Since its formation, The Swift Society has provided students with a space to celebrate Taylor Swift’s music while building connections.
The idea to create the club began in August, when founder and president Alexa Sanders saw Taylor Swift’s engagement announcement to Travis Kelce on Instagram and called her mom to share the news.
The excitement soon evolved into a student-run campus organization dedicated to giving students a space to celebrate Swift’s art and connect with each other.
Hailey Ritter, a senior studying biological sciences, is the vice president of The Swift Society and said she saw the Instagram post and immediately took interest.
“I have loved Taylor Swift my entire life (and) I saw Alexa’s post about how she was starting a Taylor Swift club and was looking for an exec board,“ Ritter said. "I honestly couldn’t think of anybody better than myself. I just wanted to be a part of something that was growing and something that was new, and I could help build a foundation that was strong enough to where the club would last and people could have that space.”
The Swift Society welcomes all students to attend meetings or events, regardless of their familiarity with Swift’s music. Events include album-themed listening parties, movie nights, self-care, study sessions and Taylor Swift-themed presentation nights.
One of the club’s most popular events was a Taylor Swift night at The Union in January. Jenascia Carley, a junior studying psychology and treasurer of The Swift Society, said the event remains her favorite memory of the club so far.
“There were different themed drinks for the songs, there was music from every era and there was a funny little blindfolded matchup dating show,” Carley said. “We picked three contestants (to answer questions) and one person … who was listening to the answers (and) had to pick the best one, and they were Taylor Swift related questions.”
Despite these fun memories, for members, the club is more than just listening and celebrating Taylor Swift’s music. Members strive to build meaningful connections and friendships, creating a positive impact on campus.
“We (are) trying to recreate the inclusivity of the Eras Tour and make a space that (is) accessible for everybody, regardless of whether you are a Taylor Swift fan or just anybody who is looking for a group they can be themselves around,” Ritter said.
Benjamin Hart, a freshman studying integrated language arts, is an active member of The Swift Society. Hart said he was drawn to the club because he wanted to find a group that shared similar interests, and he found much more than that.
“A lot of us have hung out outside of meetings,” Hart said. “It’s gotten to the point where I consider most of the people in this club my closest friends.”
Hart said the club’s acceptance is important in a time where being a super-fan of something can potentially invite judgement.
“I feel like there’s … judgement about being a really big fan of a certain artist or liking music by a certain artist, and I feel like that stops people, even who are fans (from coming),” Hart said. “I really hope we get more people involved. With the people we have, we have a great time (and) we’re really close.”
Beyond meetings and friendships, The Swift Society also hosts philanthropy events and service projects including local adoption drives for animal shelters and collections of donated items, according to Bobcat Connect.
The club is also partnering with Her Campus OU, an online magazine created and written “for college women,” to raise funds for Planned Parenthood during Women’s History Month.
“(This is) one of our biggest things coming up,” Ritter said. “We’re partnering with Her Campus and we’re doing a Women’s History Month table event … giving out educational materials (and) condoms.”
The Swift Society is also branching out beyond Taylor Swift and hosting a listening party for Harry Styles’ new album, “Kiss All the Time, Disco, Occasionally.”
“We’re going to listen to the album together and give our thoughts,” Ritter said. “Everybody’s dressing up (in) disco themes because that’s the vibe the album is going with. We’re going to have drinks … and snacks. I think everyone’s just going to hang out, have fun (and) dance. Really anybody could come. It doesn’t matter if you like Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, just come and have fun.”
The event takes place Thursday from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. in Morton Hall Room 115.
