes across the country. Finally, we are open to any student that is interested in getting involved — regardless of music experience — and have a fundraising committee that will donate to music nonprofits in the area.
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Applause for a Cause

Applause for a Cause is a philanthropic, student-run film production company. Our members annually write, produce, direct, and edit a feature length film (~90 minutes) to premiere in May and to raise donations for the chosen beneficiary of that year. In the past we have worked with local and national organizations including the Make-A-Wish foundation, the Howard Area Community Center, and Connections for the Homeless.
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Habitat for Humanity

Habitat For Humanity is an organization dedicated to providing decent housing to deserving, low-income families. Our ultimate goal is to eliminate poverty nationally and globally. Our group maintains a focus on volunteerism and fundraising, helping to buy the materials needed to build a house and providing the labor necessary to put it together. As a volunteer, you will work alongside other Northwestern students, led by a trained site leader, at different sites in the Chicagoland area. NO CONSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY! Our work ranges from building houses with our affiliates, Habitat For Humanity of Lake County and Northern Fox Valley, to weatherizing homes for the elderly with H.O.M.E. and partnering with other local organizations to help those in need of improved housing.
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Happiness Club

Do you think that if you make someone happy, you will be happy too?

Do you want to do more of what makes you happy?

What do you think of a club dedicated to puppies, candy, balloons, bubbles, sunshine, and smiley faces? Because that's what Happiness Club is, and that's what we do! We try to make everyone at Northwestern smile a little wider and a little more often by putting on fun, free events and creating the moments that make you think, "That just made my day!"
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In Our Nature

In Our Nature aims to bring the environment to everyone. We look to express love for nature, highlight its importance, bring attention to environmental injustices and help readers learn more about environmental issues in the Chicagoland area and beyond.
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InclusionNU

The Inclusion NU fund supports campus endeavors that promote inclusion at Northwestern.
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Mayfest Productions

Mayfest Productions is responsible for producing Dillo Day, the nation’s largest student-run music festival. Beyond Dillo, Mayfest hosts a series of special events throughout spring quarter including Battle of the Bands and Battle of the DJs which highlights student artists — the winners of our battle events earn a slot to perform on the Main Stage at Dillo Day. Along with our student artists, we also book A-list artists for our Main Stage and we collaborate with FMO, Northwestern's black student alliance, to book artists for our second stage - and it's all free to Northwestern students! That being said, Mayfest works year-round to ensure that Dillo Day is safe, fun, and inclusive for Northwesterners, their guests, and the greater Evanston community.Past artists include Daniel Caesar, Hippo Campus, A$AP Ferg, Rico Nasty, Regina Spektor, Kendrick Lamar, Steve Aoki, Chance the Rapper, 2chainz, The Mowgli's, Anderson .Pakk, and ScHoolboy Q. This year's lineup coming soon!
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MEDLIFE

This organization is a chapter of the international organization, MEDLIFE. Our goals are to address global health issues to improve the overall health and wellbeing of communities in need. This is achieved through three pillars: Medicine, Education, and Development. Our chapter at Northwestern University hopes to foster a community of students passionate about promoting lasting developments in global health in both local and international communities. This is achieved through fundraising, volunteering, community building, and speakers events as well as service learning trips offered through the MEDLIFE organization.
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Multicultural Filmmakers Collective

The purpose of the Multicultural Filmmakers Collective is to nurture, promote, and ally multicultural student filmmakers at Northwestern University, as well as support student films that present multicultural concerns and experiences. We define multicultural as including, but not limited to, underrepresented races, ethnicities, and religions. In addition to general meetings, our programming includes film screenings, script workshops, and speaker events.
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New Wave Film Club

New Wave Film Club provides students with funding for film projects, with a focus on (but not limited to) experimental and documentary productions. Emphasizing the student in student filmmaking, we want to cultivate an environment for micro-budget projects and encourage film genres outside of the conventions of major studio productions, such as documentaries, hybrid films, film essays, and time-based video art.
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Northwestern Art Review

The Northwestern Art Review is an academic organization based at Northwestern University that seeks to promote art historical discourses at the undergraduate level. By publishing an annual journal of art scholarship and critique, the Northwestern Art Review strives to provide a forum for greater exchange among an expanding community of students who devote their time to studying, thinking and writing about art. Additionally, the Northwestern Art Review serves as a dynamic force on campus and within the Chicago Area promoting art and creatively influenced events and programming.
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Northwestern University Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance

Our mission is to increase visibility and raise awareness of Native American and Indigenous cultures and to discuss issues facing Native American and Indigenous students and the Native American and Indigenous community. We open our group to anyone who would like to better understand the historical and modern conditions of Native American and Indigenous peoples and to experience and celebrate the Native American and Indigenous cultures of the Americas, while forming alliances and partnerships with other students and student groups. Additionally, the role of NU-NAISA shall be the following: 1. To facilitate communication between Native American and Indigenous alumni, students and the University; 2. To promote the educational, professional and social interaction among Native American and Indigenous alumni, students and the University; 3. To support Native American and Indigenous students, faculty, and staff, individually and collectively, in their academic, professional, and cultural pursuits; 4. To serve as a resource and clearinghouse for issues and concerns relevant to the Native American and Indigenous community at Northwestern University. 5. To facilitate communication and collaborations with other Native American and Indigenous Groups outside of Northwestern University as well as the non-Northwestern Chicago and regional community; 6. To promote communication and collaborations with other student groups at Northwestern University as deemed appropriate; 7. To perform all other usual and customary functions of a student organization; and 8. To promote partnerships among Native American and Indigenous alumni, students, University faculty and staff, Native American community, business community, general public and potential students.
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Northwestern University Community for Human Rights

The Northwestern University Community for Human Rights (NUCHR) is a voice for global human rights on campus. Through informed dialogue, general member meetings, educational excursions, social events, and year-round programming, we bridge connections between undergraduates and international discussions on current human rights issues. Our group is oriented to assist students in grappling with complex histories and inequities in order to develop deep critical thinking abilities and to mobilize inspired action. Each winter, NUCHR explores a distinct topic in the field of human rights while hosting the largest student run, student attended human right's conference in the nation.
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Northwestern Political Union

The Northwestern University Political Union (PU) is a community of students united by their common interest in discussion of political and global affairs. Bringing together students of various backgrounds, ideologies, and political persuasions, the Political Union aims to foster a revival of intellectualism, sincerity, and sophistication in Northwestern’s campus political discourse. PU holds weekly meetings in a variety of formats, including student debates, lectures from faculty, discussions over dinner, and special guest speakers. All undergraduates are welcome at PU meetings and there is no membership fee to attend our events.
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Prairie Cats Ecological Restoration Club

The Chicago region is home to a stunning diversity of plants, animals, and other creatures; everything from tiny orchids to huge bur oaks, weird mushrooms and legless lizards. Although a large amount of land has been set aside for protection in our region, the battle is not over. Invasive species lurk around every corner and invade ecosystems whose natural processes have been disrupted by human activity. Through ecological restoration, we can prevent further damage and reverse it by restoring natural processes and returning species which have been in decline. Only this way, we can ensure a livable future for us and all of the other creatures we share the land with. Please join us at our fun outdoor workdays, workshops, speaker events, and more.
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Rainbow Alliance

Our purpose is to create a safe space at Northwestern University that encourages personal development for Northwestern’s 2SLGBTQ+ community and coalition building among our intersecting communities. To this end we:

Develop programming to actively address and solve issues surrounding gender and sexuality in the Northwestern community
Provide a supportive and fun social environment that creates a sense of community!
Fight homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, heterosexism, and genderism and the intersecting oppressions experienced within our diverse community

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Rural and Small Towns Collective

An organization for Northwestern students from rural or small-town areas (generally a population of 50,000 or less). We put together fun community-building events as well as put together resources that help alleviate the transition into college and living in the Chicago area!
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Vibrant Colors Collective

At VC², we color OUTSIDE the lines: VC² is a Northwestern theater organization that strives to approach and produce theatre through a multicultural lens. We are devoted entirely to producing theater for the communities that have been historically silenced- not just at Northwestern, but in the theater community as a whole. Our objective is to spark a conversation about the space and lack thereof marginalized communities have had in the theater community and PWI spaces. We aim to provide them the space to experience joy and positivity while celebrating their CULTURE and VIBRANCY on the stage.
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WildCHAT

The mission of WildCHAT is to provide all Northwestern students, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation or gender representation, with a free, confidential peer listening service. We also aim to improve the mental health climate at Northwestern by promoting education and conversation regarding mental health issues. Peer listening is not counseling or therapy. The point of peer listening is to create a safe, confidential, non-judgmental environment where students can come to talk about anything they want. We do not provide advice or dictate what you should talk about with us. Instead, we practice a technique called "active listening."
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Wildlife Club

The Wildlife Club's purpose is to create an inclusive community on campus comprised of future scientists, environmental activists, animal lovers, and any student who has a passion for wildlife and is concerned with the global biodiversity crisis. The Wildlife Club's goals are to be an advocate on campus for wildlife conservation through activism, to provide career-building opportunities in the field of conservation, to engage with the Northwestern, Evanston, and Chicago communities through discussions and citizen science projects, and build relationships between Northwestern and Chicago-based zoological research institutions. Long-term goals include on-campus wildlife surveys, regular club-sponsored trips to zoos, aquariums, and museums, outreach and research partnerships with these institutions, hosting professional speakers and career fairs on-campus, and petitioning the university for more wildlife-related academic opportunities.
Learn morehttps://northwestern.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/wildlifeclub