Visit over 500 student organizations at UConn’s Engagement Fair

Students can visit Fairfield Way, just across from Gampel Pavillion, between 2 and 6 p.m. on September 4 to see the University of Connecticut Involvement Fair. Students will be able to see over 500 student organizations and university programs and get involved in hundreds of different clubs, teams, volunteer opportunities and more.

Engagement fairs are a way for UConn students to find groups on campus that share similar interests. According to the engagement fair website, “getting involved (in a fair) can help you make friends, build your resume, broaden your horizons, develop leadership skills and have fun while doing something that interests you.”

Sarah Bernhardt, Student Organization Support Program Coordinator, spoke about the engagement fair in an interview with Daily Campus.

“The engagement fair is one of those signature events that every higher education institution hosts to showcase all the ways that students can get involved, whether it’s through clubs and organizations, finding jobs on campus, connecting with other resources, things like that,” Bernhardt said.

Bernhardt also spoke about the benefits the fair brings to UConn students.

“One of the things that’s really amazing about getting involved in campus life is that it’s backed up by research that getting involved in campus life helps students stay on campus and gives them a sense of belonging, so it’s really exciting that this event can help students find a niche or a group of people that can help them feel more connected to campus,” Bernhardt said. “It allows them to find something that can complement their major or their area of ​​study, or something that gives them a little bit of a break from that, if it’s more of a hobby or something fun to do.”

Groups will have tables set up along Fairfield Way for the four hours of the fair, with information boards for each group. At either end of Fairfield Way, students will find check-in tents where they will answer any questions, provide a map of all the tables, and hand out a list of table numbers.

The groups will be divided into different categories, such as Greek Life, Honors and Military, Religion and Spirituality, Academics, Political Interests, and Club Sports. According to Bernhardt, “If someone is particularly interested in a category, it’s really easy for them to find the flag for that area and go to that area and check out all the groups in that area or look at a map or a table and see where a specific organization is located.”

The fair is hosted annually by the Department of Student Activities. This year, the department decided to expand the fair further along Fairfield Way due to the record number of applicants. This year, they received over 600 applications for exhibit booths and there will be 530 tables dedicated to student organizations, 35 tables dedicated to university programs and six tables dedicated to UConn Tier III organizations.