St. John’s University clubs and organizations set up tables inside Taffner Field House on Monday, Jan. 30 advocating for student involvement and recruitment. Students crowded the area, visiting the 129 tables from noon till 3 p.m.

St. John’s holds an annual activities fair at the start of each semester. Last year’s Spring activities fair was held online using social media platforms, like Instagram. 

Maya Bidiak, president of the Ukrainian Cultural Club, was excited to introduce the club to new and continuing students. “We haven’t really been around since the eighties, so we’re excited to be back on campus,” Bidiak said. The club aims to encourage community building through multiple events, including arts and crafts events and mixers. 

“Especially right now, with everything that’s happening in Ukraine, it’s really important for people that are not Ukrainian as well to join in and kind of help out to do what we can here,” Bidiak said. “I’m looking forward to creating different kinds of connections on campus.”

The fair was filled with a series of games, giveaways and raffles. The Office of Multicultural Affairs gave away pins with indications of people’s preferred pronouns and other tables gave away sweets, lanyards, water bottles and more.

Trisha Jandoc, co-chair of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), was excited for students to learn more about CRS and speak to the executive board. 

“We have a lot of opportunities for advocacy and service,” Jandoc said. Jandoc is from the Philippines, where “trafficking is very rampant,” making it a topic she is passionate about. “I was trying to find different ways that I could be involved in an initiative that works towards addressing trafficking.”

Chappell Players Theater Group is part of the performing arts department at St. John’s. Nikita Persaud is the public relations chair of the group, which hosts four yearly shows, including two musical shows and two straight plays. 

“What I enjoy about [the fair] being in-person is that, you can see around us, there’s a lot of people and a lot of voices,” Persaud said. ”It is a great way to actually meet one-on-one with a person. Especially if you’re coming in as a new student, there is so much potential around you.”

A full list of the student clubs and organizations on campus can be found on the University’s website. Students can also discover clubs and organizations on the St. John’s University Connect app.