It’s 9 p.m. on a Tuesday night and groups of people standscattered, juggling small round balls on the roof of the DibollComplex. Two figures juggle wildly spiraling clubs, somehowcatching them and whipping them back up at the perfect second. Poi-glowing balls of color attached to long strings – twirl throughthe air. One girl attempts to balance on a board precariouslyplaced on top of a large cylinder. Shrieks of laughter echo aspeople whiz around the outskirts of the chaos on bicycles. 

This scene is a typical meeting of the Benevolent Society forthe Propagation of Assorted Tomfoolery and Other Sorts of Peculiarand Otherwise Absurd and Baffling Nonsense, commonly known as theJuggling Club. But the latter name doesn’t begin to do justice tothis zany organization. It’s really a combination of seven or eightdifferent clubs. Though it’s not too well-known around campus, its50-plus members actually make it one of the largest clubs atTulane.

“It’s always growing or shifting depending on who’s in the cluband what people feel like saying they’re in a club about,” saidsophomore Katie Field, president of the club. 

In addition to being a juggling club, the Benevolent Society isa fusion of biking, chess, gardening, science, student-givenlectures and creative writing clubs. It has a garden behind WallResidence Hall, a giant chess set, and members who are capable offixing and assembling bikes. All of these amenities are free andopen to students. It also rents out bicycles at inexpensiverates. 

“Anyone can go to any of our meetings, any of our parties, anyof our bike rides,” Field said. “The point of the club is thebenevolence factor. We offer as many fun things to do as we can tokeep people adventuring, getting involved with the city andexploring new things. We want people to be open minded.”

The Juggling Club can definitely be described as open-minded.Its members call its base philosophy “practical absurdism.” Membersparticipate in activities like knitting an outfit for a tree and”rompii” in the woods at City Park. Club leaders, who make up theParliament of Dunces, have titles such as the Ambassador to theMinistry of Siege Warfare (chess club leader) and the Head of theDepartment of Promiscuous Deeds (leader of the bike rentalprogram). 

“Each semester, we start elections by impeaching the oldpeople,” Field said. “There’s always angry yelling duringimpeachment. Everyone bickers senselessly about nothing and it hasto come to no conclusion. We’re supposed to read the constitutionbackwards, but we don’t because it’s 200 pages.” 

The club even has a mascot. 

“Eighteen years ago, the club started a cloning experiment andcrossbred my friend over there with a cat,” sophomore Andrew Wimleysaid. “He is the result of that testing.”