Club Fair Attracts Crowd
Allison AndersonCutrightCisneros
Issue date: 9/16/09 Section: News
The voices of enthused students and the scraping of tables on the floor beat out the cacophony of cicadas in the trees outside the Activity Center at 6:45 p.m. on Sept. 2. Students were already turning up, despite the clear message that the Activity Fair was to start at 7:00 p.m. Nobody complained.
Active club members were busy talking to possible newcomers about why each one of them would have a great time in their respective clubs. This was a daunting task, since 115 clubs registered to appear that night. However, not all clubs were present. Empty tables sat forlornly as students rushed by to be treated to individual attention. Many clubs promised excitement, from hang-gliding club to sword fighting club, as lists of recruits scribbled their names on sign-up sheets and pens bandied back and forth across the tables.
The atmosphere in the room was akin to the Barnum effect: there was a little something for everyone. The offers of belly-dancing, archery, running, Riddle fastpitch, gamers, women in aviation, black box, and the Hawaii club were all packed into the room that night -- just to name a few. There was an unofficial contest between the anime club and the mile high airsoft team for best display. The anime club's table featured an explosion of color in their arrays of DVD's, manga, posters, and knick-knacks. Potential candidates were hypnotized by the booths and engaged in talk with very excited club officials. The mile high airsoft team grabbed people's attention with its exhibition of big guns and camouflage gear. The long barrels of airsoft guns sat as innocently as weapons could on the table as the members explained exactly what it is they do on Saturdays. Most clubs engaging in what could be categorized as a "high risk activity" put safety first and fun second. Though the former sometimes necessitates a prompt to be added, the latter is the reason these potentially high-risk clubs were swarmed with students.
There was some confusion that night. There were several mixed martial arts clubs which brought up the question as to why they didn't band together. This question was not answered, but all shared the same vision. Each wanted to teach people mixed martial arts in a Socratic style.
All the clubs want to do want to share information with their members and welcome new members and ideas into their respective activities. All majors were welcome to join any of the clubs. However, some clubs, such as the International Society of Air Safety Investigators, targeted specific students. Most, though, were happy to accept students studying any major. They want enthusiasm and diversity. It's probably why the Society of Physics Students had shirts on the table with quotes mentioning sex by Richard Feynman.
People were laughing and chatting once the event hit full swing. Taco Bell bags were stashed under the tables as some of the clubs ate a late dinner. The energy might have waned, but every once in a while, the announcer would get on the microphone and pick a new raffle winner, stirring up the crowd once more. It was impossible to focus on any one thing with all of the surrounding activity.
Active club members were busy talking to possible newcomers about why each one of them would have a great time in their respective clubs. This was a daunting task, since 115 clubs registered to appear that night. However, not all clubs were present. Empty tables sat forlornly as students rushed by to be treated to individual attention. Many clubs promised excitement, from hang-gliding club to sword fighting club, as lists of recruits scribbled their names on sign-up sheets and pens bandied back and forth across the tables.
The atmosphere in the room was akin to the Barnum effect: there was a little something for everyone. The offers of belly-dancing, archery, running, Riddle fastpitch, gamers, women in aviation, black box, and the Hawaii club were all packed into the room that night -- just to name a few. There was an unofficial contest between the anime club and the mile high airsoft team for best display. The anime club's table featured an explosion of color in their arrays of DVD's, manga, posters, and knick-knacks. Potential candidates were hypnotized by the booths and engaged in talk with very excited club officials. The mile high airsoft team grabbed people's attention with its exhibition of big guns and camouflage gear. The long barrels of airsoft guns sat as innocently as weapons could on the table as the members explained exactly what it is they do on Saturdays. Most clubs engaging in what could be categorized as a "high risk activity" put safety first and fun second. Though the former sometimes necessitates a prompt to be added, the latter is the reason these potentially high-risk clubs were swarmed with students.
There was some confusion that night. There were several mixed martial arts clubs which brought up the question as to why they didn't band together. This question was not answered, but all shared the same vision. Each wanted to teach people mixed martial arts in a Socratic style.
All the clubs want to do want to share information with their members and welcome new members and ideas into their respective activities. All majors were welcome to join any of the clubs. However, some clubs, such as the International Society of Air Safety Investigators, targeted specific students. Most, though, were happy to accept students studying any major. They want enthusiasm and diversity. It's probably why the Society of Physics Students had shirts on the table with quotes mentioning sex by Richard Feynman.
People were laughing and chatting once the event hit full swing. Taco Bell bags were stashed under the tables as some of the clubs ate a late dinner. The energy might have waned, but every once in a while, the announcer would get on the microphone and pick a new raffle winner, stirring up the crowd once more. It was impossible to focus on any one thing with all of the surrounding activity.
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