Marquette has over 270 student clubs and organizations. However, there are no clubs that cater to students who are into pop culture, such as an anime or comic book club. These would serve as spaces of representation for students who have these interests.
I was shocked to see this last semester while looking for clubs and organizations to join. Other colleges that I have been to had clubs and organizations like this that I joined, so I assumed that Marquette would also have them.
Various aspects of geek and nerd culture have deep ties to Gen Z and typical college-aged people. A 2024 study revealed that 58% of Gen Z identify as being interested in pop culture. This includes movies, shows, video games, comics, anime and more. This makes sense considering that hugely successful pop culture properties like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Halo,” “Harry Potter,” “Naruto,” Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” films, “Teen Titans” and Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” films were released between the late 90s and late 2000s.
Gaming is also a very popular hobby, especially when it comes to Gen Z. A 2025 study showed that over 74% of the U.S. Gen Z population play digital video games. A video game club would be a fun space for students who are gamers to connect in. Tournaments for competitive games like “Mortal Kombat,” “Dragon Ball FighterZ,” “Super Smash Bros.,” “Street Fighter” and “Tekken” could be held for cash prizes or other rewards. This would make campus life more fun.
Comics may not be as popular as they once were, but they are still being read by fans today. A 2024 study revealed that 83% of the reading base of Webtoon, a popular digital comic platform, consisted of Gen Z fans. It was also shown that 59% of Gen Z readers prefer graphic and visual versions of stories over text-only versions. Graphic novels fit right into this category. A book club for students that enjoy comics and graphic novels would be a great way to foster connections amongst geeky bookworms. Discussing the latest issues in specific series and having club read-alongs are examples of potential club activities.
Anime has become increasingly popular in recent years. It is especially popular with Gen Z and typical college-aged students. A 2024 survey showed that 42% of Gen Z participants watched anime weekly while only 25% watched the NFL. Considering how popular the NFL is, this statistic may come off as surprising. Students with anime merch and apparel can be seen all over Marquette’s campus.
Marquette could have an anime club that allows student anime fans to gather and bond over their love for the medium. Potential activities include watching anime, discussing anime-related news, doing trivia and cosplay competitions.
Marquette student Gabby Shoulders advocated for this when asked about her thoughts on a potential Marquette anime club.
“Marquette prides themselves on having a space for everyone to feel included,” said Shoulders. “Integrating an anime club for students would build a sense of community that is needed for those who have a strong connection in this interest.”
Anime Milwaukee is an annual three-day anime convention that serves as Wisconsin’s largest anime convention. Since Marquette is a notable school, permitting an anime club in addition to potentially collaborating with Anime Milwaukee to host on-campus events while they are in town would do wonders for putting a huge spotlight on this part of the Marquette community. It could also bring more potential students to campus.
Marquette already does a great job with providing students with various ways to enjoy campus life but can do even better. Being apart of nerd and geek culture is a highlight of life. It would be great if students had school-sanctioned outlets for these passions.
This story was written by Christopher Hayden. He can be reached at christopher.i.hayden@marquette.edu.
