When you’ve got an entire campus’ worth of organizations to cover, it’s understandable if some things fall through the cracks. But now that it’s our last issue, we here at Marquee feel it is time to take a look at some of the organizations we didn’t get a chance to explore the way we should have in the year proper. The three orgs below couldn’t be more different; one explores the art of comedy, one performs the art of dance and one preserves the art of nature itself. But they do share one key characteristic: they’ve all had one heck of a year, and are looking to have another great one starting next semester — one so great that we won’t be able to wait until May to talk about them again.

The Studio 013 Refugees by Matthew Reddin / [email protected]

The Studio 013 Refugees are the funniest improv comedy organization on campus. And the only improv organization on campus. But don’t worry — they’re still funny.

Formed in 1997, the Studio 013 Refugees (or Fugees, as they’re commonly known) have been bringing Marquette improv comedy on a regular basis and show no signs of slowing down in the years to come.

President Peter Ritt, a senior in the College of Communication, said the group has a pretty regular structure for the year. The Fugees start each school year with a 12-hour comedy show, and then hold workshops twice a week for students interested in joining. After a month of workshops, they hold auditions in October, bringing in as many Fugees as they need. From there, the Fugees offer one free show every month until the end of the year.

According to Ritt, a typical Fugees show begins with a large opening “game” — the Fugees commonly describe their improv in terms of “playing” games — and then is broken into short-form and long-form games. Short-form games last only a few minutes and consist of one humorous scene, whereas long-form games are a series of connected scenes held together by a common theme or idea.

Ritt said the group has been leaning toward long-form scenes over short-form over the past year. He said this style is better for them because it creates a “continuum of scenes,” which is more entertaining for the audience but more of a challenge for the performers.

“With long-form, you can’t guarantee that every scene is going to be good,” Ritt said.

John Gallagher, a junior in the College of Communication and one of Ritt’s fellow Fugees, agrees that long-form improv is best for the Fugees for now. He thinks the style epitomizes what improv is for him.

“Improv is about creating a scene,” Gallagher said. “It’s not just getting up there to say something funny.”

Tomorrow marks your last chance to catch the Fugees in their natural habitat before next year. Their annual “DinProv” show, where the audience orders which games the Fugees play from a menu, is tomorrow night at 8 p.m. in Marquette Hall 200.

SEAC by Sarah Elms / [email protected]

This year, Students for an Environmentally Active Campus played an increasingly large role in spreading environmental awareness around the Marquette community.

The organization was integral in securing single-stream recycling, which allows plastics numbers one through seven, aluminum, glass, cardboard and paper to be recycled in one collective container. SEAC member Ali Clark, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said the change has been well-received on campus.

“This helps to reduce contaminated recycling bins and allows us to recycle more types of plastics,” Clark said. “There are also more recycling containers around campus.”

Another highlight for SEAC during the 2009-2010 school year was Marquette’s first Green Week, held April 6-10. SEAC, in collaboration with MUSG and other student groups, organized forums and panels centered on sustainability and other environmental issues.

SEAC member Victor Soto, a senior in the College of Engineering, said working with so many organizations helped unite the campus in the environmental cause.

“For Marquette, it was a step in the right effort to acknowledge the campus is serious about promoting sustainability and environmental issues on campus,” Soto said. “SEAC is planning a much more elaborate Green Week for the fall.”

Two additional accomplishments that stood out this year were the inaugural Native Tree Project and the Urban Ecology Center cleanup with Marquette’s Best Buddies chapter. The Native Tree Project was developed by Beth Wilson, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, and Gail Schumann, adjunct professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, in hopes of bringing native Wisconsin trees and shrubs to Marquette’s campus.

“SEAC is proud of its successful year,” Clark said, “and looks forward to a new year with new ideas.”

Pure Dance by Erica Breunlin / [email protected]

After spending almost every week of her childhood in a dance studio, Olivia Corradin, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, was not quite ready to step off stage when she came to Marquette.

Unfortunately, without any formal dance company to join on campus, Corradin didn’t know where to take her jazz shoes or killer moves.

But in the spring of her freshman year, Corradin found her way back to the glow of the limelight with Pure Dance Marquette.

As co-founder of Pure Dance with senior Sophia Anagnos, also in the College of Arts & Sciences, Corradin started the group without fully comprehending the whole process behind it.

“It’s one of those stories,” Corradin said. “It just kind of happened. One day, our talk became filling out a form, and it became a group.”

Modeled after PURE Dance Xtreme, a student company Corradin’s sister danced under at the University of Michigan, Marquette’s equivalent has blossomed over the past three-and-a-half years as one of the premier dance groups on campus.  With a round of auditions each semester, the troupe — which performs both jazz and lyrical styles of dance — is comprised of experienced dancers of similar levels who push each other to better themselves and advance their stage presence as a whole.

“When we’re rehearsing, we’re rehearsing and doing it for a purpose,” Corradin said.

In addition to its own performances every semester, Pure Dance tries to maintain a strong image within the Marquette community, making appearances at campus-wide events like Relay for Life, Multicultural Day and Greek Life’s Dance Marathon.

Graduate student Joe Capacete, from the College of Engineering, admires the dancers’ enthusiasm and passion.  As an emcee for its last two shows, Capacete has witnessed the group’s bond up close.

“They enjoy dancing together, and you can see that through their dancing,” Capacete said.

It is this bond that has given Kristin Scalzo, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences, a reason to belong. Much like Corradin, Scalzo transitioned into college hoping she wouldn’t have to give up the one thing so much of her life had revolved around for the past 16 years.

“For so many of us who are used to getting up on the stage, it’s great to be able to do that again and share our love of dance with people at Marquette,” Scalzo said.

Within Pure Dance, she has not only excelled to the position of co-president for next year but also met some of her closest friends.

“All of them are amazing, hardworking, beautiful dancers,” Scalzo said.

And truly, it is more about the dancers than the dances.

“Everyone feels that their part in Pure makes Pure what it is,” Corradin said.