Week 2

Welcome back readers; let’s fill you in on the second week of school. Well the best choice of where to start would be with academics. The campus was buzzing with students both new and returning. Observers would quickly notice students in a hurry to get to their next class.They want to make those positive impressions on the professors early in the game. However as much as they hurried they also seemed very relaxed; it could be because the countdown till the weekend went from five days to four thanks to Labor Day. However with the start of the new semester and it being the second week of school, the campus was buzzing with information about homecoming and rushing fraternities and sororities. The event to attend for the week was definitely the involvement fair which was held on Wednesday September 9^th. The involvement fair brought together all organizations around campus.It allowed each to present their group to the students attending the fair. The involvement fair is mostly aimed to pull in the freshman and give them a feel of what groups, organizations, and clubs are offered here at the university. Walking in I saw a whole bunch of happy faces, by the young faces I assumed they were freshman. It was definitely a reality check and a memory jogger. What could possibly be more helpful to a new student wanting to get involved than an involvement fair? It’s interesting to see how each year the number of organizations and booths increase drastically. This year much like the last three years, the involvement fair was held in the student union (a resource for the students). The “U” or union as the students like to call it had two floors full of booths, and even some that expanded up and went to the fourth floor. The variety of activities was astounding, you could find things from any ethnicity, any Greek life, and even clubs for the fantasy lovers. Of course being a Latina, I wanted to make sure we were properly represented at the involvement fair. I was on an adventure to see what I could find. I was so proud to see that not only were we represented in excellent ways, but we did not all stick together as is assumed from most Latino stereotypes. We had representation of a Latino organization on every floor and in every room. It’s great to see how far the Latino community has come at UCONN. My freshman year the involvement fair simply offered B.A.I.L.E (Brining awareness into Latino Ethnicities dance group) and LSA (Latino Students Association) and the booths were right next to one another. Now attending the Involvement fair as a senior it has become a completely different world. We still offer B.A.I.L.E and LSA but there are now three fraternities offered to the Latinos on campus (they are open for all ethnicities to join) along with a sorority and a mentoring program (M.E.T.A.S). However, the Latinos are not the only ones expanding at UCONN. Next to B.A.I.L.E this year was the Pakistani club available as well, along with so many offered from the many cultural centers on campus. It’s great to see how the UCONN community is evolving through the years cultural wise. It is important for organizations come forth to help our minorities on campus feel that much more at home.