Club Day Brings Community to Campus
Students See What Dozens of TUC Groups, Area Nonprofits Have to Offer
Hundreds of new and returning students had a chance Aug. 8 to check out a wide array of activity and interest groups during Club Day in The Grove on the campus of Touro University California.
The three-hour event had a street festival atmosphere, with music and activities spread across the expansive lawn area to showcase ways students can band together to support one another on their educational journeys while also supporting the greater community.
Club Day also showcased the diversity not only of the student body, but also of the types of programs offered in furtherance of the University’s mission: To Serve. To Lead. To Teach.
Dr. Tami Hendriksz, Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, Interim Chief Academic Officer for the University, and a DO graduate of 2006, said the annual activity is an example of how TUC prepares students for successful careers of service.
"Club Day at Touro University California is a vibrant reflection of our diverse and dynamic community, bringing together students from all of our different programs. It offers a unique opportunity to connect, collaborate, and contribute both on campus and within the broader community,” Hendriksz said. “The energy and engagement we witness during this event exemplify our commitment to nurturing future leaders who are not only academically excellent but also deeply invested in serving others."
Organizations Share Purpose with Students
Community organizations present included Kyle’s Community Garden, Watch Me Grown Inc., the Vallejo Watershed Alliance, and the Florence Douglas Senior Center.
Incoming students supported these and other organizations during the Day of Service workday that happened the first day of Orientation, when some 430 first-year students fanned out across the community to support 14 area nonprofits, providing approximately 860 hours of volunteer service.
Other community partners present included representatives from the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy. They were joined by the Napa-Solano Medical Society, the Solano Transportation Authority, and AT&T, each of which are sponsors of the Mosaic Gala on Aug. 22 to support the Mosaic Scholarship Program.
The roster of cultural organizations present included the Asian American Medical Student Association, the Filipino American Medical Society, the Indian Student Healthcare Alliance, the Latino Medical Student Association, and the Pilipino United Students Organization.
Faith-based organizations were represented by Jewish Life, the Christian Health Fellowship, and the Muslim Student Association.
Campus Groups Shine Bright
The stars of the day were more than three dozen campus-based service organizations, student associations, and campus interest groups, representing a variety of medical-based groups such as the National Hispanic Pharmacist Association, the Interprofessional Bioethics Club, the Cardiology Club, the Nutrition Club, and the Integrative Medicine Club, as well as the Street Medicine Club, the Student-Run Free Clinic, and the Global and Underserved Medicine Club.
And even though there are no formal University-sponsored athletic programs on campus beyond the annual Big Game basketball contest between TUC and Touro University Nevada, sports are indeed a part of campus life.
The Soccer Club and the TUC Volleyball Club were both present for Club Day to promote their activities – supported tangentially by the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine Club.
Event Helps Students Step Into Their Professions
Student Doctor Muhammad Iqbal (MSMHS Class of 2023) is President of the College of Osteopathic Medicine Student Executive Council board for 2024-2025.
Iqbal spoke Aug. 8 of the significance of Club Day both from the perspective of a new student when he entered the Master of Science in Medical Health Sciences program and now as the leader of COMSEC.
“Club Day involves a lot of students and with Touro, because they’re so student powered, I believe that having Club Day and having students come out and see all the variety of resources and abundance of student support that they have to offer is amazing,” Iqbal said. “As you can see, there are a lot of students and being a part of COMSEC scene and being a master’s graduate, I love that this is a tradition that happens e very year because we really see the student involvement and how we are really stepping into our professions.”