This fall semester, Butch’s Baking Club was established on campus, and is centered on socializing with peers and making baked goods.

The club meets at 6 p.m. every first and third Thursday of each month in the Northside Residence Hall lobby kitchen.

The idea for the club was conceptualized during last year’s spring semester, founding President Amy Baer-Peckham said.

After coming up with the idea for Butch’s Baking Club, Baer-Peckham went through Registered Student Organization training with WSU to prepare to be the president of a club.

The biggest challenge she faced while trying to create the club was finding an adviser, Baer-Peckham said. After receiving the necessary training, finding an adviser and choosing a place for the meetings to be held, Butch’s Baking Club was ready to go.

Without any additional advertising besides a page on CougSync, the club was surprised to have such a large and consistent turnout of students, Baer-Peckham said.

“I am so happy we have people who actually walk all the way from the south side of campus to come to our club,” Baer-Peckham said.

The club currently has 27 members and is increasing every week, Baer-Peckham said.

James Pearson, junior club member, also spoke about how impressed he was with the turnout of club meetings. The first year for clubs tends to be the hardest, because they struggle to maintain a consistent number of members, Pearson said.

However, Butch’s Baking Club hasn’t encountered this issue, Pearson said. Pearson is also a member of the Anime club, and has been baking since his childhood.

The purpose of Butch’s Baking Club is to bring together people who are looking for something to do on campus and are interested in baking, Baer-Peckham said. It’s important to find a group of friends on such a large campus, she said.

Butch’s Baking Club hopes to eventually get more involved with the community, and host fundraisers for charities of their choosing, Baer-Peckham said.

Some of the plans for the near future are a conjoint fundraiser with the Anime Club, and possibly a cake decorating class for Mom’s Weekend, Baer-Peckham said.

Butch’s Baking Club is a laidback and relaxing environment, ideal for meeting a diverse group of people, Pearson said. There’s a misconception that baking is a solitary activity, and it doesn’t have to be, Pearson said.

“My hope is that they can take the skill of being able to bake and apply it to friends and family,” Pearson said.

Butch’s Baking Club is currently free and all the required items are paid for out-of-pocket by Baer-Peckham. There are plans to initiate a member fee of $5 to $10, but a set amount hasn’t been agreed upon yet, Baer-Peckham said.

Butch’s Baking Club also requires no previous baking experience. This helps encourage everyone who is interested to come try it out, even if they have never done it before, Baer-Peckham said.