By: Emily Nixon
The West Quad of Brooklyn College (BC) vibrated with the bass line of party music, and the air buzzed with excited chatter and frantic final touches from organizers as they set up everything needed for the event to come.
On Sept. 16, BC Student Affairs held a Resource Fair to showcase the resources available to students on and off campus.
“It’s an opportunity for students — three to four weeks into the semester— to connect with resources, to take care of any outstanding business,” said Moraima Smith, Assistant Dean for Student Life. “And to also have a little fun.”
Tables lined the quad’s walkways, filled with pamphlets, papers, and small merchandise such as pins, stickers, pens, or other small trinkets with the resource’s logos on them, showcasing organizations from campus or the surrounding area.
“Pretty much every semester, [Student Affairs] try to do a check-in/involvement/ resource fair for students that’s on campus. Sometimes, [students] feel lost,” said Latoya Bowen, the Health Programs Coordinator at BC. “So, we invite different offices throughout the campus, just to help the students with the offices and the services that they offer.”
Bowen remarked that about twenty organizations would attend the fair; however, they were not all BC -related administrations.
“Off-campus organizations usually go through me with the health and wellness,” said Bowen. “So, we have New York State of Health. We have New York City Public Clinics– since I deal with immunizations […] I invite them to come on campus.”
One of the off-campus organizations in attendance was Diaspora Community Services (DCS), which focused on sexual health and education during the event.
“I’m here with two programs from my organization […] those two grants are focused on running youth programs and teaching sex-ed in high schools. So, while maybe the teaching sex-ed part isn’t so relevant to the college students here, the youth programs are,” said Sofie Lasko, one of the representatives from DCS. “We’re able to supply youth mentorship, school support, tutoring, but also pay, and an opportunity to learn about public health, health education, and the like.”
One of the many on-campus resources was The Learning Center, located in 1300 Boylan Hall.
“[We] provide students on campus with services in regards to tutoring in specific subjects and writing,” said Joseph Frias, a college assistant and adjunct professor working in The Learning Center. “I want to provide whatever I can for them [students] in regard to what we do and what we offer.”
Frias explained why events like the resource fair are important for students and the center alike.
“Some people, you know, at the end of the school year, they come in, and they didn’t realize that we were here this whole time, and they were struggling,” said Frias. “By that point, it can be a little too late, so we want people to know that we are here throughout the entirety of the semester so that we can provide any sort of help.”
The fair opened opportunities for students to explore the resources available and enjoy the kind atmosphere.
“The event was very cool. It was fun. It was a lot to do,” said Jeniah Mitchell, a freshman majoring in business administration. “There was food and apparel.”
Mitchell shared their favorite part of the event with the Vanguard.
“I would say the mini games that were in the middle, like playing Connect 4 with my friends,” said Mitchell.
As a way to prompt students to visit as many tables as possible, the event’s organizers created a Bingo card system, which, when completed, allowed students to claim a free BC sweatshirt. Mitchell enjoyed the game but felt a little overwhelmed in the swarm of students scrambling to get their win before supplies ran out.
“It was fun. It was kind of hectic, cause, you know, everyone’s trying to get [a sweatshirt],” said Mitchell. “I actually did like the Bingo aspect because then I got to learn different things about each table and stuff of that sort.”
Other students like Radi Farraj, a transfer chemistry major, felt a little variety in the cards would have tamed the rush of students hunting their winning streak; however, he was generally pleased with the event regardless.
“Everyone has the same bingo card. I thought I got lucky cause I finished my bingo card after seven booths, but there’s a lot of free stuff besides,” said Farraj.
Some students, such as Uniqua Peoples, a graduate student majoring in school psychology, felt that the event was a little disorganized and hard to understand once the crowd had gathered.
“When we arrived to line up, there was like one person for a split second, and then you turn around and they were gone. You didn’t know that you had to scan this QR code,” said Peoples. “You see a clipboard, so you’re trying to follow the clipboard, which felt like following the yellow brick road.”
Some tables were set up very close to the DJ and speaker set up, which made it difficult for them to engage with students during the event, according to Jaclyn Hodge, the program advisor for CUNY Educate, Develop, Graduate, Empower (EDGE).
“So far, it’s been hard to compete with the music […] but it’s a good music selection,” said Hodge. “Maybe [they just need] to turn their music down a bit.”
Despite some minor organizational and executional issues, the event appeared to be a success among students, fostering a sense of community, according to Kasey Mercedes, another graduate student majoring in school psychology.
“It’s [the event] like really fun, and I like the sense of community here that they establish,” said Mercedes. “I’m having a good time.”
Students interested in future events by BC Student Affairs can check out their Instagram: @bcstudentaffairs.