Please note that this area is still under construction. Some information may be inaccurate or incomplete.
The Beginnings
Information still being compiled.
Society of Paranormal Investigations (SPI)
? - 2010
Information still being compiled.
Paranormal Investigation Society (PIS)
2010 - 2012
In 2010 John Michael Ball resurrected the club and held its first meeting at the start of the Fall 2010 semester. It was there in the 1849 room that 8-10 prospective members voted on the name Paranormal Investigation Society (PIS). Being a freshly formed club there was no base budget to access funds for trips and so funding would be an on going issue for such a small niche club. Meetings were held every Thursday night in the Carlton Room and were generally dedicated to finding places to investigate and thinking of ways to raise money for trips. By 2011 the club was able to get a $500 budget and bought its first set of equipment consisting of a couple disposable cameras, an EMF detector, and a laser thermometer. It was at this time that the club also attended one of its best trips: the Mark Twain House. Visiting the Mark Twain House for one of its Grave Yard Shift Tours set a tradition for the club. Since then the club has gone on one of these tours at least once a year.
The greatest challenge for the club was recruiting and organization. It was difficult to run a club that had no funding and was widely unknown amongst campus. Investigations were difficult to organize because most people will seek an organization for an investigation rather than the other way around. In addition it was difficult to do any investigations on campus due to strict security requirements. Due to the size of the club responsibilities rested solely on the shoulders of our four officers which made it even more difficult with school work. Despite the hardships and hurdles the club had to face, bonds were formed between members and friends were made. The small climate made the club a great place to meet unique people and share ones paranormal encounters. Many of the bonds formed during this time were long lasting and existed well into the clubs future.
Society of Paranormal Research (SPR)
2012 - Present
By 2012 the club had continued to face the many hardships that it faced since its reconstruction. Lack of funding, lack of exposure on campus, difficulty with investigations, and difficulty recruiting. After a few shifts in leadership not much had changed. The club grew to 10 active members, but consistently lost 5-8 prospective members in the span of a week or two. It was decided by the currently leadership at the time that a complete reconfiguration would be needed. This meant rebuilding the club internally from the ground up with a focus on creating organization and methodology for future members.
It was then that the Treasurer at the time, Jason Bristol, proposed changing the name of the club to the Society of Paranormal Research. Jason, who served the year before as Vice President and had been a member of the club since its first reconstruction in 2010, had become aware of the issues surrounding the club and its management and wanted to make a difference to ensure that the club could continue. His theory for changing the name was this: having investigation in the name gives prospective members the false expectation that investigations already exist and that the club just carries them out.
It was then that the Treasurer at the time, Jason Bristol, proposed changing the name of the club to the Society of Paranormal Research. Jason, who served the year before as Vice President and had been a member of the club since its first reconstruction in 2010, had become aware of the issues surrounding the club and its management and wanted to make a difference to ensure that the club could continue. His theory for changing the name was this: having investigation in the name gives prospective members the false expectation that investigations already exist and that the club just carries them out.
By changing the name the emphasis on investigations would be minimized and prospective members would have a more realistic expectation of the club. In addition the new emphasis on research paved the way for the club and its members to grow their knowledge base and justify funding in the area of paranormal research. This would allow the club to grow and educate its members so that way investigations and trips would come easier. It was also a joke among members and outside visitors that the acronym for the current name was PIS (sounds like the slang for urine). This would have to be changed to give the club a more serious image.
The club had agreed and the name was officially changed at the end of 2012. In addition Jason spearheaded revisions to the club Mission Statement, Constitution, Logo, membership requirements, leadership including several new attendant positions, and budget which would lead to his Presidency in 2013. With help from his Vice President Brian Field, Secretary Alyssa Mitchell, and Treasurer Thomas Keane the sweeping changes paid off and the club has since then over tripled in size from 10 members to 30-40 members. Its budget also increased from $500 to between $2,000 and $5,000, and it features a powerful on-line presence with integration in social media, web services, and now a website. Accompanying these changes has led to a greater exposure on campus as well as a higher frequency of club trips, co-sponsorships with other clubs, and fund raising opportunities. The club has also just recently welcomed Mrs. Kim Dumouchel as its new faculty advisor. Kim has several years of experience investigating and researching the paranormal as well as being a member of John Zaffis's Paranormal Research Society of New England. The club is now poised to do great things going into 2014 and beyond!
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