Each year, the scene for Club Day is the same: students push their way through the crowds  during lunch in an attempt to reach the free food offered by clubs trying to attract new members. With over 60 clubs lined up in the quad on one day, it is nearly impossible for students to explore the rich variety of clubs the school has to offer in a 35-minute lunch.  

This year, in an effort to avoid the hectic Club Days of the past, ASB club commissioners Elicia Ye and Ishana Narayanan asked to change the school’s traditional one-day Club Day event to a three-day long “Club Fair,” which will be hosted from Oct. 3 to 5.

In addition to spreading the showcase of clubs over three lunch periods, the commissioners plan to group clubs based on similar ethnic or academic interests and assign each club a certain day based on the groups, such as having all academic-directed clubs present on one day. The exact lineup of clubs on each day has not been finalized yet.

In making the change, Ye and Narayanan took into account their own experiences with previous Club Days. They want to give students the opportunity to view all clubs, especially smaller ones that are typically overshadowed by larger ones that attract the most attention.

“We realized that Club Day doesn't do justice to all clubs on campus and that shifting to a Club Fair model would better fit one of our main goals of increasing awareness of the variety of clubs on campus,” Narayanan said.

Yet the similarities between the new Club Fair and the original Club Day allows clubs to approach the event similarly.

According to science club president Chengzi Guo, her group will be using the same poster from the previous year to attract students’ attention. Overall, the clubs view the new change in a positive light.

“We'll have more time to talk to people about what we do,” environmental club president Annie Xu said. “We can get more sophomores and freshmen involved, which is what we struggled with last year.”

By making it mandatory for all clubs to participate in the event, the commissioners hope to see an increase in student sign-ups and engagement.

“I’m super excited for the new concept that’s going to be tried out for Club Fair this year,” ASB treasurer Cameron Lin said. “I think it’ll be a lot easier for the underclassmen and everyone in general to truly compare and contrast clubs they could potentially be interested in.”