Ohio University now has its own chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance, an international organization that unites fans and encourages them to make a difference.
Aliza Ali turned to the boy who lived in the cupboard under the stairs on 4 Privet Drive as an escape after an awful middle school experience.
“For me, (Harry Potter) was my fall back,” said Ali, a freshman studying pre-professional biology and special studies in theology. “I feel like it’s a symbol of me making it through. That’s why I keep it so close. Every time I look back at it, I realize I’m going to go through something rough like that again, and I will come out OK.”
Ali arrived on campus in the fall and was surprised to see a lack of Harry Potter clubs besides the Quidditch Club, which combines football, hockey and soccer to recreate the sport popularized by the Potter universe.
“I’m not sporty,” she said with a laugh.
To fulfill her desire and create another option for Harry Potter fans, Ali started the Ohio University chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance, an international organization that combines a love for the fantasy series with activism. HPA has more than 275 chapters in 25 countries and in 43 U.S. states.
“It’s just a common interest to start off with that so many different types of people like Harry Potter for so many different reasons,” said Erik Schoeppner, OUHPA’s adviser and a library support associate and the overnight supervisor at Alden Library. “People of all walks of life are brought together with a common interest and then, on top of that, can go out and do good.”
Ali said the plan is to localize the international HPA campaigns to Athens and give half the profits to the national campaigns and the other half to local charities.
HPA has created dozens of social justice campaigns, from marriage and LGBTQ equality to economic inequality, since its inception in 2005. “Not in Harry’s Name” is a current campaign that successfully pushed Warner Bros. to use fair-trade certified cocoa sources to make its Harry Potter-brand chocolate by the end of 2015.
The Accio Books campaign is an annual book drive that has collected more than 53,000 books since 2009.
In addition to the campaigns, OUHPA will also serve as a Harry Potter fan club with different themed meetings, such as Pottermore, Wizard rock and A Very Potter Musical, each week.
Even with many hours put into the planning process for this new organization, the first meeting wasn’t very fruitful as only one person, besides the executive board members, came. The execs immediately attributed the lack of attendance to advertising issues.
“It’s impossible to print posters, advertise, etc. without funding, and it’s a stressor on out-of-pocket expenses,” Ali said.
Jesse Neader, coordinator of student organizations, said he was surprised to hear about OUHPA’s initial membership issue but added even very niche interest groups, like the Smash Team, which plays retro Nintendo games, find their footing.
“There is hope. You just have to find those people,” he said. “And oftentimes, it takes more than a few weeks. You can’t just put out fliers. You need to do the legwork.”
Contacting other student organizations and the Campus Involvement Center, chalking sidewalks and classroom boards, Neader said, can help get the word out.
OUHPA is already stepping up to do more than its social media presence. It tabled outside Baker University Center on Tuesday afternoon where passersby could get their photo with the Sorting Hat. They also have a “Free Dobby, Free Pizza” meeting planned for Thursday in Baker 231.
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