On Friday, Sept. 26, Carleton hosted its annual Student Involvement Fair and accompanying picnic at the Bald Spot. Hosted jointly by the Carleton Student Association (CSA) and Student Activities Office (SAO), the event is an opportunity for students to get involved in extracurricular activities on campus. This year, the fair hosted 133 student organizations and 26 local organizations through the college’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE).
According to Assistant Director of Student Activities Grace Esselman, the purpose of the Involvement Fair “is to allow all students, especially first-years new to campus, to find community in a way that feels authentic to them. Whether that is through sports, spirituality or organizations that allow their unique skills or creative talents to grow.”
Students at the event who hoped to join student organizations circled the dozens of tables set up on the Bald Spot, added their name to email lists and spoke to current club members. Options represented at the event ranged from student publications to club sports to cultural organizations.
Many club members were excited to meet new members and broadcast their club’s mission to the community, such as Edwin Quintanilla ’28, who represented the Carleton Student Farm. Quintanilla said that the organization is “more than just farming” but rather an opportunity to build community and gain networking experience through collaboration with other farms and programs.
Quintanilla emphasized how the club is “open to the community” in Northfield. This year, as a part of its collaboration with the Office of the Chaplain to combat food insecurity on campus, the Farm opened a farm stand that is open every Thursday and free to students.
Elin Wellman ’28, a captain of the Nordic Team, similarly described how she found community through her club and is “most excited to meet new first years and get them involved in Nordic.”
The Involvement Fair is typically held at the end of the first week of Fall Term. This year, the event was originally scheduled for Friday, Sept. 19, but the event was pushed back due to poor weather.
Esselman reported that, though the event occurred a week later, “the sun is shining and it’s a beautiful day to enjoy a fair and picnic outdoors.”
Students had mixed feelings about the impact of the delay on student activities.
Sunniva Maharjan ’27 who represented student publication Babyteeth, reported that the weather delay significantly impacted scheduling for her club. Edward Marotta ’27 reported that, while tabling for Men’s Club Soccer, he found less interest among first-years than years past because those interested had already signed up the week prior. Annie Wiener ’26, who represented WAANO, a CCCE program that offers Carleton students the opportunity to tutor Somali students in nearby Faribault, said that the event seemed very busy, but wondered if the delay impacted attendance.
Esselman, on the other hand, believed that the delay increased involvement.
“With the extra week for groups to register and settle into their class routines, registrations [for tables at the fair] are up from the 126 organizations that registered for the fair in 2024,” she said.
While the Involvement Fair targets mainly first-years and sophomores hoping to get involved in student organizations, Carleton students of all years took advantage of the opportunity to become more engaged on campus. What happens, however, if students are unable to attend the event? There are limited resources available for students to access the contact information of club leaders outside of the involvement fair. The impact of the event’s delay may be more significant, as students who were unable to attend may find it increasingly difficult to become involved on campus.
