On the second Friday of every academic year, Elon University’s Young Commons is transformed into an organization extravaganza, appropriately nicknamed the “Org Fair.”
upperclassmen already involved in these organizations, the “Org Fair” requires preparation of signs, brochures and elevator pitches about their group. For freshmen, it is a overwhelming opportunity to meet upperclassmen and sign up for a plethora of email lists as they try to find where they belong on campus.
The walk through includes a variety of displays, free goodies and baked goods to draw members in. These treats can be enticing, but freshmen students have already been cautioned about limiting the number of times they write their names on the dotted line.
“They said try to narrow your list down to 10 and even 10’s a big number because you can’t really be in 10 organizations at once,” said freshman Judah Brown.
True to Elon’s involved student body, upperclassmen have encouraged freshmen to cast a wide net, but not spread themselves too thin. While some upperclassmen remember being given advice to sign up for as little as three groups, senior Darron Daniels sided with Brown.
“I think 10 is the maximum, so anywhere up to 10 is good but just make sure those 10 that you choose are ones that you are actually interested in,” Daniels said.
As students prepare to decide what organizations they want to be involved in, preparation for the Student Activities office, which handles the event, began long before students arrived on campus in the fall.
“Space, logistically, is an issue,” said Janis Baughman, director of student activities. “It’s about 240 groups that we’re trying to accommodate. There’s not a large enough space on campus that makes it conducive to allow students to be able to interact but have that space to set up their table and have student leaders be present at the same time.”
In addition to the students setting up booths for organizations, the fair has to plan for about 1,500 new students who will parade throughout the event.
Though hundreds of students are expected at the event, Baughman said these numbers add to the success of the event.
“I think having it out here on Young Commons, the energy and the things that take place on the green as the Org Fair is going on, I think that just adds to the excitement,” she said.
However, the weather is not always perfect. Baughman said their rain plan has recently been changed. Because of the space required for an event of this size, bad weather will send the “Org Fair” to an unexpected location.
“We’re gonna use the Colonnades neighborhood and use the sidewalk underneath the Colonnades area,” Baughman said. “We’ll line the Colonnades neighborhood with
our tables.”
Regardless of the weather, the “Org Fair” will go on as planned, and freshmen will browse the tables, picking up baked goods, promotional gear and other free goodies along the way.
That may be easier said than done, though. Of the 240 organizations registered at Elon students can sign up for anything from sports and groups with Greek letters to literary magazines and volunteer groups. With all of these groups competing for the attention of freshmen, the event can quickly turn from fun to the Hunger Games. Here are some tips for surviving the “Org Fair,” as told by upperclassmen:
1. Take your time. The “Org Fair” is not about racing around and signing up for the first 10 things that seem interesting. There is more than enough time to take a couple of laps around the space before signing up for anything.
2. Don’t let the free stuff distract you. One group has been known to make ice cream at the fair using dry ice. Not only does it create an cool, fog-like effect, it also yields tasty treats. But if you’re not interested in what that organization does aside from the ice cream, don’t sign up. That goes for other enticing treats too.
3. Prepare for a flood. The number of groups you sign up for will directly affect the amount of emails you’ll have by the end of the weekend. You may eventually unsubscribe or send them to spam, but to avoid awkward exchanges or extra time deleting messages, be sure the groups you sign up for actually interest you.
4. Have fun! Though the “Org Fair” can be overwhelming, it’s also a great way to meet new people and see all of the things Elon has to offer outside the classroom.
Overwhelming moments aside, the “Org Fair” is one of the highlights of the freshman experience. Go, see, and enjoy — but don’t overdo it.