Nerd Central is one of the few organizations that has grown little by little. It revolves around fun and acceptance and is a safe space for the students to be themselves. Providing a community for gamers and movie buffs, members get to share their interest with everyone.

This is one of many clubs and organizations that offer students at Texas Wesleyan the opportunity to participate in and doing what they love.

Ever since the beginning of this fall semester, Nerd Central has put effort into providing fun and entertainment for its members to enjoy.

Nerd Central’s current president, Gloria Cabral said, “We were met with unprecedented circumstances and we’re trying to make the best of this bad situation. So hopefully…at least this month we will definitely get more of a grasp of what we do.”

Currently, the team is facing some obstacles when it comes to communication. In order to comply with the safety regulations of the campus, the team uses Discord, which is a third-party chat server initially used for gaming, to communicate with their members.

According to Nerd Central’s adviser Elizabeth Howard, she tries to communicate to her fellow members to keep them informed but to also hear what they have to say. “…It seems kind of spotty because you know everybody’s in their own place and trying to figure things out. But we kept up in Discord every so often. I’ll send out like ‘hey how’s everybody doing type of message….” Even if it limits some of their activities such as playing board games or watching a movie in the same room, it does not stop the group from interacting virtually.

Although everything is now online, Nerd central members have found ways to engage with each other. Some engagements include online gaming, streaming movies, or just having a conversation on Discord.

They collaborate with other organizations such as the E-Sports club and the Library to host events. Primarily form gaming such as virtual or classical board games.

Even though members are not able to share experiences side by side, they still find ways to forget about their worries from all that is going on while enjoying themselves and making friends in the process.

Nerd Central takes care of its members, just as it always since it was first founded in 2011. This organization was first created as a way to share similar interests with everyone.

Nerd Central’s treasure Azeez Akande describes it as a place for “…enjoying pop/geek culture with fellow ….” This organization was created to give the students a safe space to freely express their interests without judgment and do what they love with others who can do the same.

However, not many people know that it was not named originally Nerd Central. Alonzo Reed was a student at Texas Wesleyan who came up with the original title The Philosopher’s Lounge.

This name was too confusing to other students because it wasn’t a philosophy course. It was not until later in 2016 that the name was changed to Nerd Central. “I think that was just his way at his philosophy of it was, Philosophe’s Lounge it was like his way of life.” said Howard.

Nerd Central is there to help students have fun and get away from the pressures of college life. They hold events and activities to help their fellow members have fun and forget about the weight of negativity, especially when finals come around the corner. As Cabral stated, “If any

members are available, we’ll be more than happy to talk with people who are really stressing out and try to be as helpful as we can.”

Nerd Central welcomes newcomers. “It’s the place to come and be with people with similar interests and relax and destress and play games or watch a movie or anything, and we are always welcome to people with new things.” said Howard.

“If they want to join an organization where they can explore and be introduced to different parts of pop culture while having the chance to play games and build connections with like-minded people of interest, this is the perfect program for them.” said Akande.

If anyone is interested in joining this organization, you can find them at Texas Wesleyan’s Ram Space website at https://txwes.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/nerd_central .