DURHAM, NH- Following the second postponement of the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) University Day (U-Day), the Memorial Union Building (MUB) hosted a student involvement fair to allow students to be introduced to the 250+ recognized student organizations. 

On Sept. 13 an email was sent out from Dean of Students Michael Blackman as well as Director of Memorial Union Building & Student Activities Melissa Beecher informing students of the student involvement fair that would take place on Sept. 14 and 15. 

The email encouraged students to get involved. “Being involved in the 250+ recognized student organizations provides students with the opportunity to make new connections and enhance life skills that continue beyond college. Please join us!” 
 

With U-Day having its second makeup date set for Sept. 22, the student involvement fair was a great way for campus organizations to showcase themselves in the meantime. Beecher commented on the MUB-hosted event saying, “We wanted to ensure three things: that students could learn about different ways to get involved on campus within the first few weeks of the semester, that student organizations could have ample opportunity to recruit after a challenging year, and that we support our colleagues in University Events who coordinate U-Day and have been navigating the challenge of rainy days that pushed the event back.” 

After a challenging year of most organizations having to host events via Zoom because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, campus organization members are very enthusiastic to get back to in-person events. 

UNH senior and President of TRANS UNH, Michael Markham said, “I’m so excited for new faces. We were able to maintain a lot of our members over COVID, but it wasn’t very easy to find new people.” 

The excitement over new faces and members of campus organizations seemed to be a common trend. Senior and Editor-in-Chief of Main Street Magazine Alyssa Doust said, “I’m looking forward to the new faces! I’m excited to get people wanting to come to the meetings, especially new people. I know that’s really hard to do. Once you do it, you don’t look back!” 

As many campus organizations packed the Strafford room on Tuesday, Sept. 14 and both the Stafford and Granite State room Wednesday, Sept. 15, organization members, faculty, staff, and students encouraged each other to get involved.  

Blackman said, “We know that getting involved leads to a lot of great outcomes in students’ lives like growing their social networks, getting professional experience, and being less likely to drop out. Students can sometimes feel like getting involved will get in the way of ​their academics, but when I talk to students who get involved on campus, they often tell me that their involvement made their academic experience even better!” 

Imane Defaa, a senior at UNH, also stressed the importance of campus activities outside academics. “It’s a great way to meet new people and explore different topics and hobbies that you could be interested in. I think it’s a wonderful way for us to get involved in the campus community without only having to focus on school,” they said. 

For those who may have missed out on the student involvement fair, there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved. U-Day is Wednesday, Sept. 22, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on the Great Lawn in front of Thompson Hall. The 250+ campus organizations will be showcased there as well. 

Can’t make U-Day? Check out Wildcat Link where the  campus organizations are listed with contact info.