Another Semester, Another Club Fair
This past Friday, the majority of St. Lawrence University’s 150 student organizations tabled outside the Sullivan Student Center from 5-7 p.m. for the first-semester Club Fair. This annual event serves as a crucial opportunity for new and returning groups to advertise their mission to students who may be interested in joining in on club activities.
The positive energy brought by both tablers and passersby this fall made the event successful for a large number of organizations, including the Outing Club. “We had over 100 sign-ups, which was really exciting,” said Social Chair and DEI Coordinator Aoife Cunnigham ’27. “It was a lot of fun meeting the freshmen who enjoy being outside and have the same hobbies as us. I’m looking forward to seeing new faces on trips this semester.”
Macie Cunnigham ’26, president of the POWERhouse, American Chemical Society and Laurentian Singers, also remarked on the upbeat nature of Friday’s fair. “The vibes were great. Music was playing, the weather was beautiful, and everyone seemed really happy to be there,” Cunningham said. “We got a good amount of sign-ups, but I was especially impressed with the amount of people who showed interest in Laurentian Singers and POWERhouse. I think it’ll be a great year for all three of these organizations.”
“It was difficult being at a table that wasn’t in the center of all the fun, but I understand why academic groups tend to be brushed aside during an event that is really more focused on extracurriculars outside the classroom,” Cunningham added. “I also like that the student activities office groups certain clubs together, like putting all the music ensembles near each other. It encourages some friendly competition.”
As a result of this potentially challenging table organization, some clubs located on the outskirts of the fair set-up resorted to creative attention grabbers. For example, the I-House table had a “flag quiz on our desk to challenge people to label 197 countries’ flags, and we were able to gather a bunch of people to complete the challenge!” said Theme Coordinator Irem Tuana Cifcti ’27. “We nearly ran out of stickers and had so many people scan the QR code for SLU Central, so it was overall very fun and productive chatting with everyone that stopped by! Be sure to come to Tea Time on Wednesdays at 9 p.m.!”
Even organizations that reported a mediocre turnout at the Club Fair itself have managed positive first events. “We didn’t get a huge number of sign-ups [at the fair] (32 total), but we had a good number of people turn up to our first meeting, which is what’s really important,” said Alex Ferguson ’26, treasurer of SLU Democrats. “Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day, so come find us in the [Sullivan] Student Center in the evening to make sure you’re registered and learn how to request an absentee ballot.”