Lee Pellegrini
The annual Boston College Student Involvement Fair 鈥� when more than 250 51茶馆 student organizations, offices and programs set up shop to introduce themselves and make their pitch for new members 鈥� transforms Stokes Lawn into a bustling, exuberant mass of humanity, as thousands of students and other visitors browse the rows of tables hosted by organization and club representatives.
The fair offers an up-close study of strategies and tactics to promote and engage: offer snacks; stand on a chair holding a sign; play music (recorded, or by live musicians if possible); give live demonstrations of the club activity鈥攐r, if necessary, assume the identity of a large carrot.
Sometimes, however, you just have to stand in the middle of the crowd and hawk your wares, like 鈥淛P,鈥� a Carroll School of Management senior and member of the dance ensemble 51茶馆 Swing Kids, who urged passersby to stop at the club鈥檚 table: 鈥淒o you want to have a good time? Learn to swing!鈥�
Not everyone, of course, accepted the invitation.
鈥淧eople will say, 鈥極h, I can鈥檛 dance,鈥� and they鈥檙e kind of shocked that someone wants them to join,鈥� he said.聽
And that鈥檚 when JP gives the kicker. 鈥淚 tell them, 鈥楬ey, I didn鈥檛 know how to swing dance when I came here, either.鈥� That鈥檚 the thing about the Swing Kids 鈥� no experience needed; you just have a good time.鈥�
Seniors Chloe Fasanmi and Nikki Gold encountered their share of reluctance while promoting the gospel choir Voices of Imani.
鈥溾�極h, I can鈥檛 sing,鈥欌�� said Fasanmi, repeating an often-heard remark. 鈥淲e tell them we just want people to come give it a try. You sing, you dance, you laugh, you make friends.鈥�
鈥淓ven if someone doesn鈥檛 sign up, you say, 鈥榃ell, come to our concert,鈥欌�� added Gold. 鈥淎nd maybe that person sees we鈥檙e performing sometime and says, 鈥極h yeah, they were really nice. I should go check it out.鈥� You just want them to know about you.鈥�
Elsewhere on Stokes Lawn, one member of Improv Comedy and Theater tried to press a leaflet on an acquaintance (鈥淚鈥檝e signed up for too much already,鈥� he told her, apologetically). 鈥淵eah, you hear that a lot,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut the big one is 鈥極h, I鈥檝e already got a leaflet.鈥� No, you don鈥檛!鈥�
For some organizations, their pitch relates more to students鈥� academic and professional interests, as noted Eleanor Brown 鈥�19 of the Public Health Club. 鈥淲hat turns their eye is when they see we鈥檙e about pre-med, internships, interdisciplinary research. I don鈥檛 know the statistics, but it seems like there are an incredible amount of students here who are pre-med, or are interested in similar kinds of fields. We also get a lot of communication majors. These are people who are thinking ahead about what they might do down the road.鈥澛�
Caroline Merritt 鈥�18 of Sketch Comedy said humor isn鈥檛 just her club鈥檚 stock-in-trade, it鈥檚 a means of recruitment.
鈥淢y favorite thing is to go up behind someone, tap them on the shoulder, say 鈥楨xcuse me, you dropped this,鈥� and then hand them one of our flyers 鈥� they sort of feel obliged to take it,鈥� she said. 鈥淥r you just shout random stuff to attract attention: 鈥楽ave Seaworld!鈥� or 鈥楶otluck dinner!鈥欌��
鈥淥r 鈥榃anna watch me fight her?鈥欌�� joked one of Merritt鈥檚 colleagues.
When Merritt hears the 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 not funny鈥� response, she has a ready comeback: 鈥淢e, neither. So sign up!鈥�
But Merritt said that the Student Involvement Fair also is about being social. 鈥淚f you run into someone who鈥檚 not outgoing, you just talk to them about what we do, so they remember you 鈥� hopefully in a positive way. You want to leave a lasting impression.鈥澛�
鈥揝ean Smith聽 | University Communications
