If you didn’t know how many student groups existed on campus
before, you do now. A lot.
- Mira Levitan
- Kheirudin Sahimin takes a rip off a hookah, a long tube passing through an urn of water that cools smoke as it is drawn through, at the Arab Students Association yesterday in the Diag during Festifall.
(SETH LOWER/Daily)
On a crowded Diag, 325 student organizations set up booths
inviting students to join their groups at Festifall yesterday.
LSA freshman Rachael Maciasz walked around the Diag with hands
full of free literature and goodies handed out by student
organizations.
“The amount of student groups that are out there are is
overwhelming,” Maciasz said. Although she admitted to being
primarily interested in community service organizations, she still
ventured to several tables. “But I signed up for anything that gave
out chocolate.”
From ethnic and minority groups to political groups and
pre-professional organizations, there was a range of choices to
satisfy any student.
Engineering sophomore Yunwen Lee sat at the Singapore Student
Association table giving out picture frames and t-shirts to
students.
“We even attracted people who weren’t from Singapore,” said
Yuwen, who has been involved with SSA since last year.
For new groups, like the Jewish College Republicans, Festifall
is an effective way to promote their group.
“It’s been really busy and successful,” Business School junior
Eric Singer said, pointing to the list of names collected.
Festifall organizer Ray Wixson from the Office of Student
Activities and Leadership spent the day making sure no student
groups encountered problems.
“There’s so much energy for Festifall,” Wixson said. “It’s the
first week of school, the weather is usually nice and everyone’s
excited about the new school year.”
Student organizers registered groups during the summer, all
hoping to secure a spot most visible to students. Booths are
organized categorically in and along the peripheral of the
Diag.
This year, student academic groups were the lucky ones –
accruing prime Festifall locations right in the center of the
Diag.
“And if we could accommodate more tables there would be a lot
more groups out on Festifall,” said Wixson. “There were 100 groups
on the waiting list.”
Amnesty International missed registration last year but was able
to secure space during the event this year.
“It’s our first year out on Festifall,” Amnesty International
member Ted Thorbek said while handing out information to passerby
students.
“The busiest time was noon, we got a lot people who were
interested in Amnesty.”
LSA Freshman Ali Olsen said she signed up for many e-mail
lists.
“I’m going to get a lot of e-mails from groups,” said Olsen.
“But we’ll see how many I actually have time to join. I already
have a lot of homework.”