The Student Government Association (SGA) recognized Economics Club as an official student organization last semester. It is open to any student who wants to broaden their knowledge in economics, no matter the major or field of study.
“It is open to anyone and everyone, to econ majors or even creative writing majors,” said Emilia Fedasz, a junior finance major and Economics Club’s head of PR and marketing.
Justin Kwok, a senior economics and finance major and vice president of the club, said he wants to create a community where people could learn and talk about economics and also meet new people.
“We want a truly inclusive environment, and we’re really emphasizing that you don’t have to be an economics major, you don’t have to be in Stillman to partake in this club,” Kwok said.
Matthew James, a senior quantitative economics and econometrics major and president of the Economics Club, said there is a versatility of prospective students in the club.
“Most of the people I’ve had sign up, who had been interested in the club, are people who do political science or even some med students who were interested in the intersection between economics and policy because it affects everybody,” James said.
There has been a strong number of students interested in the Economics club, according to Kwok.
“I believe we had 30 students at the involvement fair sign up and we’ve had over 50 students show interest just throughout the classes,” Kwok said.
James shared a variety of ways that a student interested in the Economics Club could get involved, such as by attending events, getting in touch with one of the E-board members, or also by speaking with Dr. Wesley Pesh, the club’s faculty advisor, or anyone from the Economics department.
Fedasz said that two other ways to get involved are by attending general body meetings and following their Instagram for up-to-date information.
Economics Club has a variety of events lined up for the semester. James said that these events will include a panel event with scholars from the American Enterprise Institute, a field trip to the N.Y. Fed, GDP forecasting model interactive sessions, policy debates, which are integrated into bi-weekly general body meetings, and networking/social events.
“Getting an established [institution] like the American Enterprise Institute to agree to come to Seton Hall–I think that’s an achievement in of itself,” James states, “I think that the biggest achievement is providing a space outside of the classroom for both professors and students to interact,” James said.
Fedasz said that starting the Economics Club and planning events is a success as well, “It’s a pretty tough process to get a club up and running and get approved by the SGA so that was a really big milestone, to be approved by the SGA.”
The Economics Club E-Board members hope to spark students’ interest in economics and grow the economics club so that it may continue to thrive in the future.
“I want to get people excited about economics because it does play an important role in quite literally everybody, that’s what I believe,” James said. “And trying to make that accessible to all students is important.”
A primary focus for the club is finding people who can help the club to continue in the future.
“Having a lot of people involved who are underclassmen who are passionate about economics and are willing to take that leadership role has been a focus for us,” James said.
Similarly, Kwok shares the same desire for the club to last beyond its current E-board members.
“We’re all like-minded in the sense that we all want this to succeed, and we want to make sure that the students have that environment to turn to,” Kwok said. “I hope I could come back years down the line and the club is still active.”
Kwok said he hopes for strong student involvement years down the line to keep the club active.
“We want this club to make an impact where we know this will last well beyond all of our terms,” Kwok said.
To stay up to date on all information regarding the Economics Club, check out their Instagram page, @shueconomicsclub.
Delianie Cerda is a writer for The Setonian’s Campus Life section. She can be reached at delianie.cerda@student.shu.edu.
