Students lined Main Hallway on Saturday evening, making stops along a seemingly endless row of booths promoting the school’s multitude of clubs. Behind the booths, representatives from the groups prodded students to join their clubs with flashy displays and animated pitches.

The Club Fair is an annual event that allows clubs to enlist new members with unique displays encouraging passing students to join. Several new clubs debuted at the fair this year.

Recent additions include the Star Wars Club, which will hold meetings to discuss the original films and expanded universe. At the Fair, board member Shayne Bjorn ’23 sported a Darth Vader costume and wielded a lightsaber to draw students to his booth. “We honestly didn’t know what to expect at the club fair, in terms of signatures or attention from the community,” said Bjorn. “We were thrilled to get 256 signatures from students.”

Also new this year is Girls Who Lift, a club for nonmale-identifying individuals to learn about weight lifting, fitness, and nutrition. On Saturday evening, board members danced to music in front of the club’s bright pink poster to attract new members. 

Girls Who Lift has several events planned for the year ahead, including open lifts and nutrition discussions. Sydney Jean ’23, the club’s senior advisor, spoke about the club’s appeal.

“I feel like many people will be interested in signing up … and [want] the opportunity to feel free and grow in a gym setting,” she said.

Another club that succeeded in accumulating a lengthy mailing list at the fair was the Sleeping Club, which promises to promote healthy sleeping habits and schedules. The group plans to host meditation sessions, create a pairing system for students to motivate each other to build healthy sleep schedules, and organize discussions that explore the cultural glorification of sleep deprivation.

The latter, says Jacqueline Wang ’23, head of the club, is one of the club’s priorities. 

“We hope to address and dissolve the stigma regarding students bragging about how little sleep they get,” she said.

Last year, the Clubs Committee made significant changes to the approval process for new clubs in an effort to combat a number of inactive clubs. Clubs now must also submit a proof-of-interest form containing the signatures of other students, a mission statement, and plans for the coming year. 

Nithya Chundi ’23, a member of the Clubs Committee, said the changes will ensure new clubs actually satisfy an area of interest within the student body. She said, “Seeking [out] student interest shows how [club] heads have networked … which [indicates] their effort to ensure the feasibility of the club.” 

Throughout the current school year, club boards must record the frequency of meetings and attendance figures and report these numbers to Ms. Marcie Wistar, director of student activities, student clubs, and affinity groups.

The committee also instituted a new process to warn inactive clubs of possible termination and allow them a period of time to improve their engagement. If they fail to become sufficiently active or organized, the committee will end the club’s official status. 

In addition, the Clubs Committee changed the application period from a single deadline in the spring to a rolling process that begins in October and ends in April. “These changes were made to be more responsive to what the students want during their current academic year,” said Ms. Wistar. “Having to wait to do something you’re really excited about is hard, especially when club life is such a big part of students’ sense of community.”