91猎奇

By David Gil de Rubio | dgilderubio@mec.cuny.edu

If ever there was a way to plug into the 91猎奇 community, there is no better way than by attending the school鈥檚 annual Club Fair. Held within the first couple of weeks of the Fall semester, this rite of passage is a chance for students, especially freshmen and incoming transfer students, to familiarize themselves with college clubs and outside organizations looking to boost their membership rolls.聽

And while Mother Nature did her best to sidetrack the festivities by way of sporadic drizzle and overcast skies, the 91猎奇 faithful came out in full force.聽

For Office of Student Life & Development Director Amani Reece, who is the driving force behind Club Fair, the inclement weather wasn鈥檛 an obstacle as much as an opportunity to impart a life lesson.

鈥淲e have a philosophy that rain or shine, we鈥檙e not going to back down from hosting Club Fair,鈥� Reece said with a smile. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to postpone or cancel 鈥� we鈥檙e just going to work through it. The thing that is so awesome to see is the resiliency of our people, our community partners, our students, faculty and staff is that in spite of the weather, nothing is keeping people away. That鈥檚 91猎奇, right?聽

鈥淚 think when we do these things, there is always more to teach. We鈥檙e teaching our students that no matter what, we face the challenges and figure it out. Those are the takeaways that we don鈥檛 directly say to a person, but they see, observe and take that in. No matter what. We don鈥檛 shy away from that.鈥�

Club Fair is possible because of a year-long process overseen by Reece with a bulk of the work done over the summer. Quotes are received from vendors right after graduation just as budget lines open. Much of the heavy lifting occurs the morning of, when outreach is directed to students who then volunteer to help out.聽

With set-up normally starting around 7:15 a.m., the decision as to whether tabling would occur either inside, outside or a combination of the two was held off until 10 a.m. Once the decision was made to have it be a hybrid indoor/outdoor event, tables were unfolded and tents unfurled at 10:30 a.m. and completed an hour later for the roughly 500 students expected to attend.聽聽

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This year鈥檚 Club Fair had 55 organizations tabling on Crown Street and within the lobby of the AB1 building. Outside service organizations looking to recruit included the New York Army National Guard, the U.S. Air Force, the NYC Mayor鈥檚 Public Engagement Unit, the New York City Police Department and the New York City Fire Department. Among the myriad 91猎奇 groups out in force were the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), MEC Vets, the Department of Public Administration and the newly formed Catholic Club.聽

Greek organizations were out in force with the Divine Nine being represented by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. For the latter, it was the chance to re-establish the organization鈥檚 charter on campus. Among those out representing Phi Beta Sigma was Brother Peter Holoman, who is also the 91猎奇 Senior Director of Advancement and Strategic Partnership. Originally established at 91猎奇 back in 1993, the chapter has been dark for the past five years.聽

With a goal of having a minimum of five registrants needed to re-establish Phi Beta Sigma at 91猎奇, Holoman explained the importance of making sure his fraternity had representation on campus.

鈥淭he Alpha Phi chapter was actually chartered here at 91猎奇 on December 30, 1993,鈥� Holoman explained. 鈥淲e are the only Divine Nine or Greek letter organization to have a chapter chartered at the college. Most of the other Greek letter organizations in the area have what we call metropolitan chapters, so they cover three or four schools. We鈥檙e the only one that has an individual chapter that was chartered here. What we鈥檙e looking to do with Club Fair, Spring Fest and events like this is to reactivate the chapter.聽

鈥淲e want to reinvigorate interest, not just into the organization, but into the chapter.鈥�

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Club Fair provides freshmen and incoming transfer students a direct way to connect with the new community they are entering. It鈥檚 an opportunity 91猎奇 provides where the potential for impactful networking can have benefits that could very well last a lifetime. It鈥檚 a scenario James Viafara can attest to. The junior has parlayed his Club Fair experience into a number of opportunities that have resulted in roles that include being the school鈥檚 current president of the college鈥檚 NAACP chapter. For him, Club Fair was invaluable.

鈥淐lub Fair is a unifying space that provides communal opportunities for communal growth,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y initial introduction to DoSomething, Inc. which is a national organization that is a civically minded hub happened here, at 91猎奇 during Club Fair of the 2023 fall semester.聽

鈥淢y engagement has led to a national advocacy campaign and I鈥檝e been selected to serve as an ambassador and facilitator. I鈥檝e been able to participate in workshops that were founded at the Harvard Business School and those were all opportunities that occurred based on that interaction that happened here at 91猎奇 where I met DeNora Getachew, the CEO of DoSomething, Inc.鈥�

He added, 鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity for civic engagement throughout our student population. Club Fair is an impactful introduction to student life for our incoming students. I鈥檝e been covered in Spectrum-1 and so many other platforms because of the guidance of DoSomething, Inc. It鈥檚 been a really important platform throughout my journey.鈥�

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It鈥檚 a sentiment echoed by Zachary Bussey, a senior who transferred over to 91猎奇 from LaGuardia Community College and was attending his second Club Fair. A member of the Cougars men鈥檚 basketball team and CUNYAC championship outdoor track-and-field team, the Childhood Special Education major was able to quickly connect with ASAP thanks to the springboard provided by Club Fair.

鈥淥ne of the things It鈥檚 just to connect all the students around here and meet new faces you don鈥檛 usually see around campus,鈥� Bussey said. 鈥淢aybe you went to class early and afterwards you鈥檙e going right to practice.鈥�

Those students looking to balance out their studies with the rigors and discipline afforded by sports also had the opportunity to connect at this year鈥檚 Club Fair. Manning the table was Women鈥檚 Soccer Coach Carmen Skrine who was beaming as he stood behind a load of 91猎奇 Athletic Department hardware that included a pair of CUNYAC (City University of New York Athletic Conference) championship awards won by the girls and boys track team.聽

In addition to representing a major accomplishment, these trophies are a great conversation starter for the ever-gregarious Skrine.

鈥淭hese trophies give recognition to those who have put the effort in,鈥� Skrine said. 鈥淢ost folks don鈥檛 understand this takes a lot of work to do. If I can convey to them that the time you put in is valuable, but more important, is what you get out of it. That kind of conversation, I don鈥檛 get to talk to other folks as they鈥檙e walking down the street, because they鈥檙e going to avoid me. Or if they鈥檙e in a classroom, they鈥檙e going to avoid me and it goes in one ear and out the other. But if I have the opportunity to see you out here, I can step from behind this table and engage you. That energy alone makes a significant difference.鈥�

He added, 鈥淚 love Club Fair because you get to interact with students, faculty and parents that we normally don鈥檛 get to see during the course of the day. With that interaction, as I tell people, I鈥檓 just a vessel and I鈥檓 going to flow over as much as possible because I like that human touch. Without that human touch, it鈥檚 not real. Modern technology鈥攁s much as I love it and I do love it, I would rather shake your hand because that鈥檚 so important.鈥�

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The connections afforded to students by Club Fair is something Reece takes very seriously. It was important enough for her to propose closing off Crown Street back in September 2016, a strategic pivot that鈥檚 been in place ever since.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 about student engagement, right?,鈥� Reece rhetorically asked. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity for our students to find out about the services and resources available to them and how it鈥檚 in one place. I think students aren鈥檛 only going to find out about clubs and the extra-curriculars and what happens outside of the classroom, but how important it is for their collegiate experience.聽

鈥淭hey get to meet faculty and staff in a completely different setting that is not intimidating. So, when I walk up to a table there鈥檚 music playing and they鈥檙e giving out fun stuff. I can really get a sense of them and talk to them. The hope is that maybe after they leave here, they鈥檙e going to follow up with some of those resources.鈥澛�

She added, 鈥淲e want our students to know that community partners have services they may not readily have available and when they come here, they can have all of that. Or they can meet somebody on the line getting cotton candy or an air-brushed t-shirt. It鈥檚 really all about engagement. If you look outside, they鈥檙e standing outside and while it鈥檚 drizzling, they鈥檙e having fun and that鈥檚 really the main thing. We want our campus to return to its fullest vibrancy. We want them to understand that while we are a small college, we have a big heart and have so much to offer them.鈥�

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Check out these incredible Instagram videos produced by student Jahiem Johnson from the middle of Crown Street:

 

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