Just a year after it was created, South Dakota State University’s own Taylor Swift Society claimed the title of the biggest club on campus with its 69 members.

Created by executive board members Olivia Petrik and Emma Stalboerger, it’s the first and currently only music industry related club out of the 256 active clubs that students can join. Taylor Swift being a growing topic of conversation around the world, the Taylor Swift Society saw a boost in the number of people interested in the club.

“We’ve built a community,” said club Vice President and Secretary Emma Stalboerger. “We didn’t have that last year.”

The executive board members have noticed that they have more regular members this year, and they’re getting more comfortable around each other. With both new and returning members, the passion for Taylor Swift has never wavered. The board agreed that even without the rise in Taylor Swift’s popularity, the club still “would’ve had the same passion” with a smaller crowd.

Even with Taylor Swift Society being the only Taylor Swift related club in the state, club President Olivia Petrik knew she would find people with the same passion as her. Starting the club from scratch was difficult, but she was determined to do it.

“Getting the whole thing started from nothing is kind of a lot of work, but once we got through that, it was fine,” Petrik said.

Since then, there have been meetings including all sorts of activities, such as game and trivia nights, friendship bracelet making, watching Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour movie on Netflix, and sharing hot takes. But no matter what the activity is, newcomers can always expect “energy and fun chaos.”

“My favorite part of the club is the people and the environment,” Ainsley Plack, who has been a member of the club for a year in a half, said. “Every time I go it’s a warm and welcoming environment and a fun way to relax and bond with people, I don’t see all the time.”

Lizzy Pickering, who has been a member since the first meeting, said that her favorite part of the club is “being able to share joy in something without judgement.”

The current executive board hopes that members like Pickering and Plack will be the ones to keep the club going. That was their biggest goal for this year, and one that they’ll want to keep accomplishing in the coming years.

“The people who keep coming back is what will keep the club alive when we’re gone,” said Emma Brown, who handles public relations for the club. She was welcomed onto the executive board last spring along with Halle Whaley, the club’s treasurer.

Since it started, the club has wasted no time going big with their activities. Last fall, they held a “Midnights” listening party in the union basement. With the recent announcement of “1989 Taylor’s Version,” the club is already planning for this year’s listening party, which is set to take place in the union basement on Oct. 26. They plan to sell their newly created Taylor Swift Society shirts, along with stickers, pins, and bracelets to fundraise for it. The club will also have a float in this year’s Hobo Day Parade.

“We’re just a bunch of girls talking about something we all care about,” said Pickering. “TSS is the epitome of girlhood.”