On September 19, 2017 Stockton University hosted their annual “Get Involved Fair” where many of the clubs held at the university got a table to try to recruit new students to join their club. Most of the clubs made a poster or a trifold to show what their club was all about. The fair was located in the main campus building and covered almost every wing.

As I walked through the fair, many different clubs were calling out to me and my friends. Representatives would say that we looked like we’d be interested in their club, and some clubs even said that they’d be interested in us. The atmosphere was made to help students feel like they belonged somewhere, and it definitely worked. Many students would call us over to their tables, and some club members would wait for us to approach their tables before talking to us. Each table gave a quick synopsis about what their club was about, and if we were interested we could sign up with our emails to get notifications about meetings. It was truly a great experience because even if we didn’t sign up for the specific club the members were still excited to talk to us and understood that we weren’t interested.

The fair had many clubs that were aligned with specific majors, but also ones that were not. Personally, I tried to join the clubs that interested me, and as time goes on I will determine if I joined too many or not. I wanted to experience each club at least, to make sure I make the right decision if I decide that I joined too many. I signed up to join the biochemistry club, the animal friendly club, medical research club, and S.A.V.E. club. I plan to attend the first meetings of each and see how they go. I think I’ll stay in every club though, because they all seem really cool.

I have only one complaint about the fair, and it’s not even about the fair itself, but one specific club. I don’t want to mention the club’s name because I’m sure they’re a great organization, but the girl that worked the table was not too pleasant. A friend and I were interested in the specific club at the fair, mainly because it was about raising awareness and fundraising for a disease that had impacted both of our families. In our high school we had been leaders of a club similar to this one, so we wanted to continue doing our part in helping those affected by this disease. When we approached the table, the girl was not very inviting to begin with. She was sitting on her laptop doing her homework. So my friend and I read her poster ourselves and said hi to her. We asked if there was a sign-up sheet or anything, because there was not on the table. She responded by asking us what our majors were. After answering that I was majoring in biochemistry and my friend in health sciences and physical therapy, the girl at the table responded with “oh you won’t be interested in my club then.” She shook her head, and then returned to looking down at her homework. My friend and I were appalled. This fair was supposed to help us find where we belonged, and this club that we both felt passionately about had dismissed us because of our majors. On the contrary, we found other more accepting clubs and look forward to being a part of them.

After attending this fair, I was very pleased with my decision to attend. There were so many people reaching out to others and trying to help students find their place in school. Some clubs were giving out free stuff, and most of the time they didn’t even expect anything in return. The clubs didn’t care if someone signed up or was interested in their club, they were handing things out to make others happy. There were two that stuck out to me personally. First was the faculty run table. They weren’t promoting any clubs or anything. They were handing out free pretzels and drinks, free phone accessories, pens, and lanyards. They were just letting us know about fun events coming up within the next couple of weeks and giving us free stuff. Secondly, there was the chemistry club. They were making liquid nitrogen ice cream, and were offering it to everyone walking by. Some people didn’t even stop to see what the club was about, but members of the chemistry club were okay with it. They were just trying to give people some free ice cream. It was honestly a great experience, and made me realize how great the people of Stockton really are.