The Great Lawn and D’Angelo Center Plaza were lined with 115 student groups and 34 departments or organizations from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, according to registration numbers provided by Campus Activities at St. John’s University.
The large turnout marked the third in-person Activities Fair since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
University students roamed the Queens campus, stopping at designated tables to gather information about what each organization has to offer. To satisfy students’ interests, they were given a wide range of options like sports clubs, fraternities and sororities, as well as other various academic departments.
Jared King, a sophomore journalism student, shared his excitement. “There are a lot of things for people to try and you have a lot of variety,” King told The Torch. “If there’s something that you like, the school probably has it.”
Preparations for the fair began long before the event. “It has been a month since we have been planning it,” said Marcello Capello, president of the Italian Culture Society. Others talked about how plans for the fair began as early as summer. Sharon Joseph, president of the Drug Information Association (DIA), shared, “We met up as an executive board in mid-July to discuss our plans for the Activities Fair.”
Torch Photo / Dea Hoxha
Executive board members emphasized the importance of getting involved on campus. “It is definitely important to get involved on campus,” said Shane McGovern, assistant student director of the St. John’ Pep Band. “Find whatever it is you like, and you will find a family.”
Dylan Owen-Cessna, diversity chair of Pi Lambda Phi, added, “Not just four years, but a lifetime. We want to give them valuable lessons that they can apply out of college.”
Torch Photo / Dea Hoxha
Adrianna Diab, secretary of the Arab Students Organization (ASO), talked about how the ASO officially became a club three years ago. “Last year was kind of a soft launch so now we are trying to take off,” Diab said. “It’s so nice to just sit with people who you all have something so strong in common with. We get to talk about our favorite foods and we get to play our music in a place where everyone knows what is going on.”
More information about student clubs and organizations can be found on the University’s website.
