Student Engagement Expo brings students, clubs together
Students take part in the Student Engagement Expo outside of Finch Fieldhouse on Sept. 11.
Students gathered at Finch Fieldhouse on Sept. 11 to learn about almost 250 on-campus organizations at an engagement expo planned by the office of Student Activities and Involvement. The event was organized as a replacement for Mainstage, which was cancelled due to inclement weather on Aug. 27.
“This is a chance for students to get connected with different organizations, departments and businesses to figure out how to get involved in our community and campus,” said Dani Rossman, Assistant Director of Student Activities.
The expo introduced students to about 240 different organizations — 200 of which are student-run — including: greek organizations, political groups, religious groups, and many more.
Livonia sophomore Marina Pasqualone said the expo was a great opportunity to introduce students to various clubs, and helped students open a door to new opportunities.
“I think this is really cool, I definitely think it’s a great idea to introduce students to all the different clubs,” Pasqualone said. “I wouldn’t have known about half of these clubs if I hadn’t come here so I’m really glad I came.”
The Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center attended the expo to encourage students to volunteer and also handed out ribbons to honor the lives lost in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“It’s important that we definitely still remember,” said student coordinator Lauren Lynn. “It’s something that shaped our nation and we want to make sure that every year, even though it gets farther and farther away, we still remember it.”
“We also want to talk about volunteerism and how important it is, because without volunteers we wouldn’t have been able to rebuild New York,” said the Okemos senior. “We need to get people into volunteerism and show them that it’s a good thing to do."
Indian River freshman Mackenzie Harrington said that as a new student, she appreciates the university’s effort at getting students to participate.
“This gives a big outlook at what CMU has to offer,” Harrington said. “Instead of running around trying to make friends, you can find a group you’re interested and make friends there.”
Alaina Jaster is a member of the CMU Mindfulness Club, which started last year. She’s glad that SAI organized the Mainstage replacement because it’s important for students to meet people who have similar interests.
“We’re a fairly new club, so it’s hard to get the word out and recruit student who are freshman or haven’t heard about us,” said the Shelby Township junior. “We’re really happy that we were able to come to this and meet with the student body.”
