Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Appian Way on Keene State College was busy with students, faculty and staff for KSC’s Student Involvement Fair.
Tables were set up along the way, while students advertised, explained and shared their experiences with their particular organizations on campus. Students who were interested in getting involved on campus were given the chance to look into different clubs and organizations for information and ways to join.
From student government to sororities and fraternities, to clubs for specific causes, there was something for all different interests. Students For St. Jude is one of the clubs featured on the KSC campus.
“We raise money for the kids in the hospital,” Shannon Melendy, who has been on the Executive Board for Students For St. Jude for two years, said.
“Over eighty students so far have signed up and taken our information down. We have flyers and I basically just explain our major event ‘Up Til Dawn,’ which is our major fund-raiser. We also have smaller funds like next Friday, September nineteenth, if you eat at Chili’s in Keene, part of the proceeds goes straight to St. Jude’s,” Melendy said.
A few tables down from Melendy and Students For St. Jude, Zach Lit, Zach Kempf and Matt Mozak all hung out at their fraternity’s table, Phi Mu Delta [PMD]. Lit talked about their table and how the fair helped their organization as a whole.
Emily Orell / Equinox Staff
“It gives us a chance to showcase our positive qualities. A lot of people don’t know what fraternities are really about,” Lit said.
Kara Gilson, advocating for Delta Xi Phi [DXP], her sorority affiliation explained why they were present at the fair.
“It helps us put a face to the letters. You see all these different letters from Greek Life and don’t really know what it is. Every chapter has its own values and philanthropy and the [Student Involvement] fair helps us share that,” Gilson said.
Members of DXP rotated shifts throughout the afternoon, and while Gilson was in class, her fellow sisters manned the table, Gilson said.
With so many organizations to choose from, students went to tables they found interesting and asked questions.
In the middle of Appian Way, the fair was said to be hard to miss for all students passing by, whether they were planning to stop by for a visit or not.
Shannon Duffy, a junior at Keene State happened upon the fair without knowing about it beforehand.
“I had no idea this was going on. I got out of class and heard music so I stopped by,” Duffy said. Duffy said she took some pamphlets from different tables, one being Delta Xi Phi.
“I had always considered joining a sorority but never really looked into it. Having them right here and ready to listen to my questions helped me figure out if it was something I wanted to do. I’m definitely strongly considering joining some more organizations on campus,” Duffy said.
Victoria Robel said she found the fair helpful.
“Getting involved has always been in the back of my mind, but I really thought more about it when they’re all right in front of me. There really are a lot of clubs to choose from. I think everyone could find something they were interested in,” Robel said.
Eleanor Marshall can be contacted at emarshall@keene-equinox.com.
