Year after year, Yellowjacket Weekend kicks off the school year with the Friday afternoon Activities Fair in Dandelion Square.
Clubs and organizations representing a wide range of interests come together, showcasing their most unique qualities and personalities as a way to inspire new students to join them.
From club sports like lacrosse and tennis, to performing art groups like Sihir Belly dancing, all UR students are given the opportunity to find their individual niche.
On the steps of Wilson Commons, performance groups are given the chance to demonstrate their skills, clearly enjoying themselves while they simultaneously showed their peers their abilities and advertise their clubs.
The groups have strategies used to bring in new members.
Some groups choose to advertise upcoming events that would give new members hands-on experiences as soon as possible.
Sophomore Rocco Porcellio of Water Polo said that his team is trying to “get people in the water right away” by competing in a tournament on Sept. 13.
Porcellio has also been making an effort to give the club a big presence on the 2017 and 2018 Facebook pages so as to “inform all students of what [the club does] and how they can get involved.”
Other groups, such as Korean Percussion Group and Radiance Dance Group, perform their routines so that students can get a feel for what to expect upon joining the group.
“One of the biggest misconceptions of [Korean Percussion Group] is that [students] think it’s only for Koreans,” Senior and President of Korean Percussion Group Jenny Kim said.
“We are trying to let them know that it’s not just for Koreans and that anyone can join. Many agree that enthusiasm is the key to obtaining new members. According to Habitat for Humanity’s Shelby Strasser, “[grabbing] interest right
away” is the key to success.
Strasser said Habitat usually gets many members to join and come to the general interest meeting, but as the semester goes on, volunteers gradually drop out. Habitat has different internal communities such as volunteer opportunities and fundraising, and students can choose to become involved in whatever fits their interests.
One of the most classic and effective methods recruitment is flyering. Group leaders walk around holding flyers and hand out small informational slips to any and all who look interested, sometimes calling out and targeting particular demographics of students.
For the entire hour and a half it is scheduled, the activities fair is bursting with activity. The energy brings all corners of UR together, reigniting old passions and helping many discover new interests.
Kanakam is a member of
the class of 2017.
