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One of Binghamton University’s biggest events and over 300 clubs, UFEST helps students find new communities and explore interests.<\/p>\n
UFEST, one of Binghamton University\u2019s biggest campus events, made its annual return on Aug. 23. Held on the Peace Quad to mark the beginning of the fall semester, students connected with clubs, communities and opportunities on campus.<\/p>\n
The Peace Quad was filled with countless stalls and tables showcasing over 250 clubs on campus. Accompanied by a live DJ, the sunny Peace Quad was a great place to mingle and start the semester off by meeting new people. Students interacted with different clubs and received free merchandise, making it the perfect opportunity for organizations to make a personal impact and talk to students individually.<\/p>\n
\u201cUFEST (University Fest) is a campus tradition going back to 1993,\u201d Jennifer Keegin, director of campus activities, wrote in an email. \u201cIt started as a \u2018campus\/community\u2019 event that invited local vendors to come to campus and showcase what the region had to offer to students. Since then, UFEST has grown and changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The University and the event\u2019s growing scale mean that planning is largely a team effort. Both Campus Activities and Nick Ginsberg, the executive vice president of the Student Association, worked over the summer to plan this year\u2019s UFEST, according to Keegin. Typically taking place on the Peace Quad and Spine, the organizers expanded their layout to include Lot B and more organizations and academic departments.<\/p>\n
The process also came with some challenges due to its size. As UFEST expands, however, the planning committee also changes the event\u2019s limits to accommodate the student body\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlanning where organizations can table was definitely a challenge,\u201d Ginsberg wrote. \u201cHowever, it was made easier because this year, my office sent a preferences form to all groups tabling at UFEST asking which category they\u2019d like to table in as well as who they want to table next to. This took a huge amount of work off of the EVP Office, because instead of guessing where groups want to table, they were able to tell us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that the preferences form made the challenge of placing groups at different tables a lot easier,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
Musical and performance organizations put on small performances for excited onlookers. Many tabling clubs handed out snacks and goodies to interested students, and attendees had the chance to participate in attractions like a large rock wall, a drone dome and raffles.<\/p>\n
For many organizations and clubs, UFEST is the best time to gauge student body interest one-on-one. Members can connect with students looking to join on a deeper level compared to a larger setting, like general interest meetings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our biggest recruiting event of the year,\u201d Mark Stephens, an instructional support specialist in the physics department and the instructor for the Physics Outreach Project, said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got the most people here, and this is the best time to do recruiting. We\u2019ve got all these new freshmen on campus. This is before our schedule of programs starts, so we can get some fresh volunteers in, get them up and running.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with perusing clubs, students stopped by student vendors featuring clothing and jewelry and some local stores from the area selling winter hats and gloves. Students snacked on free candy and snow cones to escape the heat.<\/p>\n
\u201cUFEST is such an important event to have at BU because it is the only time of year where almost 300 organizations and departments are all together on the Peace Quad,\u201d Ginsberg wrote. \u201cThat means that new (and returning) students have the ability to find groups that they had no idea existed. UFEST is one of a kind in the ways that it shows how big of a community we have here at Binghamton, and the range of clubs we offer. Beyond that, UFEST is just a fun event for student groups to table together, share why they love their group, and get creative with their tabling set up.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n