Among Fairfield’s many seasoned and established clubs and organizations present at the Activities Fair, Random Acts of Kindness Club, the FU Fitness Club, Fairfield Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club and The League Club were four new clubs looking to advertise and recruit members.
According to Janice Herbert ‘15, chair of the Council of Student Organizations (COSO), the spring activities fair “definitely allows for new student leaders to become more familiar with the student community and to put their face out there.”
Additionally, Herbert stated, “It is a valuable time for recruiting students to join new clubs, especially if they were not around for the first semester. Not only it is vital for new clubs to get the word out about their mission, but it is also important for the new club officers to interact with other club leaders and the student community as a whole.”
For COSO to plan the activities fair, they “talked to various student leaders and campus departments about reaching out to students who aren’t as involved,” stated Herbert. “We booked the space, accepted reservations and organized the table layout over the course of the winter break.”
The Random Acts of Kindness Club is looking to be a “catalyst for kindness,” said Austin Begin ‘15 and Nicole Gallucci ‘15, the club’s co-presidents.
According to Begin, they are planning “small, little events to entice kindness.” Acts include mailing thoughtful letters to friends’ campus mailboxes and a faculty appreciation day.
Begin and Gallucci, along with Mariana Mangini ‘18, vice president, said they were “absolutely excited about the activities fair,” as an opportunity to advertise their new club and recruit members. The three were also enthusiastic about the amount of people who signed-up.
The FU Fitness club is “excited to help people get ripped and achieve the physique they want,” according to Wade Fan ‘18, club officer.
According to the club’s mission statement, “The purpose of this organization is to promote fitness amongst the student body that will benefit them physically, socially, and mentally. We aim to inspire, educate, and encourage all members.” The club also focuses on how working to achieve fitness goals can translate to achievement in non-fitness related goals.
The FU Fitness Club was “exhilarated to be at the Activities Fair,” said Steve Howd ‘16, vice president. “We had no idea what to expect,” said Howd, who added he was surprised and excited to see over 85 people sign up with their information at the Activities Fair.
“We love working out … and want to inspire others to be healthy,” said Fan.
President of Fairfield Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club Robert Hedberg ‘17 was also enthusiastic to share about his new club.
The club offers a class in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which meets Wednesday evenings from 8:00 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. at The Center for Martial Arts, located at 967 Post Road, which is along the StagBus route. The class is instructed by Edrik Lopez, assistant professor of 20th Century American Poetry at Fairfield. According to Hedberg, there is a one-time $60 fee for the semester to participate in the class.
Hedberg, who has been practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for three and a half years, said he was happy that the activities fair allowed him to promote the club outside of his friend group. However, he joked about being frustrated that his booth was “up in the nosebleeds on the second floor,” located away from the heart of the Activities Fair in the lower level.
The League Club is a group of students who compete with other universities in League of Legends. According to its website, League of Legends is a “fast-paced, competitive online game that blends the speed and intensity of an RTS [Real Time Strategy] with RPG [Role Playing Game] elements.” The club stated they value teamwork, teambuilding and community when they compete in League of Legends.
According to Vincent Corsello ‘17, club officer, League of Legends has 100 million registered players across the globe, and over 1,000 registered collegiate programs. So far, The League Club has a 1-3 record competing with schools including Dartmouth College, Brown University and Villanova University.
Both Corsello and Zach Wright ‘17, club founder and president, described the Activities Fair as the “best way to get our foot out there.”
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