By Amanda Valentovic ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR
If you’re feeling nostalgic and looking for a way to relive kindergarten, don’t worry – Hofstra’s coloring club, In the Lines, has you covered.
On Thursday nights at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Center, you can grab a coloring page and some crayons and join the coloring club for stressbusters.
“I always really liked coloring and it always relaxed me,” said In the Lines President Elisabeth Diana. “So I thought making a club out of it would be kind of cool.”
The club, which started last year, has always meant to be stress-free for members.
“We figured it was a low-key club,” said Vice President Zack Davis. “The whole point is to destress while you’re there.
“Members can come to a meeting and unwind after a long day,” said Treasurer Lauren Gulldner. “They don’t have to worry about their homework or finals or anything else.”
At around 30 current members, In the Lines is continuing to grow every week. “Because it’s so low maintenance, we see new people every meeting,” said Gulldner. “It’s always good to meet them and have fresh faces every week.”
In addition to hosting their own events, as well as events with other clubs on campus, In the Lines also does a lot of community outreach work. “We went to a nursing home for Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients this past month and we colored with them,” Diana said. “With Alzheimer’s, a good way to help them remember things is to color, so we spent time with them.”
The club wants to work with the young in addition to the old. They’re planning trips to children’s hospitals this fall to share their love of coloring with kids. “We’re going to have a Halloween party with them, so we’re going to bring them goodie bags with coloring stuff in them and color with [the kids] for a while,” Diana said. In the Lines is planning to go on a similar trip around Thanksgiving time. “This semester we’re definitely more into going places and getting things done,” Diana said. “Last semester was just starting off and getting our name out there.”
So what is it about coloring that gets so many people excited?
“It’s so different than sitting in the library and doing homework,” said Gulldner. “You can just sit and color and talk with your friends.”
“It’s also something everybody can do,” said Diana. “You just come and scribble on a piece of paper and you did a great job.” Students who go to meetings can choose designs to color that range from complicated adult coloring book pages to Disney pictures.
“Everyone loves the classic Disney ones,” said Davis.
And if abstract art is more your style, that’s okay, too.
“There’s no judgement,” said Diana. “We say we’re In the Lines, but it’s really ‘Out of the Lines’ because you don’t have to color in the lines.”