About

It is said that history becomes tale and tale becomes legend in the goings and passing's of time. Thus the knowledge of how this world began is only left to the cold stone that incases the dinosaurs, and to the duckbilled platypus that stands as the greatest of God's creations. Many years ago, when the earth was still young, there stood here merely a cold and decrepit wasteland. A lonely forest university trapped in a self-induced lullaby without joy or enthusiasm; just the thought of recurrence and stability.

In the year 1999, two figures emerged from the woodlands to stand tall amongst the peers of the forest. Where they came from, or who they truly were, has been long lost to the sands of time. The two heroes of our legend have merely been remembered by their adopted names: Dan and Lan.

Together they rallied the lost souls of Bloomsburg University into a new front that has stood the test of time these past years. Dan became the intrepid President, wielding his mighty pen of doom to overcome the hoards of paperwork plaguing the poor otaku trapped without a means to satisfy their fandom. Lan became the beacon of hope and Vice President, rallying the troubled otaku as they struggled through the early years of strife and keeping the peace in the meetings. Together with the oppressed otaku of years past, they formed a new body: Bloomsburg University Manga and Anime Club (BUMAC).

BUMAC can be described in one of many one-sentence explanations:
“Dan is a tool.” – Lan (Former Vice President and Founding Member)
“I am not the whipping boy anymore I am the President darn you!” – Tim ‘Spazzy’ (Former President)
"If you hang out after club you get to talk about anime, and politics, and movies, and how much George Bush sucks" - Andrew "Weasel of the Moon" (Former Treasurer and Freshmen Rep.)
“Anime club was a fascinating mish-mash of social activity and visual entertainment.” – Mikey (Former member and One of the Circle of Wanderers)
“We're not cheap, were fiscally conservative.” - Eric "Bob" (Former President and Treasurer)
“Oops, I forgot about that!”- Eric "Bob" (Former President and Treasurer)
"I am the prettiest little princess." - "Sec." Ryan (Former President and Secretary)
"Let them try it! They'll end up living in a box under my bed." - Erika "God" (Former Vice President and Treasurer)

BUMAC is the largest organized concentration of otaku, gamers, and live-action Asian film enthusiasts in the Columbia County area of Pennsylvania. In addition to our standard two meetings per week during the regular academic year, once a semester we typically host one whole-day event of non-stop anime and gaming that has come to be called our "Film Festival". This Film Festival usually includes multiple "tables" of anime watching, divided by genre. In more recent years, it has come to include a large gaming section, which includes competitive tournaments and free-play. During these events, we always provide free light refreshments and are always open to the public. It's always a fabulous time! If you can't always make it to a regular meeting, be sure not to miss this event!

To help keep our insanity in check, and to provide the administrative guidance we want and love, we have the two greatest faculty advisors any club could ever dream of having: Doctors Jeff E. Long and Doug Karsner. Doctor Long is a member of the History Department and specialized in Asian studies and militarism. Doctor Karsner is also a member of the History Department and specializes in business, economic, urban, and diplomacy studies. In addition to these specialties, Doctor Karsner also maintains a great interest in Asia. Both of these spectacular individuals have helped us through paperwork, have provided occasional historical and informational talks on certain important anime, and have backed us up in whatever we've ever needed. Without them, much of what we do at BUMAC would not be possible, and we will always be grateful for the effort both of them have put into this organization.

The people who have taken up the mantle once worn by the heroes Dan and Lan and lead us every year out of the trenches our elected in a democratic manner. Once elected, the "lucky-four" get to break their backs in the fight for love and justice. Making posters, drafting attendance charts, booking rooms, keeping up a webpage, doing newsletters and podcasts, [crossout]bribing[/crossout] meeting University officials, [crossout]burning[/crossout] providing detailed meeting records for the archives. There are no limits to the commitment these individuals have, or to the lengths they will go to keep this club going!

Since that first Fall semester of 1999 the otaku of Bloomsburg University and BUMAC have come a long way. We have gone through times of joy and sadness, friendliness and civil war, gain and loss. Like the mythical leaders of old that have long left this campus, members have come and gone in every method. Members have been graduated from this university, become productive members of society, moved on, or have simply drifted away. Members have come from all genders, races, majors, occupations, and backgrounds. The characters have come and gone, but those who have left will never be forgotten. No matter the change in people, or the scrambling, forced room-changes every so often between every polar spot and miniature-hell of campus, in the end BUMAC has remained a good-old group of guys, girls, and its that are always ready to come together for one thing that unites them: otakudom. Much has changed, but one thing remains constant: the club and its rabid otaku fandom are still here.

I hereby invite you to join us for a night of fun and camaraderie at Bloomsburg University Manga and Anime Club.

2008 Revised Version By: Max (President 2008-2010, Secretary 2007-2008)
2005 Original Version By: Heather (Vice President, 2004-2005)