Clubs Debut and Redeem at Activities Night

COLIN PERRY
Special to The Leader

Last Wednesday, hundreds of students gathered in Dods Hall Grove for Activities Night, the biggest opportunity of the year for students to see every club Fredonia has to offer. From S.T.E.P.S. to sororities, there’s something for everybody. And this year, some brand new clubs made their official debuts, while others are back in action for the first time in a while.

Those who followed the sound of reggae music would have found the table for the Caribbean Student Association. Nicole Haynes, junior exercise science major, and the founder and current president of the group, started the organization out of a desire to educate the campus about “more ethnicities and other cultures than just the Black Student Union.” According to her, Caribbean students have been “a little” marginalized at Fredonia, but one of her goals is to change that.

“Having the Caribbean Student Association promotes diversity on this campus. It’s really important for Fredonia’s community,” Haynes said. “We’re planning to have speakers come and educate the campus on what the Caribbean is all about.” The Caribbean Student Association will meet every other Saturday at 4, beginning Sept. 19 in the Williams Center.

Around the corner students might have noticed a large banner with all sorts of colorful sketches and characters scribbled on it, belonging to the Animation and Illustration Club, founded by senior animation and illustration major Anna Gilmore.

According to her, the club is designed to help budding animators and illustrators where their classes can’t.

“There’s not a lot of course time to look into ways to advance your portfolio outside of coursework, or networking with other people in the industry,” Gilmore said.

However, the Animation and Illustration Club is not exclusively for those who major in it, and any students with an interest in animation are welcome. Some of the activities Gilmore would like to present include critiques involving industry professionals, pitching ideas, analyzing animated films and, of course, plenty of illustrating. The Animation and Illustration Club’s first meeting will be Thursday, Sept. 10.

Further along in the circle of tables, another club made its return to Activities Night after having been previously derecognized. The Computer Science Club has returned to Fredonia, with new leadership by senior computer science major Dan Sturniolo.

Sturniolo, citing “poor communication” with the Student Association, was not a member of the club in its previous form, but has plenty of ideas about where to take the group going forward.
“We’re really interested in spreading things that we don’t do in class to students who are anxious to learn about stuff,” he said.

Just like the Animation and Illustration Club, Sturniolo is making the club accessible to non-majors, aiming to organize activities where members don’t need any prerequisite knowledge. They will also be partnering with the Chess Club for joint events. Those wishing for information on the club’s meeting times may contact Sturniolo.

On the complete opposite side of the circle, one of the most popular clubs of the evening could be found: the Students with Disabilities Union. The group’s president, senior early childhood education major Burgandi Rakoska, who has spina bifida, founded the organization for a number of reasons, chiefly to help out other students who are disabled.

“[We want to] advocate for the students and for disability awareness, and point out the good and the bad things that students with disabilities face,” she said. “The goals are to raise as much awareness as we can, and to hopefully make a few changes so that the campus is a bit more accessible and so that students with disabilities have a few more opportunities here at Fredonia.”

For Rakoska, Activities Night is one of the most significant nights of the semester. “I think Activities Night is really important. Even if you can’t sign up for a club right then and there, it’s important to get information about each different club and to see what’s out there.”

Many would agree with Rakoska, especially those belonging to Spectrum, who puts on the event at the beginning of each semester.

“I think it definitely helps with networking for everybody,” said Christina Spataro, junior public accountancy major and the group’s annual events chair. “You get to see what we have at this campus.”
According to her, Activities Night was a resounding success. While rumors circulated of there not being enough tables for the groups, it turned out to be fine.

“I think this was the most clubs we’ve had in the past few Activities Nights,” Spataro said. “There were no problems. We had more than enough.”

Many of the other clubs on campus found similar success, bringing from Activities Night sheets of paper with dozens of names and email addresses of eager students looking for a club. Rakoska beamed at the sheet for the Students with Disabilities Union, as nearly every inch was filled with names.

“We’ve had such a great turnout,” she said. “It’s absolutely amazing.”