On Wednesday, September 2, Penn State Brandywine hosted its annual Student Involvement Fair on Common Paths to kick-start the new semester.
This event is a student favorite, as it showcases the organizations the campus has to offer and gives students the opportunity to start their own clubs. This year, organizers say the fair was a massive success with more than 40 organizations represented to make students aware of the vast variety of clubs available to them.
Behind the scenes helping the event come together is Stephanie Jones, the Associate Director of Student Affairs at Brandywine. This is Jones’ third Involvement Fair, and she worked to make it a fun experience for those who attended.
“This semester we tried something a little different and reached out to a few local agencies to see if they were interested in participating,” Jones said. “This gave students the opportunity to also get involved with the local community. This year we had the Delaware County SPCA, Tyler Arboretum, Coatsville Kids to College, Rocky Run Volunteer Fire Company, City Team and the Delaware County Public Transportation Management Authority.”
Over the years, it is additions like these that make students excited about the fair and want to get involved. According to Jones, this semester’s Involvement Fair was the most popular one to date, especially when it came to students starting their own clubs.
“We had some new groups express interest in becoming an active student organization including yoga club, app club, veteran’s club, black student league, self defense club and the Latino club,” said Jones.
Established groups on campus benefit from the Involvement Fair as much as newcomers. With more than a hundred new sign ups and the opportunity to raise awareness for great causes, the fair truly makes a difference, according to Liz Gramlich, the President of Brandywine Benefitting THON.
“It completely rebuilds our team for the year,” Gramlich said. “Without it we would not have nearly as many people involved. This year we were also able to do an awareness activity, which really got the word out.”
Whether you’re joining an existing organization or creating your own, the Involvement Fair is a great place to start. Being apart of something on campus provides students with a sense of community that helps make your time here all the more memorable. For more information on how you can get involved, stop by Student Affairs in Commons.
Lion’s Eye Staff Writer
Brooke Byrne, bzb5183@psu.edu