Tell Me Who Are You? Students Gain Awareness of Student Organizations
More than 100 campus organizations set up shop on the Campus Mall to pitch their groups to a swarm of curious students during Student Government Association Awareness Day on Tuesday, September 16.
“The day is for anyone interested in a club or organization to find one that suits them,” explained Andrew Grandin, SGA clubs and organizations chair. While most of the groups were Rider-affiliated, there were some groups, such as the ROTC, that also took advantage of the event to recruit students.
Participation in an organization allows a student to become a more well-rounded person; meet new people; and develop leadership, professional skills and the ability to network, explained Grandin. A senior Biology major, Grandin has served as a senator from Poyda Hall and a member of the equestrian team.
With so many organizations on display, there was something for everyone. Organizations ranged from sororities and fraternities to the Alternative Film Club and recreation programs.
At the Math in Action booth, Katherine Guidaben, a sophomore Actuarial Science and Finance dual major, was hoping to recruit students who loved working with numbers. Math in Action, she explained, is a club where students who enjoy the subject gather and apply different math concepts to their lives. Members watch math-focused movies, including A Beautiful Mind and Numbers, added Guidaben, who joined the group last year.
Meanwhile, at the Circle K booth, president Nancy Chao said the most common question she received about the international student-leadership organization was “What is Circle K?”
Diana DiGioia, a freshman Marketing major, joined the Association of Commuter Students during the first week of classes this semester. She was out during Awareness Day to find more students looking for a link to campus. DiGioia, who commutes from Flemington, N.J., said she found the association on Facebook, and joined in order to meet new people and discover additional ways to get involved on campus. Since joining, she has met new friends and has gained a better perspective of Rider.
Toward the end of Awareness Day, Erika Koelsch, president of the Bronc Band, was happy to report that more than 18 people had shown interest in joining and including a mixture of musicians, including clarinetists, guitarists and a tuba player, who had signed up. The band, which primarily plays at men’s basketball games, rehearses once a week. According to Koelsch, a senior Secondary Education major, anyone can join and all instruments and levels are welcomed. The music is not challenging and current members can help those who are having trouble playing the music, she added.
“There are always a million things to do in a band,” explained Koelsch, who even suggested to an inquiring student who did not play an instrument that she could sign up to play cowbell.
For more information on how to get involved in a campus organization, please e-mail Andrew Grandin, SGA clubs and organizations chair, at grandin@rider.edu.
