For students looking to get involved, or just for some free stuff, Campus Fest offered 330 tables for students to stop at Thursday.
The combined number of vendors and student organizations made this year’s Campus Fest the largest one yet, said Mike Freyaldenhoven, assistant dean of students in the Office of Campus Activities.
“We’ve worked on getting a lot bigger attractions this year like the Dasani display and interactive stuff like snow cone and popcorn machines,” Freyaldenhoven said.
On top of the 330 tables at Campus Fest, Freyaldenhoven expected that about 10,000 people would attend the annual event that stretched from the Union Oval to the edges of “old campus.”
Freyaldenhoven, who planned Campus Fest for the first time this year, was excited to help new and returning students find their place on campus.
“It’s the first time [students] get to reconnect or learn how to get involved,” Freyaldenhoven said. “It’s cool because the whole campus sort of goes on pause for the day.”
Meghan Gallagher is one of the students who was able to get involved through Campus Fest during her freshman year.
Gallagher, a senior at the University, agrees with Freyaldenhoven that Campus Fest always offers a variety of involvement opportunities for freshmen students.
“It’s pretty nice when you’re an incoming freshman and you’re able to see what’s going on,” Gallagher said. “That’s how I first got involved on campus too.”
Similar to Gallagher’s first time at Campus Fest, Freshman Brittany Prichard was able to visit with multiple organizations within the event’s four hour time span.
Prichard chose to join the University’s Anime Club during her first Campus Fest.
“It’s crowded but it’s exciting,” Prichard said. “There’s a lot of energy going around campus today.”
The energy and excitement that surrounds the Union Oval is what makes getting involved so easy for students during the event, Freyaldenhoven said.
“Students are able to browse a little easier than they would normally be able to,” Freyaldenhoven said. “It’s almost like a market for involvement.”
While Freyaldenhoven is unsure of how long Campus Fest has been an annual event on campus, he doesn’t expect it to go away anytime soon.
“It hasn’t dwindled in a long time,” Freyaldenhoven said. “It’s part of the campus culture at this point and every student looking forward to it keeps us going and planning for it every year.”
