Club day hosted a record-high 27 clubs, which provided entertaining games and hands-on opportunities to encourage student participation, on Feb. 18 at Friendship Plaza.
“The excitement peaked at [noon],” said Atty Garfinkel, commissioner of clubs and organizations. “With 27 participants we are breaking a club day record,” she added. “Last spring we only had eight clubs show up, and in the fall we had 22.”
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., tables were set up on the East campus patio to welcome and recruit students to participate in activities and events held by campus clubs – both new and old.
Colorful signs, pamphlets and freebies made club day a loud, exciting event. Many students stopped to see what the commotion was about.
“When a member of the Students Helping Veterans club approached me, I was a little bit startled at first,” student Amanda Stowers said. “But then he explained to me what their purpose was and I signed up for their e-mail list,” she added.
The Inter Tribal Student Council was one of the most popular clubs. Its decorative booth was full of free pamphlets and jewelry for sale. Their goal is to provide an understanding of Native American people and cultures through education, said Ashleigh Brown, co-chair of the council.
“Last semester we held six events. There were documentary screenings, panel discussions, professors and the American Indian Movement,” Brown said.
Many clubs had different approaches to catch the eyes of students.
“The Auto club built a beautiful racecar just for club day, and it purred like a kitten,” Garfinkel said.
The astronomy club booth had an old telescope set up, which Professor Erin O’Connor brought in from the Natural History Museum. Club officer Caitlin Gemetti gave away prism glasses, orbit gum, sunflower seeds, star stickers and moon pies to enhance the astronomy theme. The club plans fieldtrips to the Griffith Planetarium in Pasadena, as well as NASA and JPL, club officer Jim Forsythe said.
The Student Leaders in Science club – which focuses on all sciences, technology math and engineering – is working on creating a mechanism to help the women in Rwanda who make paper beads with their hands.
“We also want to create a bio diesel project this semester, but it hasn’t been approved yet,” said club Historian Kevin Daniels.
Colorful, eye-catching flags and fliers lured people to the Queer and Ally club table.
“We talk about gay, lesbian and transgender orientations, look for rallies and protests in the community and give a comfortable place for students to come out,” Treasurer Marissa Cosil said. They meet every Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Rape Crisis Center.
The American Sign Language club gave away handouts of the sign language alphabet and promoted their upcoming events at Rusty’s Pizza, Zodo’s Bowling and Starbucks. The ASL club even collaborates with Pierce College in Oxnard, and meets at Chili’s to encourage sign language.
As club day came to an end, the East Campus patio was still the place to be. The Video Game Club continued to blast the songs of the game “Rock Band” until everyone had cleared out.
