Students who want to get involved have hundreds of clubs and organizations to choose from, but for those who want to become more politically active, there are just 10 clubs that range from supporting a particular political party to issue advocacy.

Joining clubs such as these, whether you want a career in politics or not, could help you stand out from the crowd when looking for that dream job in the future.

“I think joining a student organization, political or not, just says ‘I’m a person who is a participant in life,'” said Steven Kravinsky, director of career services within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “That, in and of itself, tells an employer that that’s the kind of person you are, and that’s the kind of person they want to hire.”

Students can also gain skills from joining these clubs, which Kravinsky called “soft skills.” This includes building leadership skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, attention to detail and time management.

For students who align themselves with a certain political party, there are three clubs to join on campus that allow for discussion and localized involvement in elections or campaigns.

The ISU Democrats is a group promoting the ideas and values of the Democratic Party, providing students the opportunity to become involved in the political process through collaboration with campaigns.

The group also coordinates with speakers and elected officials who host talks or workshops for students.

On the other side of the spectrum are the ISU College Republicans.

“Basically we’re college Republicans,” said Logan Pals, president of the ISU College Republicans. “We will be representing Republican matters, we’ll be standing with Republicans and basically, we’re out there to let people know there are actually Republicans on university campuses.”

Similar to the ISU Democrats, the ISU College Republicans also focus on elections, work with Republican candidates and host speeches and workshops.

The ISU Libertarians is the last group advocating for a certain political party on campus, working to educate students on what exactly it means to be a Libertarian.

They sponsor talks with people such as Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, and help promote Libertarian candidates on the ISU campus.

The group is also planning to participate in events such as First Amendment Day.

Aside from groups such as these, there are several groups that endorse a certain cause or issue they feel is important.

The Vagina Warriors is a group that promotes women’s equity through involvement in such events such as “The Vagina Monologues,” which, in the past, has been their main event.

In the coming years, they are hoping to revamp and begin hosting and participating in more events such as No-Makeup Mondays, Ask a Feminist Booth and Take Back the Night in April. The group is also looking to publish a magazine that will redefine the standards of beauty.

UNICEF @ ISU is an organization whose goals are to advocate, educate and raise fundss on behalf of UNICEF.

Each semester, the group decides on an issue to focus on. One example from the past was water sanitation, and the group raised money for the wash fund and sponsored an awareness event.

Students involved in the club also have a chance to participate in a leadership conference occurring at the headquarters in New York each year.

MEDLIFE ISU is a newer organization on campus that is a part of a national organization that started five years ago.

“We want to get the message across that there are people in need in the world,” said Eduardo Maldonado, junior in biochemistry and president of MEDLIFE ISU. “We essentially want to slap people in the face with a cold, hard dose of reality.”

This is a group for everyone to join, but is especially appealing to students looking at medical school after Iowa State because MEDLIFE examines how medicine is used globally, particularly in South America.

Another fairly new organization on campus is Students for Concealed Carry on Campus.

Their primary function is “to raise awareness and advocate for people who are licensed by the state of Iowa to be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus for their protection”, according to their approved constitution.

For students who want to be more environmentally active, ActivUS encourages both the administration and students to become more sustainable through two grassroots campaigns per year.

In the past, those campaigns have included Beyond Coal, advocating the phasing out of burning coal at the campus coal plant, and Beyond Plastic, promoting the reduction of plastic consumption on campus.

ISU Students for Life is another issue advocacy organization on campus promoting “the sanctity of human life,” according to its constitution.

The group provides information regarding issues such as abortion to students so they can become more educated and make a decision on their own.

“It has helped in finding a purpose in my life,” said Rachel Peller, junior in women’s studies and president of ISU Students for Life. “It gives more value to what I’m doing here rather than just going to class because you are actively trying to make peoples’ lives better.”

The One Campaign is the last student organization categorized as political or activism that students may join. Its goals include fighting extreme poverty and preventable diseases, predominantly in developing countries through political advocacy, fundraising and awareness.

The group has raised both awareness and funds for the national organization through events such as a benefit concerts.

“If students are going to be good global citizens, they have to know about these issues, whatever their political background or whatever their belief system is, they need to know about the various issues that impact them,” said Shelley Taylor, faculty adviser for The One Campaign. “Joining a club is a great way to do that.”