The fair, a collaboration between Union Board and Student Life and Learning during Winter Welcome Week, provided students with an opportunity to engage with student organizations during second ?semester.
Karli Hansen, graduate adviser for Student Life and Learning, said they felt good about the turnout.
“We had all the tables fill for student organizations, which is awesome,” she said.
Junior Bethany Gross stood in front of her organization’s booth, the Faculty and Staff for Student Excellence Mentoring Program. She is a lead peer mentor in the group.
She said she was happy with the flow of people at the fair this semester and that more people were able to see their booth.
“I really like the layout of this one,” Gross said.
One student felt similarly.
“I feel like it’s more spread out here,” freshman Bridget Hammans said. She had attended the fair in the fall and said this semester’s layout made it easier to ?approach the booths.
Booths for each organization were set up side-by-side across both Alumni Hall and the Solarium at the IMU.
While this location allowed more space for the booths, junior Emma Dossey said she was worried about the larger crowd. Dossey is the president of the Animal Club, which is starting its second semester on campus.
She said students could pass by some organizations they might like.
“It can make it hard if a lot of people are in front of something you’re interested in,” Dossey said.
One student organization struggled for space.
Senior Evan Spiegel, Vice President of Chess Club at IU, said, “We don’t have a table yet.”
Gross said FASE representatives were doing their best to grab students’ ?attention.
“There is a lot of competition,” she said.
Organizations used tactics such as passing out flyers and free candy at their booths to engage students.
“Last semester we had a dog,” Dossey said. “But it’s inside this semester.”
Union Board did its part to draw students in by setting up Just Dance games and a photo booth in the South Lounge.
They also hired a guitar duo, recent graduate Zander Nevitt and senior Sean McClure, to play around the booths. Nevitt said they were half of a local band, ?The Bangs.
Nevitt said they might have been hired to add ?ambiance to the fair.
“I’m trying not to come off as the dude with an acoustic guitar,” he said.
Ambiance or not, students such as freshman Sam Stegall were ready to be ?involved.
Stegall said he was looking to expand his interests this semester and be more involved with clubs related to his informatics major.
“I felt like I wasn’t doing enough last semester,” he said.
Hammans also said she was more prepared to get ?involved this semester.
“I feel like I was overwhelmed first semester,” she said. “Now that I have a handle on college in general and classes, I feel like I can get more involved.”
