The idea first came to him during his freshman year at SmartStart. There were four people in his class who shared the same name. They all sat together in the same row.
The longer he spent at Southern, junior computer science major Jonathan Batchelder continued to meet more and more students who shared his name. So, he decided to start a club.
“I just wanted a community of Jonathans to get together and have fun,” Batchelder said. “There is no specific goal, but there is room for growth.”
According to the Southern directory, there are 52 students named Jonathan. Batchelder contacted all of them via email with an invitation to the club.
Out of the 52, 10 showed up for the inauguration meeting, which consisted of eating cake and rice krispies while getting to know each other. They also bought a shirt with the club’s motto imprinted on it: “One Jonathan for all, all Jonathans for one.”
Despite the name, however, the Jonathan Club welcomes people of all names.
“Anyone can become an honorary Jonathan and be part of the club,” said Jonathan Ziesmer, a sophomore majoring in computer science. “All you have to do is buy a shirt.”
Shirts cost $15. The Jonathan club is the first club on campus based off of a name, but it is not a club officially affiliated with Southern.
“It [the Jonathan Club] is something ridiculous but it lightens people up,” said Jonathan Shephard, a junior biology major. “It brings a smile to people’s faces.”
To find out more about the club, email Batchelder at jonathanbatchelder@southern.edu.
Image credit: Delano Mattox