Volume 67, Issue 3  

Annual Club Fair Succeeds Beyond Expectations
by Alexander Chester


For those seeking intellectual stimulation in a variety of fields, the vitality of Yeshiva’s many clubs was brought to the fore by the annual Club Fair, an event deemed a success by organizers and students alike. Contrary to last year’s fair which was a “complete and dismal disaster” in the words of Yeshiva Student Union (YSU) Vice President Yaakov Green, this year’s turnout was a pleasant surprise to many, and according to Green, a “great start to the year” for YSU and the Wilf Campus in general.

The 2002-03 Club Fair, which took place on Monday, October7th, was a chance for the myriad clubs on the Wilf Campus to promote themselves to prospective members, by providing a brief glimpse into the clubs’ activities and benefits.  Students were able to express interest in clubs of their choice by signing their name on the respective lists.  Nearly fifty clubs had tables at the event, ranging from Miniature Golf and Hip Hop to American Advertisers Federation and Israel Investments.

YSU, Sy Syms Student Council, and the Yeshiva College Student Association (YCSA) hosted the event jointly. Green, SSSB President Gabriel Jacobson, and YCSA President Uzi Beer all collaborated on the project. All three student-government sects will finance the various clubs, depending on which jurisdiction of the student government any given club falls within. 

As opposed to last year, when club leader had to literally chase students around campus to get their names on club rosters, this year, the students willingly and enthusiastically came to them. Hundreds came to the fifth floor of Belfer Hall, producing a festive atmosphere with sound and color.

It was difficult to tell why this year’s fair was so different than last year’s. “Large signs that were hung up around campus helped, but it seems as if this year’s student body just has more of a prevalence towards activism,” observed Sy Syms senior David J. Weissman. “There were literally zero people last year, because nobody knew about it, and the rest just didn’t care.”

Green was particularly impressed with the dedication of some of the booths. Several had televisions or computer monitors with audio-visual presentations. The Iranian Club and Moroccan Club both put up big national flags, and smack in the middle of the room was Yeshiva College sophomore Craig Weitzman, the founder of the Mini-Golf club, with a putter and a small green for practicing.

Despite the majority opinion declaring the event a huge success, there was a slight undercurrent of discontent. YC senior David Mahchad, the President of the Moroccan Club, said that while the fair was “amazing” and “better than expected,” more advertising would have helped make the crowd even larger. He also said there should have been “something” to make things more interesting and keep people in the room once they came, though he could not elaborate on what specifically he had in mind.

While the turnout at Club Fair was a dramatic increase form previous years, there were still hundreds of students who did not even bother to attend the event. When asked why, many responded they had not seen the signs, which were put up less than a week in advance. The more significant problem, though, was the lack of interest the signs generated. “They didn’t say anything about why I needed to be there. What was going to happen that was worth my showing up?” asked one unhappy sophomore.

But by the end of the night, most club leaders had pages of e-mail addresses and were optimistic that they would easily reach their predetermined goals for the year.

One club, which had an notably successful opening night, was the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA). With a table right near the entrance, nearly everyone stopped by the ORA, leaving their name and a small donation. “We made a few bucks, every little bit helps” said Vice President and YC senior Jeff Ney. Ney said that he and club President and Sy Syms junior Josh Ross led a protest in September, which resulted in a man agreeing to give his wife a get after eleven years. During the Club Fair he was overjoyed to discover that another man who had been evasive for several years had just agreed to give a get to his wife thanks to the ORA pressure.

Even YSU President Shai Barnea was “ecstatic” about the night’s success. Barnea attributed the success to Green, Jacobson, and Beer, who, in according to him, deserve all the credit for their hard work, noting also, the individual club leaders were integral to the event as a whole. 

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