The University of Texas at Dallas is nothing short of unique, and its students do not pretend to be anything else. Students at UTD celebrate differences and encourage the most niche, strange and rare interests through creating their own organizations, clubs and communities. From bullet journaling to an anime orchestra, UTD has it all.

For incoming freshmen or returning students looking to try something new, there is a comprehensive list of all the organizations at UTD on the Student Organization Center page of the UTD website. Cometville, which showcases student organizations and departments to the campus community, will be held in the Student Union Mall or Activity Center during the Weeks of Welcome for the fall semester.

Anime Orchestra Ensemble

The Anime Orchestra Ensemble at UTD is the only one of its kind at any college in Texas and is always open to new members. With around 70 active members, they meet for rehearsal every Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in order to rehearse for their two annual end-of-semester concerts. While one of these is of a typical orchestra style, with strings, winds and percussion, the other “variety concert” branches out to J-pop, J-rock and electronics.

AOE arranges their music in-house, meaning they can include any instrument even if it is not part of a typical orchestra, and explore pieces that would not get performed in a typical orchestra setting.

“When we say any instrument, we mean any instrument.”
— Sophia Procter, percussion and electronics section leader

“When we say any instrument, we mean any instrument,” said Sophia Procter, percussion and electronics section leader in AOE.

AOE encourages all skill levels, including complete beginners, to “just show up.” The club also offers roles in marketing and graphic design for students not interested in performing.

“Literally anybody can get involved. I don’t listen to a lot of video game music, I don’t really play that many video games, and before I joined this club, I did not watch anime,” said Procter.

Seirruf

Perhaps even more “out-there” than the anime orchestra is UTD’s own furry organization: Seirruf. This club is highly popular at UTD, having close to 300 active members. While they have only been officially recognized by the administration for two years, they have had an established underground community for over a decade.

“We don’t really associate ourselves with the old community that much … we didn’t want to be an underground community anymore so that we could actually welcome fellow students,” said Zam Pham, senior business administration and head of marketing at Seirruf.

The old community of furries at UTD worked on a word-of-mouth basis and had a less official structure, but now that Seirruf is officially recognized, they can be loud and proud about their events, which they hold every Saturday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

In terms of activities, Seirruf likes to vary what they get up to every week, which can be anything from board games to “wildcard” ideas from members.

“You’d be amazed how many hobbies and activities are involved with the furry fandom.”
— Zam Pham, head of marketing at Seirruf

“You’d be amazed how many hobbies and activities are involved with the furry fandom,” said Pham.

UTD Call of Duty

UTD Call of Duty is an esports team at UTD, and has around eight to nine active members.

“Our social events are semi-private due to funding. Our team works hard so we use the money for them for team building exercises like Top Golf and paintball,” said Nico Torres, president of UTD COD.

Although they compete in the collegiate Call of Duty league, Torres said that there is much more to the club than just success within the game.

“I do not care about winning games. I want my players to walk away feeling like they gained more than just how to shoot better in the game … it’s about personal and professional development,” he said.

Despite the organization having a comparatively small number of members, they still aim for an inclusive environment. While the team only has one woman on its roster, Torres said the club is hoping to change this.

“Our organization really, really focuses on inclusivity and equality and diversity; those components are really valuable, especially at a university like UT Dallas,” said Torres. “I’m very much aware of the misogyny, the racism, a lot of the hate speech that happens in the lobbies [of Call of Duty games] but I think that the competitive side is a completely different community,” he added.

Bujo Buddies

Bujo Buddies is a creative, artsy organization that meets two to three times a month to bullet journal. They have around 15 to 20 members, but their socials are open to members and non-members alike.

Though bullet journaling could easily be an individualistic hobby, the Bujo Buddies have created the opportunity, for themselves and all UTD students, for it to be entirely the opposite.

“Being in a community that is also filled with creatives just makes it easier for you to do it yourself. It’s great motivation,” Salwa Sarwer, co-president of Bujo Buddies, said.

“Some people can struggle to find their place in a college environment … so one of my biggest motivations for becoming an officer is to hopefully give that space for other people,” Anvita Dontula, co-president of Bujo Buddies, said.

Ultimately, community and unexpected opportunity make these clubs unique.