Student Involvement Fair returns to campus, goes green

Student groups nixed the fliers and opted instead for more eco-friendly ways to capture students’ attentions at Wednesday’s Student Involvement Fair.

This year’s fair, organized by IU Student Life and Learning, attempted to go green while encouraging students to get involved on and off campus.

New to the fair this year was a student showcase area, supported by a live broadcast from WIUX student radio. There, students could make announcements and perform live to promote their organizations.

“It’s great for people who are walking by. ... It’s a great way to draw people in from the street,” said Katelyn Thompson, senior and WIUX public relations director.

Midnight Snack Comedy performed the classic improv game “Scenes from a Hat” for a small audience in front of the WIUX booth.

Ritmos Latinos, a Latin dance organization on campus, also took advantage of the showcase area, performing a salsa dance for passers-by.

“It’s great that they did that,” said Eric Hutson, senior and member of Ritmos Latinos. “We love to be able to show people how much fun it is, so that was a really great opportunity for us.”

For this year’s fair, the IU Student Association paired up with ECO-CELL, a company aimed at reducing e-waste by buying old cell phones and other electronics from a partner hoping to raise money. IUSA set up a collection station next to its table where students could donate their old cell phones.

Once ECO-CELL buys the collected phones, proceeds will go to the Bloomington Campus Tree Restoration Fund.

The theme of sustainability showed up in subtler ways with a little help from IU’s Office of Sustainability.

“The Office of Sustainability came through and donated all of the recycling bins and containers and are helping us with the whole green effort, which is very cool,” said Tracy Teel, SLL Student Organizations and Leadership advisor. “They’re doing it for free, donating their time and energy and the containers and taking the recyclables away as well.”

The fair brought in about 230 student-run organizations, more than any previous year, Teel said. Fraternities, sororities, multicultural organizations, club sports, interest groups and student governments were all accounted for. There were about 50 IU departments in attendance as well. 

There were also about 40 community volunteer agencies encouraging students to get involved outside of campus. Indiana Blood Center drew students in with a Hawaiian-themed booth and free slushies, informing students about their partnership this year with IU Dance Marathon, whose annual fundraiser benefits Riley Hospital for Children.

“It was a natural partnership because we are the primary supplier of blood products for Riley Children’s Hospital,” said Chris Crane, who works in donor recruitment for Indiana Blood Center. “So we got together and tried to figure out, ‘How could we enhance what they do for Riley?’”

With each slushie handed out, students learned about a three-day blood drive Indiana Blood Center has scheduled to take place in late October.

The involvement fair was a success, particularly in its unofficial theme of sustainability.
“It’s going better than planned,” Teel said. “The student groups really seemed to respond to the calls for sustainability ... and that’s really cool.”