If you are a history lover and want to share that love with like-minded students, look no further than the Mercyhurst History Club. Advised by Averill Earls, Ph.D., the club has had trivia nights, movie screenings, and guest speakers as part of their meetings. Overall, the club is composed of members, dubbed “Hurstorians,” from all majors, minors, and backgrounds.

Traditionally, the club meets in a classroom in Hirt every other Tuesday or Wednesday at 7:30; however, things have changed due to the pandemic.

“We are trying to conduct as many events as possible on Zoom, such as trivia nights, documentary screenings, and guest speakers,” said Garrett Freas, a senior history major, and History Club vice president. “Despite this, we are planning on starting to do some in-person events by the end of the semester, following the different ‘reopening’ phases for RSCOs as outlined by the school.”

Even while students spend their time at home, the History Club has many activities planned to keep students entertained. “So far, we have hosted a documentary screening of ‘Witches: A Century of Murder’ on Netflix,” said Steven Mooradian, a senior public history major and Co-President of the History Club. “We have also welcomed guest speaker Jon Burdick, a history teacher in Union City, and created the public history project Rust & Dirt. We are planning to show an original film created by Sydney Van Leeuwen at the end of October.”

The History Club has been incredibly flexible during these trying times.

“This semester certainly has been different from semesters in the past. All of our meetings have been virtual. Our trivia nights have taken a hit for sure,” said Amanda Brodie, a senior Biology major and co-president of the History Club. “We do, however, understand the circumstances given the current situation. We have used this opportunity to reach out to more members who possibly would not be able to get to our meetings in person. As life hopefully goes back to normal, we are looking forward to in-person meetings in the future.”

In the past, the “Hurstorians” collaborated with other clubs for trivia nights and documentary screenings, such as Mercyhurst Empowerment of Women (MEOW), Black Students for Unity (BSU), as well as the Anthropology Club. They plan on continuing this trend in the future, as in-person meetings come back into the fold.

If interested in joining the History Club, be sure to reach out to Dr. Earls at aearls@mercyhurst.edu. You can also reach out to Brodie at abrodi70@lakers.mercy-hurst.edu or Mooradian at smoo-ra43@lakers.mercyhurst.edu.

For more updates on what History club pursues, you can find them on Instagram @hursthistory26.