Now’s the time to join the ranks.
The annual Student Activities Fair, a gathering of campus groups that spans throughout Norris University Center’s main and second floors, is today from 4 to 7 p.m.
More than 165 student groups will be represented, including clubs, sports, volunteer organizations, religious groups, and theater and music groups. The event, sponsored by Associate Student Government, will cover two-thirds of Norris.
The fair is open to any recognized organization on campus, and is a comprehensive venue for freshmen to first meet leaders of various student groups.
“It’s the largest congregation of student organizations on campus the entire year,” said Nicole Mash, ASG executive vice president. “It gives students an opportunity to join organizations, and for freshmen, it gives them the opportunity to be introduced to these groups for the first time.”
The fair usually is held before classes begin and is aimed toward freshmen. But this year it is being held after the first week of classes.
Mash said the later time this year gives the whole undergraduate community an opportunity to attend.
ASG expects between 800 and 1,000 students, based on numbers from previous years, said Mash, a Weinberg senior.
Student group leaders said they look forward to meeting freshmen and attracting them to their organizations.
“It’s my goal to attract freshmen to the many opportunities that we provide,” said Ariel Schwartz, co-chairwoman of Hillel Cultural Life’s Social Action group. “We give an outlet for all students to volunteer or take on leadership roles while working with fellow Jewish students.”
To guarantee a spot in Norris, group leaders had to submit online applications to ASG by May 29.
Freshmen also said they look forward to meeting members of various organizations and seeing what each group has to offer.
“There are so many things that happen at Northwestern that I don’t know a lot about,” said Kevin Nix, a Weinberg freshman. “It’s a chance to learn about many different activities at one time.”
Others said they want to expand their horizons beyond the confines of high school opportunities.
“I was involved in a ton of extracurricular activities in high school,” said Kelly Dougherty, a Weinberg freshman. “I like to keep busy and I know (NU) offers so much more than my high school.”
Dougherty said she is interested in exploring opportunities in sports, art and community service.
“High school only has a limited number of things they can offer,” she said. “At college there are so many different activities that we can try out and then see what we like.”
