Outdoor Club Rush was a smashing success

Utah Valley University had their fall Club Rush on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 14-15. It was held outside in front of the Fulton Library. It lasted around five hours each day with over 100 clubs in attendance.

“Club Rush is a great way for students to get involved on campus,” stated the Clubs office at UVU. “By getting involved in a club, students have the opportunity to increase leadership, citizenship, and service skills that enhance UVU and the community. Students meet new people, and, most of all, do more of what they love.”

“The preparation [for club rush] is approximately two months. We put in a lot of effort to do this,” said Mery Deilaire, the club ambassador for service and social change clubs. “The great opportunity is to ‘do more of what you love.’ It’s good for students to use their skills and to gain skills.”

“To my knowledge, the last couple in-person fall club rushes were supposed to be outside, but weather or other circumstances pushed us into the ballroom (where we will be in spring),” said Chase Schetselaar, the Inter-club council president. “There are usually more folks walking outside in the late summer/early fall so it’s very visible, and having it outside we were able to have food trucks right outside.”

“This is the best way clubs can get the word out,” Schetselaar said. “We have so many cool clubs. As a student, I’ve learned a lot. Social media is effective but there’s something different about being able to stop and talk. Approximately 2,000 people came through. We had 65 clubs tabling, and 16 departments/organizations on campus tabling.” 

“It was a little bit chaotic at first … [Club Rush] looks hugely successful. We’ve gotten a lot of sign-ups,” said Greene Rollins, co-president of A Hand Up. “It’s great for us because it gives us an opportunity to reach out to people who are interested in doing this work … For me, I like to be able to do things that help the community. Club Rush helps us find people who are interested in service.”

“With club rush being in person this year it brings a lot of people to our club [PRSSA],” said Tori, a junior public relations major, and Jaron, a junior public relations major when asked about how club rush was last year versus this year. 

“[Club Rush] is super important because we’re a new club this semester. Our biggest issue is growth,” said Coby Bloxham, president of Students for the Prevention of Climate Change. “This venue for students to learn more about our club is vital to growth and success. What would a club be without its students?”

“We joined [the k-pop club] because of the club rush,” said Lexi, a junior English major. “It’s nice to be around people that have similar interests.” 

“STEM majors aren’t very social so we encourage them to socialize,” said Saxon, a junior physics major and president of the physics clubs. “In our club meetings, we do tours of the labs around UVU.”
According to Sarah Groesbeck, clubs ambassador, if you are looking to start your own club you need at least six members and membership must be open to all UVU students. To register a new club, visit this website. UVU clubs also have a handbook with more detailed information.