Student Organization Expo encourages students to engage in campus life

The Student Organization Expo, held Sept. 2 and 3, gave students the opportunity to interact with fellow students and explore organizations that fit their interests or career goals.

The expo, sponsored by the Student Life Office, is designed to enhance the student’s academic experience by getting involved.

“Chosen wisely, and carried out with enthusiasm, involvement on campus can strengthen a resume as well as any off-campus experience can, and it can introduce you to people whom you may not otherwise have met,” Michelle Tullier, contributing writer for Monster, posted on its website.

The expo showcased a variety of organizations, from the Student Government Association to the Music Club to the National Society of Leadership and Success, and just about everything in between. Students can become members of organizations ranging from 25 special interest, four religious, eight intercultural, eleven honor societies and 42 major-related groups. The expo had an allotment of 46 tables, all of which were filled the first day, with the majority of participating organizations returning for the second day, reported Patrick Cardenas, coordinator of student life-student organizations.

Returning students may remember in previous years the expo was a one-day event that spanned several hours in both the morning and evening. This year it was held Sept. 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sept. 3 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“The event’s new two-day format will make it easier for organizations to staff tables for a shorter period of time,” Cardenas said. “The event also covers times when students are on campus for morning and early afternoon Wednesday classes and when students are on campus for late afternoon and evening classes on Thursday.”

“The Student Organization Expo is good not only for our organization’s recruitment, but it also helps students find their niche with the community,” said anthropology major Holley Hood, standards officer for Delta Xi Nu Multicultural Sorority, Inc.

For students interested in political issues, Delta Xi Nu is one example of an organization they can join.

“We are working with Free the Captives,” Hood said. “It is an organization that helps rehabilitate victims of human trafficking. They currently do not have a building…we are helping them gain funding for that.”

Organizations participate in this event as a way to grow membership attendance and increase campus awareness about their organization.

“We set a goal to get 30 or more (new members) to promote a healthy lifestyle on campus among a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and even family,” said mathematics major Erica Bermea, vice president of Running Outdoors Walking Adventures.

Expo attendees had the opportunity to learn about each organization’s plans and upcoming events for the semester. For example, for students interested in fitness, Running Outdoors Walking Adventures transports groups of students to Discovery Green on Wednesdays for kayak trips, Bermea said.

For those who missed this semester’s Student Organization Expo, another will be held at the beginning of the spring semester. Students are still able to join organizations even if they did not attend the expo; memberships are still being accepted.

For more information about how to get involved in the next Student Organization Expo or to join an organization, visit http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page/portal/SLO/Student_Organizations or stop by the Student Life Office, S1204.

SLIDESHOW: A tour of the Student Organization Expo

Slideshow created by The Signal reporter Hunter Lanier.