The WSU Sport Management Club is welcoming back all students, members and executives with a meet-and-greet tonight. Club executives will be discussing the upcoming year over extra large pizzas and beverages.

While sport management students stand to gain the most from the club, Vice President AiLi Palmer said students of all majors could benefit.

“If you think about it, we’re like what, 18 to 22 [years old]?” Palmer said. “You don’t know — maybe you’ll want to switch majors.”

Club President Ashley DeSalvo said other majors often connect with sports, referencing business, communication and education. Therefore, the club is open to students of all majors. Professors in the sport management program will attend as well.

“It’s made me more comfortable, especially coming in as a freshman last year,” DeSalvo said. “I’ve gotten to know faculty, I’ve gotten to know friends. It’s so comfortable coming into class knowing your professor.”

One unique aspect of the club is the amount of networking they do, Palmer said. Members get to connect with a variety of different people in the sports industry each semester, sometimes WSU alumni.

“Not only do you get to know your professors, but you get to talk to people in the front offices,” Palmer said. “It’s an opportunity you don’t just get sitting in classes.”

The club also networks by taking weekend trips throughout the semester. This year, members will be travelling to Seattle for a tour of the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, where the Seahawks practice, as well as front office facilities of the Seattle Thunderbirds. They will be staying for a game as well.

Seattle, Spokane and Portland are some of the larger cities the club travelled to in the past for networking. To give their members options, the club sometimes votes on trips as well.

Anyone interested in joining the club can attend the meet-and-greet scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday in Cleveland Hall, Room 247. Membership, which includes a free T-shirt, is $30 annually.

Reporting by Jacob Moore