Colgate Goes Clubbing At Hall Of Presidents

“There are a lot more [students] here than I expected to see,” sophomore Joseph Lukasiewicz said. Manning the Mock Trial table at the Student Involvement Fair, Lukasiewicz commented that recruitment was “going much better than expected.”On Wednesday night students crowded the Hall of Presidents for the fair, as part of Welcome Back Week. At times the aisles were so crowded with students that traffic was at a stand-still.”It’s really hot,” first year student, Megan McGillicuddy said. “I’m interested in getting involved and meeting new people. I didn’t realize there were so many clubs at Colgate.”The diversity of Colgate’s campus was represented in the variety of organizations present. From BACCHUS to Philosophy and Religion Club to Sisters of the Round Table (SORT), there were organizations to meet just about any student interest.”We’re trying to get a more diverse membership,” Radhika Ramenaden of the South Asian Cultural Club said. “People get intimidated – they think the club is only for South Asians.”Representing the Chain Maille Club, junior Lindsey Guerin showed off some examples of her club’s work. “We tend to get quite a few people to at least consider [the club]. They think it’s a neat idea but don’t have the patience – it’s time consuming” Guerin said.”It’s nice to see people this interested,” President of the Cooking Club, Jonathan Calfee, said. Approximately 175 students signed up for this relatively new organization that was started at the end of last year.Nixon Tan also cited fairly high sign-ups for Club Badminton.”[The club] hasn’t been active for two years, the interest hasn’t been there,” Tan said. “We’re trying to restart the club.”Seniors Charlotte Hinkle and Mercy Donohue were in attendance, making this their fourth time at the annual event.”I’ve been every year,” said Hinkle. “Almost every club is always here.””It’s always fun to see the clubs out there – who’s in charge this year and how active they’ll be on campus” Donohue said. “You learn about things you’ve never heard of like the different forms of martial arts.”Both the College Republicans and the College Democrats cited great turn-outs at their respective tables.”We expect it to be a banner year,” said senior Andrew Proyect of the College Republicans. “Turnout’s been a lot better than last year. Everyone’s been friendly despite political tensions.””This is a very important year for [the Democrats],” said College Democrat Jason Rand. “We’re pushing to get Kerry into office. Our votes matter – youth votes matter.” Accordingly, voter registration forms were prominently displayed on the table.”A lot of kids don’t know how to register or apply for absentee [ballots],” Rand said. The Hall of Presidents took on a very lively atmosphere amidst the buzz of students eagerly signing up for organizations. Each club offered their own particular “draw,” whether it was candy, a t-shirt raffle or a video of the organization’s activity.”We’re in charge of bringing urban entertainment to campus,” vice-president of We Funk, April Williams, said. “[The students] like to see people dancing.”Jason Kaplan of Charred Goosebeak took advantage of the music played by We Funk. Performing for the masses, Kaplan “found his inner groove” while also drawing attention to both his improv troupe and the hip-hop groups located nearby.”I don’t have a dancer’s legs,” Kaplan said, “but I wanted to connect with other groups.”Senior Bob Filbin of the Students for Environmental Action was quick to deem the event a success.”People are just coming over. They know what they want, especially the class of 2008. This has been one of our most successful events.”