The Guilford Club Fair took place in the lobby of Founders Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 1-3 p.m. The event offered students the opportunity to get out into their community and explore the different student organizations that are available to them.

Students were able to walk around the perimeter of the lobby and stop at the various tables that were set up. At each of these tables they could talk to different club officers and representatives. These representatives gave brief talks about their club and answered any questions that students had for them.

The clubs with tables at the fair included the Women and Non-Binary Student Association, Reaching Out for Animal Rights, Democracy Matters, Gospel Choir, Yachting, the Greenleaf Review, Food Justice, Biohazard Ultimate Frisbee, Christian Ministry, Outdoors Club, Guilford Republicans, Rugby Club, International Club, African Studies Association, Define American and Every Campus a Refuge.

The event was headed by the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement, which also gave out free food tickets for students to get one menu item from the food truck parked outside the Grill, “Off the Hook Seafood and Chicken.” To earn one of these vouchers, students had to visit four different club tables. At each of these four tables, they had to talk to the representatives there and get a stamp on the piece of paper that was provided for them.

Though the fair did not include every Guilford organization, it had a wide selection and worked to promote student engagement and awareness in the community. Going forward, many attending students noted that the Club Fair has shown them new ways to get involved in their community that they were not aware of previously.

“I didn’t find any clubs that I didn’t already know about,” said sophomore William McNab. “But (the fair) is still important because it gives people the ability to join in on fun extracurricular activities.”

The fair also worked to promote some new organizations that have been established as recently as this semester, such as the WNBSA. This club is led by president, founder and first-year Haydyn Foulke. The organization is already working diligently to build a name for itself, establish a solid foundation and put on meaningful events in the Guilford community.

“Right now we’re putting a focus on getting to know each other, and building relationships among our own members and with other clubs,” said Foulke. “But some events that will take place in our future will be a self-defense training, a tampon drive, and a workshop about women of color and police violence.”

Along with new organizations, the fair also featured clubs that are already well-known across Guilford’s campus, such as ROAR.

“We help homeless animals,” said sophomore Elizabeth Bell. “We work with feral cats and shelter animals… We have weekly dog walks on Saturday mornings in which we walk shelter dogs to get them used to walking on a leash and being outside. We are going to be working at the no-kill animal shelter in Greensboro soon… We also do movie nights, biweekly meetings, potlucks and give out stickers.”

By spotlighting clubs such as the WNBSA, ROAR and the others included on the list above, the fair overall succeeded in its mission to connect students and promote active participation on Guilford’s campus.

“I think it is important for Guilford to have club fairs because it helps people get to know each other, share interests, get involved and find new clubs to join,” said Bell. “Clubs come and go, so I think it is important to help new clubs get members when they just start out. The fair can help them do this.”