Outside the classroom, Iona students can join more than 75 campus clubs, including about 10 fraternities and sororities. Student athletes can play at the recreational level or try out for the Iona College Gaels varsity sports teams, which compete in the NCAA Division I Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Gaels are people with Irish-Gaelic ancestry, such as the Congregation of Christian Brothers, who founded Iona College in 1940.
Spandex is a synthetic or man-made fiber manufactured from polyurethane. It is lightweight, highly stretchy and elastic, strong, durable, and non-absorbent to water and oils. First produced in the United States in 1959 by DuPont, it was marketed under the trademarked name Lycra.
A still more popular use of polyurethane in textiles is in the form of spandex, also known as elastane or by DuPont's brand name Lycra. Polyurethane fibers in the form of spandex can stretch up to 600% and still return to their original shape. Spandex is spun with other fibers, such as cotton, nylon, or polyester, to create stretchable fibers essential for clothing for both sports and fashion.