CHLOE KOWALYK
News Editor
Bright yellow pants, colorful signs and microphones were among many eye-catching attractions SUNY Fredonia’s students used to draw attention to their clubs at Activities Night. Hundreds of students gathered in the Steele Hall Fieldhouse to showcase their favorite clubs and encourage their peers to sign up and get involved. But, with dozens of different clubs all fighting for their peers’ attention all at once, the club members had to get creative with their persuasion techniques.
Abby Goetz, a member of the campus club Enactus, donned bright yellow pants with a blue top to show off her club’s colors and attract nearby students.
SUNY Fredonia’s D&D Fellowship had a different approach, and paraded around their table with a tall sign that listed the club’s name. When interested students walked over, the club members told the students all about what D&D is and how they can get involved. “We have a good time,” said Matt Antalek, the club’s president. However, the D&D Fellowship wasn’t the only club to march with a sign.
WNYF-TV’s members took shifts walking around the fieldhouse with a large sign advertising the campus television station and the club’s social media. Members of the television station wore matching lanyards that described their names and position titles at WNYF.
The Fredonia Nerf Club stole the attention of passing students with their intricate nerf gun display. “We have a bunch of different games that we play,” said Mark Hoffman, a member of the club. Hoffman detailed a large list of nerf gun game modes that students can participate in. Abbie Horn, another club member, explained how the Fredonia Nerf Club has several different events surrounding the nerf games. This includes a “costume nerf for Halloween,” and “build nights” where members work together to recreate the abilities on their nerf guns.
For more musically-inclined students, the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) found their recruitment technique to be a live performance during Activities Night. Helen Smit, ASTA’s president said that their club is “for anyone and everyone who is interested in anything to do with string instruments.” The club has events with guest artists and speakers, they go to concerts and even have a mini orchestra to practice new string instruments. Photos of these events were depicted on a tri-fold board to show students what ASTA is all about. ASTA’s four e-board members took the stage in front of the Steele Hall gymnasium where they played an arrangement on their string instruments. While the sounds of ASTA’s live performance filled the student’s ears, so too did the members of Sound Services, a club on campus that teaches students about doing the audio and lighting at live shows.
The Sound Services team came to Activities Night fully equipped with a sound board and a microphone, which they used to advertise their club. In addition to their sound equipment, Sound Services even had a spotlight, which lit up the bleachers and ceiling above them, attracting even more students towards their table.
Not only does SUNY Fredonia offer clubs for students interested in music, audio, nerf guns, D&D, television and business, they also offer more major-specific clubs and activities. For instance, the National Student Speech and Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) advertised opportunities for students in the Communication Disorders Sciences major. “We do a lot of work within the department and getting to know the professors, [as well as] a lot of study sessions and resume building within the major,” said Abby Newman, the social chair of NSSLHA.
Similarly, Social Work Club, geared towards students interested in the social work major, has started up again after COVID-19 severely impacted the club’s recruitment last semester. Several students interested in the major found themselves revisiting a club they had seen once before in a rejuvenated state. The club’s president, Abby Tartaro, said that Social Work Club will be doing “a lot of volunteer events trying to raise money for Make-a-Wish.”
In all, many students felt that Activities Night was a great success. One student, Cass Dolaway, said “[There were] a lot more people than I expected to be here … I think it has a really good turnout.”
With the over 170 clubs and activities the college offers (according to the college’s website), students are sure to find a club that’s just right for them. Whether it’s battling their friends with nerf guns or volunteering with Social Work Club, there’s a place for all students to let their unique personalities shine.