By Mackenzie Prince 

Amidst the stress that comes with election season, University of Maryland students have reflected on their opinions and passions, and many have joined student advocacy organizations as a result.

Campus advocacy clubs give students a platform to pursue their areas of interest, allowing them to feel like they are a part of a movement greater than themselves. 

Kristina Chroneos, a freshman government and politics and English double major, became interested in advocacy clubs at the start of the year to continue her work with the clubs she was a part of in high school. 

“I first started getting involved with clubs, [like] TerpThon and PERIOD. when I first arrived to campus,” Chroneos said. “Through both groups, I have found a lot of people, which has helped me build community and find people that are interested in the same things as me.”

PERIOD. @UMD is the university’s chapter of the nationwide PERIOD. movement, which is “working to end period poverty and stigma through service, education, and advocacy,” according to their Instagram biography. 

PERIOD.’s Community Outreach Officer Rachel Le, a junior public health science major, described what the organization does to complete its objective. 

“Our meetings/events primarily [focus on] fundraising, in which we utilize these funds to purchase feminine hygiene products that we then pack together into goody bags to donate to local women’s shelters,” Le said. “We also hold events for educational guest speakers.”

Le mentioned how she noticed a marginal increase in club members this year. 

“We have seen a large and steady increase of members and participation throughout this election season, particularly this fall semester, in comparison to last year,” Le said. 

The growing support for women’s rights has become a major national issue in this past election, with abortion at the center of debate. According to NBC’s exit polling, abortion was the third largest concern for voters, behind the state of democracy and the economy. 

ReproTerps, a club for students advocating for reproductive justice, have continued to voice their ongoing support for a woman’s right to choose via Instagram. 

“We understand that the weight of this moment is staggering, and it’s okay to feel frustrated, heartbroken, and uncertain,” ReproTerps wrote on Nov. 7. “But in these times, we must remind ourselves: the fight is never over.” 

For many women on campus, this has been at the forefront of their minds. 

“I definitely want to get involved with more [advocacy groups] because there are so many things that will be changing with the outcome of this election,” Chroneos said. “As college students, it’s very important that we are learning about how we can continue to mobilize for the future.”

While Chroneos has been participating in clubs for social change since high school, other students have described this election season as sparking their interest for the first time.  

Megan Sheeler, a freshman enrolled in letters and sciences, described how she joined TerpThon in September, but due to recent events, she feels even more inspired to pursue groups aiming to help her community. 

“Over the past week, I have seen so much rage and it makes me inspired to do something about it,” Sheeler said. “[UMD] is right by Washington, D.C., so our advocacy clubs can have a huge effect on our future.”  

Another advocacy-based organization at UMD is Hearts for the Homeless (H4H). Club President Milana Klopouh, a junior neurobiology and physiology major, explained how the club has been able to support impoverished individuals near UMD. 

“It works to serve underrepresented communities in the healthcare system by providing free blood pressure screenings to homeless communities in the College Park and D.C. area,” Klopouh said. 

While Klopouh noticed a consistent amount of people in meetings, both before and after the election, she believes that the heightened-political setting is noticeable in other areas. 

“We have seen an increase in the people who come to blood pressure screenings and want to help,” Klopouh said. “My hope for the [future] is to increase the amount of shelter we’re able to support in the community and therefore, gain more volunteers to help.” 

Through advocacy clubs, students are able to build a community and lean on each other during seemingly unpredictable times. Despite some students’ initial dampered feelings, social justice groups encourage students to continue the fight and be the change they wish to see. 

“As students, our voice is really important,” Chroneos said. “We have the responsibility to make our voices heard, in a way that forces governmental officials to listen to us.”

Featured Image: PERIOD. @UMD hosts a “packing party,” where club members bagged various feminine and hygiene products. Photo by Mackenzie Prince.