By Katie Wilson

Hundreds of clubs and organizations engaged with University of Maryland students on Sept. 29  through the Adele H. Stamp Student Union’s annual First Look Fair, which aims to provide students and clubs with the opportunity to connect.

With many clubs just getting back to in-person meetings, this year’s fair was more important than in typical years. Freshmen as well as many sophomores were given the opportunity to take a first look at all that campus has to offer, and upperclassmen were able to reconnect with organizations once again. 

Clubs at the First Look Fair each have tables set up around the mall, at which students involved in the club or organization serve as ambassadors and answer questions from interested students. The practice is known as tabling, and many tables include photos, mission summaries and representations of past events to explain their group’s purpose and reasons to join.  

“Over the shutdown, we really struggled to find things to do over Zoom or other platforms that people would actually like to go to,” senior theatre major Virginia Coldren said while tabling for The Muses, a female-led and student-written theatre group. “It was especially hard because we are a small organization with not a ton of money and support, but I’m glad we were still able to keep going.” 

The event on McKeldin Mall was originally planned for Sept. 22 and 23 but had to be postponed due to inclement weather. Before the change, Stamp planned to dedicate one day to professional organizations and the other for social organizations. With the postponement, Stamp decided to shorten the fair to only one day. The change meant that more clubs were available at once, but many students reported feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of clubs presented on the mall. 

“It was really crowded and overwhelming that at first I didn’t really know where to start,” freshman journalism major Noor Qureshi said. “I did find the clubs and organizations I was looking for, but I didn’t get to talk to the club officers as much as I wanted to because of how crowded it was.” 

Many stands featured candy, stickers, pins and other giveaway items to entice students who were in attendance. Clubs had information sessions and messaging services set up for prospective members. 

Nearby apartment complexes and national businesses such as Terrapin Row Apartments, Vera Bradley and Domino’s Pizza had booths set up along with the campus organizations. Animals were also at the First Look Fair, with dogs accompanying The Terps Raising Pups booth and beehives displayed on the The Beekeeping Club’s table. Gymkana, a club for students to perform and practice gymnastics, brought out a trampoline for members to show off some tricks. Many political advocacy groups had flyers for future protests and petitions.  

“I think being involved on campus is important to getting the most out of your college experience, and it can even help people learn more about themselves and what they enjoy as hobbies and possibly future careers,” said Coldren. 

Featured image: The annual First Look Fair attracted sizable crowds despite the event being postponed and condensed into one day. The fair was originally planned for Sept. 22 and 23, but was rescheduled to Sept. 29 due to inclement weather. Photo by Kyle Heflinger.