Fall Welcome Resource Fair geared toward students

The new location in Memorial Union created an easier flow of students.

By Kaylen Ralph

Published Aug. 25, 2009

The Wellness Resource Center held its annual Fall Welcome Resource Fair on Friday in Memorial Union to make students more aware about the services available to them at MU.

Twenty-three campus and student organizations were present at the fair.

"Our resource fairs are open to a variety of organizations within the University of Missouri as well as in our community," event organizer Anne Shadle said. "We have done this a number of years and have compiled a list of organizations that have supported the Wellness Resource Center and made this event a great one to attend."

Wellness Resource Center spokeswoman Traci Harr said the fair was designed for students who want to learn more about what the Wellness Resource Center offers, specifically FIGs and new students. It was a centralized resource for students to get a large volume of information in a short amount of time with a minimal amount of effort.

"There are a wide variety of organizations on campus and when you first come to college, you don't know all of the resources that are available to you," Shadle said. "The organizations that are here today are the ones that we definitely want students to know about and take advantage of."

Some students came to the fair simply to browse without any specific organization in mind.

"I'm just here to learn about various opportunities available to me on campus," sophomore Jackie Labruzzo said.

Some students were initially drawn to the event by the advertisements for freebies, such as T-shirts and pizza, but found there was information available to them worth learning more about.

"I mostly came here for the free T-shirts, but now that I'm here, I'm really interested in the arts and crafts studio," said freshman Abby Rehard. "I'll definitely be utilizing that this year. Mizzou After Dark also seems cool."

For those students who attended the fair, it was a second look at many of the same organizations that were recruiting at Summer Welcome sessions. For the organizations, it was a second chance to get more students informed of their activities and potentially signed up to volunteer. STRIPES is one example.

"We came at recruiting the same way except that it was geared more towards the student and volunteering," STRIPES director Tanner Tucker said. "Over Summer Welcome we were catering towards parents and students at the same time. This fair was a better opportunity to let students know about what STRIPES is."

This year was the first year the fair was held in Memorial Union.

"The biggest change to the fair this year is that it is no longer in Brady Commons," past event organizer Kim Dude said. "It's a lot less crowded this year and easier for volunteers and students to move around."