The Student Involvement Fair gathered many IU organizations, including many groups and clubs for the Black community, Thursday in Dunn Meadow to encourage new and returning students to get involved outside of the classroom.
Both organizations and students were excited after the pandemic paused many in-person events at IU. Last year, the Involvement Fair was held on Zoom.
Organizations related to greek life, community service, leadership training and personal hobbies were present at the yearly event. Included in the fair were organizations for the Black community.
Black Student Union’s goal is to create a home away from home for other Black students. They strive to improve the quality of life for Black students and give them a sense of community on a predominantly white campus.
BSU members said they were most excited to work with incoming freshmen for the Freshman Action Team, which is a group of freshman leaders whose purpose is to become informational resources for BSU.
Another organization geared toward Black students is You See Me. The group is run by Black women at IU and was founded in 2019.
You See Me’s goal is to cater to the mental health of women of color and create a safe space to communicate what Black women go through. They host group discussions on various mental health topics not often discussed in the Black community, such as tramautic experiences, sexual assault and anxiety.
“We are most excited about our field day we are having with Campus, Curls & Coils, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity,” Ashley Akin, IU junior and You See Me e-board member, said. “This is just a day for us to de-stress during the school year and have a bunch of games.”
The Tau Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, was also in attendance to increase campus awareness of historically Black greek letter organizations.
The purpose of this chapter is to cultivate and encourage sisterhood and service into the women who are a part of their sorority. The Ladies of the Tau Chapter put on many events throughout the year, including its first event of the year happening in September.
“We are keeping it a secret so stay tuned on our Instagram for what we have planned,” IU senior and AKA member Jayla Carr said.
Students who were unable to attend this event and want to know more about how to get involved on campus can visit the beINvolved website with over 720 different organizations listed at IU.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly referenced the Tau Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and its involvement at the fair.
