San Jacinto College Central Campus will soon be home to the Progressive Thinkers Society; a prospective new student organization meant for like-minded individuals to come together and discuss current events.

Club President Rocquelle Mitchell said the Society was established with the purpose of providing a comfortable atmosphere for students to express their views about pressing sociopolitical issues.   

“Our main goal is to create a calm, safe learning environment for individuals to discuss current events, as well as their opinions,” Mitchell said.

The organization offers students a chance to debate topics they are concerned with, such as climate change and women’s rights. The goal, Mitchell noted, is to get the student body involved in issues “that may or may not affect them on a daily basis.”

The organization was unofficially established last spring by English Professor Aaron Love and a few of his students, but its formation was not widely publicized. This semester, however, members decided to open it up to the rest of the San Jac community by creating a recognized student organization sanctioned by the College. The group submitted their application to the office of Student Engagement and Activities, and it is pending approval.

Ultimately, Mitchell said, the recent presidential election was the catalyst that motivated the group to formally organize and create an environment where strong opinions were welcome.

“We want students to realize that there are people who share similar views as them,” Mitchell said, “and we want to encourage them to get involved in society and politics.“

The Progressive Thinkers Society meets every Monday between 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Room 216 of the East Classroom building (C4) on the Central Campus.