In the center of hundreds of clubs and organizations gathered in Dunn Meadow was a row of televisions with video game consoles and controllers. Playing the games were a group of students passionate about “Super Smash Bros.”
Students gathered Monday for the annual Student Involvement Fair. Campus clubs and organizations shared information about their programs and welcomed new members.
Students choosing to learn more about the Smash Club got to take a break from classes, converse with others who love the game and play the game on televisions brought into Dunn Meadow.
“I love playing Smash,” sophomore Joe Busky said. “I play with my friends at home, and it’s nice to have a big group here to go play.”
The club offers weekly tournaments between students. Membership is free, and no experience level is required.
“All of us are willing to help give tips,” Alex Grove, Smash Club member, said.
Both Grove and Busky have been playing the Nintendo game since they were children.
“All my friends back home are into it, so it’s a really big competitive thing with us,” Busky said.
He said he looks forward to joining the competition at IU. Grove said she enjoys how the tournament space can grow to be very fierce.
“I love beating someone that’s obviously better than you,” Grove said. “It resonates with you in a way.”
She believes the game’s ability to be played at all levels can make it enjoyable for mostly everyone.
Among the rows of students advertising their clubs, senior Anna Pusateri helped the Sweet Potato Club make its Student Involvement Fair debut.
Because she and her friends share a mutual love for the vegetable, they decided to start a club revolving around it. The club looks to bring people together by offering recipe tastings, farmers’ market visits and educational events.
“We are planning on doing a cultural event night, so getting different sweet potato recipes from all over the world and trying them all,” Pusateri said.
Educational events would provide information on the difference between yams and sweet potatoes and a glimpse at the agricultural components of the vegetable.
Pusateri’s biggest goal for the club is for people to have fun and meet new people.
“It’s about cultivating conversation,” Pusateri said.
For those who enjoy exploring, the Caving Club looks to get new members underground.
“One of our main purposes is to get people involved with this really vibrant cave community that we have here in Indiana,” said April McKay, Caving Club president.
The club, which has been around since the 1960s, takes trips to the thousands of caves located in Indiana and neighboring states. They also work on conservation projects like cave cleanups.
Kathryn Bullock, sophomore, said she is curious about what is inside the caves. While she has been on tours through Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave with her family, she said she looks forward to exploring with new people.
McKay stresses the club is open to all experience levels.
“We are happy to get beginners started,” McKay said. “We try to make those areas accessible to people and give them the skills they need to be safe underground.”
Bullock said she sees this club, as well as others at the fair, as a good way to meet new people and gain new experiences.
“I’m trying to put myself out there more to take new opportunities,” Bullock said.
