On Thursday, Sept. 17, tables with brightly colored posters, balloons and even an airplane were scattered in front of the Andrews University Campus Center while cheerful music played. Around 5:00 p.m., students began arriving for the annual Andrews University Club Fair. For the next several hours students enjoyed spending time with friends, interacting with the different club officers, signing up for clubs and immersing themselves in the incredible diversity Andrews has to offer.
Due to COVID-19 regulations, this year's club fair was unique. Each club’s booth was spread farther apart to accommodate social distancing, the beloved ice cream social and toppings could no longer take place, and individuals had to sign up for clubs by scanning QR codes. However, even amidst these differences students and club officers enjoyed the event. Kara Shepard (junior, physics) commented, “I enjoyed how easy it was to sign up for the clubs by using my phone and I liked how even though they couldn’t have ice cream like normal, they were still able to pass out candy to brighten things up!” Similarly, club officers shared the opinion that the club fair went well even with all the adjustments. Angelina Malcolm (junior, international business), the event coordinator for the Women’s Empowerment Club (WEAAU), stated, “I think the club fair went really well and there was a good amount of people that showed up.”
While clubs face a year of unknowns due to COVID-19, nothing has kept them from planning an awesome year for their members. This year Andrews University has a total of 47 clubs, including two new clubs, the Running Club and Creative Writing Club. Many clubs are still planning to host their favorite events in new and safe ways. Angelina Malcolm (junior, international business) explains, “COVID-19 has affected not just WEAAU but every club. This is just an obstacle for all of us, but we will get through it together. Every club is going to have to be more creative with their events while following COVID guidelines.”
Club members are looking forward to returning to their favorite clubs, spending time with friends and attending the new events their club officers have planned. Josh Whitman (junior, religion, secondary education) expressed his excitement, “I joined the AMA and KASA clubs and am looking forward to the different events the clubs will be putting on and getting new club hoodies!” Kara Shepard (junior, physics) conveyed similar excitement, “I am really looking forward to seeing my friends from AU Theatre Wing again and working on new projects with them. I also can’t wait for the WEAAU events and meeting new people.” We are all looking forward to a new and exciting year with all of our favorite clubs!
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.