The Purchase Club Fair Has Something For Everyone

By Lena Flamm

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, the outside of Campus Center North transformed into a hub for over 30 Purchase College clubs and organizations, beckoning a crowd of freshmen and upperclassmen alike to join in on the fun. 

At noon, students flock to the dozens of tables lining the wall, decorated with colorful posters and sign-up sheets as speakers blast music. Club board members greet students, hand out memorabilia, and promote their activities and events for the year. "One selling point? Lesbian vampires and the end of the world," quipped junior Rowyn Stissi, a creative writing major and president of OGRE (Official Guild of Roleplaying Enthusiasts), Purchase's resident LARPing (live action roleplaying) club. "We mainly focus on one shots, which is a single night of a world and a story, so basically you show up, you make a character, and you get involved, it's a communal roleplaying, storytelling experience." Although it might seem intimidating to curious students who have never had a roleplaying experience, Stissi was quick to say that they actually appreciate newcomers the most. "Not knowing what you're doing is the biggest strength."

The OGRE Club poses in front of their homemade poster for Club Fair (From left to right, Moardin Awan, Maars Leone and Emma Ivanov) (Photo by Jason "JJ" Dobbins)

Many students visited booths that matched their interests and hobbies, while others stopped to learn about unfamiliar activities. Junior Sarah Loendorf of the Economics Club said she hoped to reach more than just economics majors, explaining, ‘It's good to learn things that may not be getting taught. Like, what's the stock market doing? We have a virtual stock exchange where people can learn how to trade stocks before graduating. We also wanna do things like 'what's a Roth IRA?', 'how do I file my taxes?'". But it's not all strictly educational. When asked about their most significant event on campus, Loendorf said it was easily the casino game nights, where students can gamble playing poker, blackjack, and most recently, Uno. "It's very friendly," she said of the club. "90% of the time, we're just here, we're playing games, and we're talking shit."

Other academic-focused clubs shared a similar sentiment, still emphasizing the importance of fun. Senior Sinsha Varghese of the Pre-Law Club shared how they ensured the trials they focused on the previous year were all popular culture-based, such as those surrounding Luigi Mangione and Justin Baldoni. Meanwhile, sophomore Adrian Jackson of the Pre-Med Club highlighted their boba tea event.

There were plenty of tables offering ways to let loose or flex your creativity. "I just hope they (club members) get an hour and a half to relax and not think about their stress from schoolwork and everything, and just throw all their cares away and have fun shooting a blaster," said Nerf Club's Joe McGarty, a senior. Want to try your hand at comedy? From stand-up to improv, Purchase has got you covered. "I saw a show when I was a freshman, and I was like, 'I should do this'. And I got into it at the beginning of my sophomore year, and it was the best choice I ever made. Ever," said the Improv Club's Eva Howard, a junior and theater and performance major.

The Nerf Club brandishing their signature jerseys (Photo by Jacob "JJ" Dobbins)

Though students bustled about from table to table, two tables maintained a healthy crowd the entire time. The Stage Combat and Fencing clubs presented a joint display of fake and real weapons that stopped passersby in their tracks, featuring a range of items from knives and daggers to rapiers. No one was more thrilled to give you the lowdown on what's what than Stage Combat Club VP and armor of the Fencing Club Stefano Renzo, a senior. "So basically, I take care of all the swords, all the inventory, all our weapons, that's my job." He explained that Stage Combat Club is all about choreographing and performing realistic fight scenes, from famous movie fight recreations, such as those from "Star Wars" and "The Princess Bride," to any original ideas your heart can dream up. "So, pretty much if someone comes in, they're like, 'Hey, I wanna learn how to scrap in an alleyway, ' we're like, 'Don't worry, we got pipes, we got crowbars, we got a baseball bat."

More than anything, though, most club representatives said the best thing you could get out of joining was the sense of community. "It's where, I think, all of us met, like, our best friends at college", said sophomore Ariah Piper of InterVarsity, Purchase's Christian association. Senior Robert Failla, president of the Gaming Club, couldn't say enough good things about the community they've built. "It's never empty. People always wanna come back because I think it's one of the prime places to socialize, and so many friend groups have been created through this club alone, and it's very joyous to see." College can be incredibly overwhelming and sometimes isolating, especially for incoming freshmen. It seemed the Club Fair was here to show you that whoever you are, there's a place where you can feel like you belong. "Our goal is just to create a safe space for literally anyone here on campus, but specifically queer people of color", said junior Logan Dorrell-Lyttle of the QPOC (Queer Persons of Color) association. 

As for plans for upcoming events? Some club representatives were willing to give a teaser. Junior Jaiden Monteau of the LGBTQ+ club mentioned an upcoming raffle where students could win condoms or sex toys. Senior Chata Kone of the brand-new African Students Association laughed and said, "Phoenix exclusive!" and teased plans of "...maybe a fake African wedding?"

Members of the newly formed African Students Association (from left to right) Chelsea Asemota, Akossiwa Gavlo, Sophia Webster and Jadesola Asekun (Photo by Jason “JJ” Dobbins)

The Club Fair brought together more than 30 organizations, providing students with the opportunity to ask questions, sign up for activities, and meet club members. Many students stopped at multiple tables to learn about upcoming events and on-campus opportunities.