January 23, 2018
Olivia Langley
They’ve figured out their class schedule and bought books, signed up for a meal plan and found a shorter way to commute to campus. Now, students might be wondering how they can get involved at UCCS outside out of the classroom.
Student Life and Leadership will host the Spring Club Fair on Jan. 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Berger Hall. Students will have the opportunity to meet members from clubs and organizations on campus and participate in a grand prize drawing at the event.
According to Krystal Schiffelbein, coordinator of Student Clubs, Organizations and Leadership programming, Club Fair has been around for over a decade.
The fair is held during the spring and fall semester. More students attend the event in the fall, but the spring event has seen an increase in participants as well, says Schiffelbein.
“[Spring Club Fair] has grown considerably. Last year we had a little over capacity, and I anticipate growing even more from there. This is partially because we have more clubs on campus, but also clubs want to do more recruiting in the spring,” says Schiffelbein.
At last spring’s club fair, over 380 students came to the event, according to Schiffelbein.
Although the current numbers for the club fair are tentative, senior communication major Angel Tran, club involvement specialist, expects to see between 70 and 80 clubs at the event. There are 190 total clubs and organizations at UCCS.
Sophomore communication major Kathryn Dowell, president of Spectrum, an LGBTQ community club, says that Club Fair is a good opportunity to give clubs exposure and involve more students.
“The club fair gives us a platform to talk with students. A lot of students don’t know we have an LGBTQ club. It gives us the exposure we need in order to get through to people,” she says
Doell was first introduced to Spectrum during a club fair.
“I went [to Spectrum’s booth] and knew that that was what I wanted to join. I started going to the meetings ever since,” she says.
Freshman biomedical science major Gwendolynn De Graaf, president of the Figure Skating Club , says that Club Fair also helped to spread awareness of her club on a larger scale.
“Club fair tremendously helped because we did not have a lot of people at first,” says De Graaf.
“It helped us put the club out there to so many people. [Students] were able to know we were there and that ‘hey this is a new club, this is what we’re about, and we’re excited’.
Schiffelbein agrees that the opportunity is the reason students continue to come back. She believes that not only do the clubs benefit from this event, but students are also given the chance to discover their interests and pursue their passions in a club with other like-minded peers.
“Coming off the survey results we got in the fall, we have quite a few students that come through and organizations appreciate being able to talk to them. They (clubs) have the opportunity to offer their places to students,” said Schiffelbein.
Students have also expressed in their interest in forming new clubs on campus. According to Schiffelbein, 10 to 15 new clubs apply for official club status in the spring.
“We currently have three clubs who have applied this semester. The new club application is open until March 2, so we’ll probably see more clubs open even after the club fair,” Schiffelbein said, “
The excitement for this year’s spring club fair has already began, according to De Graaf.
“I’m most looking forward to connecting with people. It’s always exciting to possibly get new members, and I really love the aspect of all the clubs connecting with each other and sharing their passion,” she says.
“Having people interested in your club is really fun and that’s always really exciting. I enjoy seeing everybody that’s proud of what they’ve created and what they’re doing.”
For more information on Spring Club Fair, contact [email protected].