Saint Mary's students attended the College's annual Student Involvement Fair on Tuesday evening. The fair, hosted by the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Office of Student Involvement, encouraged student involvement in the College and community activities.
The number of clubs on campus has reached 87, but increases every year. Cinthya Benitez, founder of the new Neuroscience Club, said, “We started this club to support neuroscience since Saint Mary’s doesn’t have a neuroscience major. It is a great opportunity for biology and psychology majors to come together.”
Another new club on campus, Active Minds, will work to erase the stigma surrounding mental health issues and aims to reduce stress on campus through fun events and activities.
Caroline Koenig, an organizer of the new Little Belle/Big Belle program, said the initiative will allow first year students to have an upperclassman mentor. “You get paired with a person who has similar interests with you. ... It’s like a big sister program.”
Originally founded at the University of Michigan, the Saint Mary’s Chapter for the Student Food Allergy Network plans to launch their club by working with Sodexo, a company that focuses on improving health in workplaces and schools, to to gain more options for students with food allergies. They also plan to make more people aware of the dangers of food allergies.
Many returning clubs strive to gain new members by offering incentives for joining and promoting exciting upcoming events. Secretary of the College Republican club, Anna McCambridge, handed out free club novelty items in efforts to make the club more prominent at the fair. McCambridge said, “Our goal this year is to become more active on campus than last year and make our name known.”
Hannah Brinkman, vice president of the Stand Up for Cancer club, describes the group as holding fun events, such as a "prom" for cancer survivors, to raise money for cancer research.
“I love getting new freshmen in and dedicated to the club," Brinkman said.
A full list of Saint Mary's clubs can be found on OrgSync.
