The Plattsburgh State Involvement Fair was held on Friday, Sept. 8 in the Warren ballrooms. This fair showcased over 60 clubs and organizations on campus which gave students the opportunity to discover what the PSUC campus has to offer.
This event is held every beginning of the semester to give every student the chance to get exposure to any new organizations or clubs that has recently been established on campus.
Student Organizations set up creative displays and have one or two members on site talk to visitors one on one about what their organization does on campus.
Organizations such as Steps Made Xcellent, American Marketing Association and the Plattsburgh Association for Black Journalist, The Software Engineering Club and The National Black Law Student Association got the chance to brand themselves and informed students on what they are about and what impact they are trying to leave on campus.
Step Made Xcellent performed a step routine on what is to be expected of them this semester.
“This is Plattsburgh first established strictly step team,” senior psychology major Darrlloyd Petteway said. “We created this club to give people the chance to be in a step only club.”
Some clubs offer goodies, candy and small knick knacks to encourage participation in their club.
PSUC chapter of the American Marketing Association had guest speakers on marketing careers and topics and offerred field trips to visit marketing-oriented firms.
“Entering American Marketing Association as a freshman gave me the opportunity to receive an internship,” sophomore marketing major and American Marketing Association club president Jason Ferreira said. “Our goal this semester is to instill core values into our club because last year we got off to a rocky start.”
A new semester allows club leaders to remodel the club in a way that can appeal to a range of target audiences. Plattsburgh Association for Black Journalist is committed to helping students pursue careers in journalism and communications related fields. They help students of color create and take advantage of opportunities in the media industry.
“Our goal is to establish more professionalism in our club,” junior, broadcast journalism major and Plattsburgh Association for Black Journalist President Mariam Abdallah said. “One thing that makes our club stand out is our weekly discussions, I feel like it really creates a name for our club.”
Other clubs like the Software Engineering Club used the fair to gain more exposure and appeal to people who probably weren’t aware that the club was on campus.
“We want to introduce a community for the computer science department,” computer science major, sophomore and treasurer Zach Happel said. “Our goal this semester is to have a hack-a-thon, which is a 24-hour coding competition that many other schools have.”
Some freshmen already had a mind of what they wanted to do which made participation in the involvement fair essential for them.
“I came to sign up for the Pharmacy club,” freshman biology major Ejemen Aijbedion said. “My goal for this semester is to get good grades and get involved on campus.”
Many faculty, professors and advisors encourage student participation at the involvement fair by offering extra points for their attendance at the event.
“My professor is offering extra credit to attend the fair,” said freshman and undecided major Connor Levy. “I’m happy she did because I found interest in the ski club and signed up for it.”
“All students should engage in college,” said Vice President of Student Affairs Bryan Hartman. “The involvement fair is a great way for all students to get involved. One thing to always remember is to not get over involved.”
The involvement fair was filled with a numerous amount of different clubs pertaining to different majors and focuses of interest.
“The best thing about clubs is being able to try something new and if you connect, you found something that you can enjoy while in school,” Hartman said.
Email Sasha Delva at cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
