Winter is still alive and kicking, but one group on campus is excited.

For QU Snow, Quinnipiac’s skiing and snowboarding club, this is the group’s first full year as a recognized club on campus.

This means that they are completely recognized by the university, and they receive funding from the Student Government Association (SGA).

“QU Snow started about three years ago with Sean O’Shea,” Terence Reynolds, a junior business major and VP of QU Snow, said. “He broke his leg and the club died out. There were still many interested students but nothing to work with.”

After drafting a constitution and gaining recognition from the student center, the club began recruiting members through advertising at the Involvement Fair.

“We special appealed for money to run our first ski trip last year,” Shannon Bunting, a sophomore physical therapy major and president of QU Snow, said.

Bunting and Reynolds got the club chartered and funded last year. “There is a gigantic interest for this club on campus,” Reynolds said.

“Our goal is to bring together the Quinnipiac community in the common interest of winter sports and to provide them a more accessible way to enjoy that interest and meet new people,” Bunting said. “We also try to do community service and give back to the school and community and we provide events such as the Awareness Fair/Concert to offer something to do on campus,” Bunting said.

QU Snow participated in Community Action Project’s (CAP) Halloween party in the Fall. The club ran a table where kids could make a craft.

“Community service is important because it provides students and members to actively help the community in which they live,” Bunting said.

Last October, QU Snow also had a concert which featured QU student Jack McNamara, a member of the band ZooCore. Other bands that performed were First Aid Kit and the Ames Curve.

Over 150 people attended the free concert. The club is now considering whether or not to make the concert a yearly event.

QU Snow also has two upcoming trips this semester. On Feb. 27, the group will head up to Vermont to ski and snowboard at Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow. The following week, members will be heading back to Vermont to go to Sugarbush Resort.

The group will be in the student center collecting deposits for the trips on throughout the week. The deposit for Okemo is $45, approximately $35 for Sugarbush.

QU Snow will also be selling sweatshirts next week.

Currently, there are two open positions on the club’s e-board.

“We work as a group because this is our first year as a real club,” Bunting said.

There are over 300 active members in QU Snow.

“All the trips the club takes are always very successful and fun,” Bunting said, “but the club’s spring break trip to Whistler, British Columbia was probably one of the best trips,”

Bunting feels that despite the classic battle between skiers and snowboarders, both can unite in QU Snow.

“QU Snow brings people together in the common interest of sports,” she said, “and it proves that both skiers and snowboarders can be friends; there are no differences between the two groups.”

For information about QU Snow, direct e-mails to [email protected].