There are a large number recognized campus organizations, including general interest organizations, honor societies, departmental clubs, fraternities and sororities, and community service groups. They sponsor many events for the entire campus, as well as for their members. In most cases, membership is open. Each year, the Office of Student Activities and the Student Government Association recognize student organizations in order that they receive funding for activities and the use of campus facilities. Forms and information may be obtained from the Office of Student Activities and Integrative Learning at 215 Highsmith. A listing of UNC Asheville organizations follows.

For more information on Student Organizations email rstraub@unca.edu

Active Students for a Healthy Environment (ASHE)
Active Students for a Healthy Environment (A.S.H.E.) is UNCA’s oldest student environmental organization. Formerly known as the “ecology club”, we focus on raising environmental awareness, leadership development, and initiating proactive, progressive action to make positive sustainable changes in our environment.  We are involved with and often help organize a wide range of campus and community events having to do with conservation, political action, and celebration of our environment and our role as stewards. We help students to think globally while acting locally.

Accountancy Association
The purpose of the UNC Asheville Accountancy Association is to provide students with in-depth information about the Accounting and Management programs, and to provide academic assistance to UNCA students enrolled in accounting courses.

 All Girl Staff
The purpose of All Girls Staff is to be UNC Asheville's all female a cappella singing group. We strive to create an atmosphere that benefits the girls who sing with us in a way to be supportive of their self esteem and allows them to be comfortable with their own talents.  Also, we provide UNC Asheville with entertainment options for various events. Auditions are open to all female students at UNCA.

Alliance
The mission of Alliance is to exist as an inclusive organization dedicated to improving the relationship between the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Straight community. To provide support for individuals in the UNC Asheville family (students, faculty, and staff) that identify as one or more of the GLBTQ/S letters or any variation thereof.

American Chemical Society (Student Affiliates of the)
Presents an opportunity for interested students to acquaint themselves with and gain experience in the field of chemistry as well as providing contacts with professionals in the field.

Amnesty International - UNCA Chapter
The Amnesty International student organization at UNC Asheville is committed to promoting awareness of global human rights issues and concerns by empowering student activist. While our focus corresponds with the goals of the International Organization, we reserve the right to pursue our own agenda as a local chapter.

Ankoku Butoh
This organization intends to explore body movement in a modernist Japanese Theater style.  The group will be specifically emphasizing the work of Tatsumi Hijikata and the roots of Butoh in the Traditional Dance of Theatre of Japan, and martial arts. (Kabuki, No, German Expressionism, French surrealism).  The Ankoku Butoh group will additionally be a resource for photography, film and music students.

American Meteorological Society

The UNCA American Meteorological Society chapter provides the resources necessary to foster the growth of the field of Atmospheric Sciences and enhance the learning abilities by our members of the intricate workings of the atmosphere. The Chapter sponsors trips to many locations where members can get a first-hand look at various aspects and occupations of the atmospheric sciences.

American Civil Liberties Union - UNCA Chapter
The UNCA chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union seeks to contribute to the academic dialogue of the Asheville community by fostering intelligent and meaningful discussion of civil and individual liberties.

American Red Cross - UNC Asheville Chapter
It is the purpose of the UNCA Chapter of the American Red Cross to be the affiliate of the Red Cross on UNCA's campus.  By doing so our chapter will organize Red Cross blood drives in addition to any other kind of service that the Red Cross request us to participate in. Our main goal is to further the service of the American Red Cross to UNC Asheville's campus and allow students to become active participants in the Red Cross service efforts.

Amnesty International - UNCA Chapter
The Amnesty International student organization at UNC Asheville is committed to promoting awareness of global human rights issues and concerns by empowering student activist. While our focus corresponds with the goals of the International Organization, we reserve the right to pursue our own agenda as a local chapter.

Ancient Gardens Club
UNC-Asheville Ancient Garden Club was chartered in January 2007 from the original LSIC class of the fall 2006 semester, Ancient Gardens. Classics professor Dr. Dorothy Dvorsky-Rohner taught the original class and continues on as the club's academic advisor.  From the class, the club was given the grape trellis, the sundial and al the embankment of herbs that history tells us were grown during antiquity.  Though the purpose of the Ancient Garden Club is one of beautification of the garden area located on the bank behind New Hall, all vegetation that is grown there was grown and cultivated by either the ancient Romans or Greeks during their times.

Argentine Tango Club
The purpose of this club is to provide students with access to a venue to learn about and practice Argentine Tango.  This includes, but is not limited to, exposure to regional instructors, supervised practices, and opportunities to dance at other Argentine Tango events in Asheville.

Art Front
The mission of Art Front is the support and instilment of visual art in the University of North Carolina and its surrounding community.  The Art Front’s function is that of service organization, with the goal of furthering the appreciation of and exposure to visual art.

Asian Students in Asheville (ASIA)
Asian Students in Asheville (A.S.I.A.) is an organization to represent the increasing population of Asian/Asian-American and Pacific Islander students here at UNCA.  The organization is to promote Asian/Asian-American awareness through social, cultural, and educational events.  The presence of A.S.I.A. on campus is to help Asian/Asian-American students in their academic and social lives and to merge the gaps between Asian/Asian-American students and students of other cultures.  We hope, by forming this group, to enrich the diversity programs on UNCA campus by a variety of activities we hold.  A.S.I.A. strives to bring to light the true diversity of cultures spanning the Asian continent.  Membership is open to all UNCA students. (9/30/08)

Black Student Association (BSA)
This organization exists to strengthen and encourage personal development among black students and to foster high ideals for leadership, responsibility and cooperation. The organization also upholds the pride, prestige and cultural consciousness of all minority Americans through the implementation of cultural, educational and motivational ventures planned for the entire UNCA community. Membership is open to anyone interested in the goals of BSA.

The Buffy (etc.) Fan Club
The general purpose of the Buffy Fan club is two-fold.  Primarily, it is to create a forum in which fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and all of the other creations of Joss Whedon, can come together to discuss and appreciate a favorite television viewing experience.

The other purpose of this club is to examine issues pertinent to college age people through the medium of the metaphors commonly utilized in Buffy episodes.  Exposure to and discussion of the life lessons involved in some of these shows may help some students deal with trouble spots in their lives or prepare them for those to come. Using Buffy can create a more relaxed, entertaining environment leading to more internalization of the lessons and thus better retention of possible solutions.

So, in essence, we intend to have fun discussing a fun TV show, peruse fan sites and academic achievement associated with the same, and, hopefully, prepare some folks for some of the tough days ahead.

Chayon-Ryu Martial Arts Club
The Chayon-Ryu (pronounced Chai/Yon/Rue) martial arts club is geared towards maintaining a proper learning environment instead of sport competition.  While most martial arts aim to defeat your external enemy, Chayon-ryu teaches one how to defeat your internal enemy.  Through the practice of ancient forms and practical self defense movements a student can defeat the internal enemy of stress, worry, and insecurity.

            Chayon-Ryu is an educational system rooted in the natural movement.  Since all movements in this system are built upon normal daily movements of the human body, injury is extinct in the training area, or the Korean translation "Dojang".  This system combines the arts of Karate, Chinese Chu'an Fa, Hapkido, and Taekwondo.  Chayon-Ryu is simply a new way of teaching ancient styles and forms.  This new way incorporates techniques aimed at achieving a consistent balance between the physical and mental. Mental and Physical balance is the most important aspect of Chayon-Ryu training. 

Cinema Society
The purpose of UNCA Cinema Society is to bring together film enthusiasts at UNCA and create friendships by viewing films and participating in academic discussions.

Class Clowns
Class Clowns is a multi-faceted group focused on fostering a sense of community on the UNCA campus and providing service to people in need at UNC Asheville, to members of the larger Asheville community, and beyond! Class Clowns is open to all members of the UNCA community, and we encourage anyone and everyone to attend any meetings, lectures, presentations, performances or volunteer trips that may happen.

The Classical Society
The Classical Society is an opportunity for students from all academic disciplines and backgrounds to unite in their love of the ancient world.  This society has no academic prerequisite and is open to all.  The society strives to offer social and volunteer events for its members and the campus community.

College Democrats, UNC Asheville
The purpose of the University of North Carolina at Asheville College Democrats is to provide a venue for student participation in the political process.  Through community service and working in conjunction with the county, state, and national parties, we aim to strengthen Democratic ideals and motivate civic consciousness.  We encourage students to use their rights to vote and communicate with elected representatives.  In so doing we hope to elevate student involvement as well as create a strong Democratic voice on campus.

College Republicans, UNC Asheville
To make known and promote the principles of the Republican Party among members of the UNC-Asheville campus and community, to increase the number of GOP voters on campus, and to provide politically like-minded individuals with social opportunities. To aid in the election of Republican candidates at all levels of government. To encourage and assist in the organization and active functioning of the Republican party at local, state, and national levels. To develop political skills and leadership abilities among Republican students as preparation for future service by them to the Party and community.

Education Club
The purpose of the Education Club will be to provide a social outlet for licensure candidates to get to know one another, professional workshops for developing educators, and to bring vital aspects of diversity and culture that educators may meet in the classroom to these candidates.  Our meetings, therefore, may be purely social, a chance for networking and idea swapping.  They may also be centered around a speaker who comes to share important information on education, classroom management, diversity, education abroad, or finding employment.  We will be a beneficial resource for licensure candidates at UNC Asheville in all of these areas.

Get Up and Go!
Get Up and Go! is a student run council dedicated to promoting an atmosphere of community service at UNC Asheville.  As we strive to make a difference in the lives of others through volunteering, we will gain the necessary knowledge and experience to become better citizens.

Graduate Student Association
The Graduate Student Association is a student and alumni organization that helps enhance the classroom and campus experience for participants in the Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) program at UNC Asheville.  The organization's activities may include the following: build affinity between students in the MLA program through special events and activities; develop meaningful student experience for those enrolled in the MLA program; assist with orientation for new students in the MLA program; promote the MLA program to future students; provide a link between MLA students and MLA graduates; serve as an advisory group for the MLA department; encourage MLA students and alumni to take advantage of the opportunities afforded through UNC Asheville enrollment and alumni status; to celebrate and promote the academic achievements of MLA students and graduates.            

Habitat for Humanity
The purpose of Habitat for Humanity UNCA is to establish and maintain an active chapter of Habitat for Humanity at UNCA that will continue to serve the community of the Asheville area into the future. This will take the form of providing volunteers from both the student and faculty bodies to work on the construction of new homes, and in the Habitat store (in order to raise capital for the building of those homes) in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity International, through the local affiliate, the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity.

Headwaters Creative Arts Magazine
Headwaters is the official UNCA creative arts magazine, publishing poetry, art, photography, fiction, plays and essays by both students and faculty. The editorial office is located at Karpen Hall 247, where students and faculty may drop in at any time.

Hippocrates Student Organization
The purpose of Hippocrates Student Organization is to provide an association for students interested in pre-health professions and to complement the Pre-Health Professions Program. HSO promotes and supports community activities for future health professionals. Activities include assisting students in preparation for pre-professional tests, exploring and getting experience in the many careers of healthcare, offering admissions support, providing links to the Pre-Health committee and other university administration, and organizing social events for pre-health students at UNC Asheville.

Hispanic Outreach for Learning Awareness (HOLA)

History Association
The History Student Association is meant to be a gathering place for students inside and outside the major of history with the intention of creating a community of learning for these students. The association pledges to bring speakers, musicians and other events, in order to educate and interest others in the historic narrative.

Humanities Student Association
The purpose of the Humanities Student Association is to provide student members with the structure, the means to organize, and the forum for exploration of humanities-related topics outside of the classroom context and Humanities Program course structure.

IEEE Student Branch at UNC Asheville
The branch shall promote the dissemination of theoretical and practical knowledge of all aspects of electrical engineering and other related fields of engineering, science, and mathematics, including the multi-discipline area of mechatronics.

International Students Association (ISA)
A group of international and American students and staff who get together to explore the cultures of our diverse community and university. We participate in campus events and activities; sponsor musical events, foreign films, international fashion shows, and food samplings; and have fun!

Literature Club
The UNCA Literature Club has been established to provide students of this University, regardless of major, the opportunity to attend lectures, readings and discussions featuring contemporary writers of Poetry and Prose. The Literature Club will organize fundraising events to help provide the resources and support for bringing in writers, and will also organize social events to foster a greater sense of community among students and faculty in the literature Department, the campus, and the surrounding community as a whole.

 Math Club
The purpose of the Math Club is to promote a sense of community among math people at UNCA and an appreciation for mathematics in the larger campus community.

Metabolism
Metabolism is a student-run magazine dedicated to synthesizing the academic and creative output of the UNCA students and faculty into a printed and online journal distributed twice per semester and once over summer at no cost to the reader. Our aims are to create intensely cross-curricular media that shows no academic bias and to produce a literary salon for the intellectually curious. 

Missing Links Biology Club
The purpose of The Missing Links Biology Club is to form an association of biology majors and other interested parties to provide positive development in continuing education and services to the institution and community in the biological sciences.

N.U.E. Noiz Step Team

Philosophical Society
The UNCA Philosophical Society is an organization for the promotion and discussion of philosophy on campus. Our meetings and events are open to all students, faculty, and staff interested in philosophy. We work together with other student groups to organize events and talks on campus.

PAWS (Peers Advocating Wellness Strategies)
PAWS exists in order to provide primary prevention efforts to help alleviate the problem of alcohol misuse and abuse on campus; to promote responsible decisions about drinking within the campus community; to help educate and inform students, faculty, administrators, and staff about health issues that affect the campus community, including alcohol use, abuse and misuse, AIDS, and sexual assault; to increase awareness concerning healthy alternatives to alcohol misuse and abuse; and to enhance communication within the academic community regarding health-related matters.

Senior Class Board
The Senior Class Board serves as the executive leadership body of the current year’s graduating class.  The Senior Class Board works with the Divisions of Alumni & Development, Student Affairs, and Academic Affairs to enhance students’ experience during their final year at UNC Asheville through program and events that will encourage a lifelong relationship between graduates and the University.

 Society of Physics Students
Committed to the promotion of physics in a diverse world. It is our policy to accept members from all disciplines, provided they have an interest in physics, the concepts, their application and their implications.

Student Athlete Advisory Committee
"As representatives of the student athletic body, our goal is to promote athletics, protect student welfare, give back to the community, and create a positive image for athletics and the university"

Students for a Democratic Society
We as UNCA SDS are a group that is dedicated to the fight against imperialism. We are for positive social, political, and economic change. We are actively involved in fighting for this change through activism. We stand in resolute opposition to the war in Iraq and protest the current occupation. We demand US troops out of Iraq now. We are against all imperialist wars and interventions including those in Colombia and Palestine. We fight to create a world free of sexism, free of racism, free of heterosexism, and free of war. We are against all forms of oppression and we actively struggle both within ourselves and within our communities against these types of chauvinism and support all others who fight alongside of us. We are for human rights, and believe that all have the right to education, housing, healthcare, clean water, and food. We join with our brothers and sisters in campuses across the world as Students for a Democratic Society to increase all phases of democracy in our lives and to engage in the struggle for a better world. We, as youth and students, have the power to enact real social change — and we are fighting for this. Dare to struggle — Dare to win!

Student Management Association
The purpose of the UNCA Management Association is to provide UNCA students with in-depth information about management of professions, to increase the business community's awareness of UNCA's Management and Accountancy programs, and to provide academic assistance to UNCA students enrolled in management courses.

Students Together Against Rape (STAR) Task Force
Our mission is to create and sustain a campus wide living and learning environment that is free from sexual harassment and sexual violence.  Our goals are to encourage students to work with students, faculty, and staff to provide prevention and awareness education and initiatives in order to support our mission.  We will endeavor to create a support system of trained victim advocates on campus who can assist students, faculty, and staff who have been victims of sexual violence as well as provide links to community programs that offer support services.

United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT)
Technical theater resource for the community, especially for area high schools.

University Ambassadors Program
Selected Students who volunteer to share their knowledge of UNCA and enthusiasm with prospective students, their families and other interested parties. Ambassadors lead tours of campus daily and during Open House and other Admissions-related programs. They also travel across the state and region to assist the Admissions Office in hosting receptions. Because of these opportunities, they develop valuable communication skills. Ambassadors are selected on the basis of their leadership qualities, interpersonal skills and dedication to UNCA. They are trained and supervised by the Office of Admissions. All UNCA students, regardless of race, creed or national origin, are invited to apply. Call the Admissions Office, 251-6481

World Affairs Club
The object of the World Affairs Club (WAC) shall be to organize students interested in world affairs for the purpose of developing and encouraging interest in world news and events and providing a resource for education and learning about international issues.

Yoga Club
The Yoga Club comes together in celebration of body, mind and spirit.  The practice of yoga is a powerful tool for stress relief.  Given the physical, emotional and mental benefits of its practice, yoga enables students to exceed academically and to become more active participants on UNCA's campus.  We open this club to all students who wish to explore all that yoga has to offer.