Booths lined the entry to the SUB and trailed into the dining area during the club fair on Feb. 16. They displayed a range of activities and attractions from “pin the heart on the body,” to towel sculptures of elephants. The tables also bore assortments of candy and buttons scattered around to draw in any students interested in joining a club. There were multiple choices to pick from, though not all clubs were present.
The club fair was initially supposed to take place the week before on Feb. 9. However, it was cancelled when NIC closed campus due to inclement weather.
The fair bounced back, though, and drew in a moderately-sized crowd of interested club shoppers with some only window shopping and enjoying the affair, while others took more serious interest.
“I think it’s a really great idea, honestly,” said Reese Beard, 16, biochemistry major with the Chemistry Club. “It’s nice to see how many clubs there are. I’m glad they do it.”
However, she said the club fair during the spring semester just doesn’t draw in as much of a crowd or as many members as the it does in the fall.
“But it’s a good idea,” she said. “I like to see all the clubs and see what goes on.”
One of the new things going on was the debut of the new Progression Club, a place for students with a passion for positive change. Nick Dorsey, general studies, 20, and Connor Haas, political science and philosophy double major, 20, represented their new club during the fair.
“We’re pretty much a group of students that are concerned about the most recent political climate,” Haas said. “We want to do grass roots activism in order to combat that.”
They said they are most interested in topics that fall under progressive values such as environmentalism, human rights and religious tolerance. They want to take their message off campus too, by getting involved in the community and collaborating with Indivisible North Idaho, which is a larger political group working toward the same goals.
Dorsey said the club fair was great for students looking for any club to join. And he said it was great free advertising for clubs.
Haas said, “It’s a great way to be involved with everyone else on the campus.”