Students join communities at annual involvement fair
By Nicholas Bainbridge // News Editor
Etablishing oneself in the community can be a challenge for some college students, but one of the first steps in doing so is to find others who share the same interests. There are dozens of clubs and other student organizations at High Point University, and signing up for one offers students increased opportunities to engage with their peers outside of the classroom.
While many clubs allow students to join at any time of the year, it is not always apparent where someone can find out more information about organizations they are interested in joining. Because of this, the HPU Campus Activities Team, a student-led group that facilitates student events throughout the year, hosts an event called the Involvement fair every year to help students to sign up for student organizations.
This year the Involvement Fair will be held on August 20 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Slane Student Center Gym will be lined with stands where representatives from the clubs, student life communities and volunteer groups will be offering information on their group and give students the opportunity to join.
“This is a great opportunity for incoming and current students to see all High Point University has to offer outside the classroom,” explained Summer Chandler, the director of Campus Engagement and Student Activities at HPU. “Students will have the opportunity to speak with groups of interest to them and find out more about their membership requirements, meeting dates and more. Involvement in curricular experiences with campus organizations, teams and community engagement is one of the most important parts of a successful college career!”
Curious students are encouraged to ask the members questions to learn more about these organizations, and some groups will be offering complimentary items related to the organization, such as food, pamphlets or apparel.
There is no shortage in the variety of clubs to join. Some groups, like the pre-pharmacy and pre-veterinary clubs, are focussed on bringing together students who are pursuing a specific career, allowing them to form networks with others in their field.
Other organizations are more focused on facilitating the hobbies of students, with groups aimed towards knitters, gamers and other enthusiasts who are passionate about their pastimes.
For those who wish to better their community, there will also be representatives from several student-led service groups offering membership as well. There is the Food Recovery Network, which donates several hundreds of pounds of food each semester to local charities and several others organizations like it at HPU that work towards bettering the local community.
The religious groups, like Chapel and Religious Life, are often involved in volunteer work as well, but they are open to members interested in joining a community based around their faith and participate in a wide range of activities that vary based on the group.
Speaking of communities, representatives from several Greek Life Groups will also be setting up their own stands in the gym as well. While HPU has a delayed rush where fraternities and sororities are not allowed to recruit new members immediately, they are allowed to offer prospective pledges more information about their group.
The HPU Campus Chronicle itself will be present at the fair, offering students positions as staff writers. Those who have an interest in writing articles may sign up and perhaps be in the next edition of the newspaper coming out, in early September.