Elizabeth Murray’26
Features Editor
Chapin Auditorium was abuzz on Sunday, Feb. 1, as the College’s spring Involvement Fair was in full swing. Held on the first Sunday after the start of classes every semester and hosted by the Office of Student Involvement, the Involvement Fair is where student organizations of Mount Holyoke come together to showcase what they do and hopefully gain new members. “The Involvement Fair is always busy every year; I really enjoyed representing my orgs and learning about old and new ones,” Art Society Co-Chair and Secretary, Mariyah Al-Tayb ’26 said.
These clubs can range from more action oriented clubs like Precious Plastic MHC, which works to create a sustainable way to use plastic on campus, cultural organizations such as Liga Filipina, which celebrates Filipino culture and spreads awareness about the Philippines, or recreational like the Pick-up Games club, which hosts fun recreational matches with no experience required.
Student organizations use the opportunity to drum up interest and reach students who may not have considered joining before. “I tabled for the Mount Holyoke College Economics Review, and I was honestly so happy to see how many people stopped by with questions. What surprised me most was that a lot of them weren’t even economics majors, they were just genuinely curious and excited to learn more about what we’re building. That kind of interdisciplinary interest made it feel really meaningful.” Tiko Dolidze ’26 said.
With the Involvement Fair occurring so close to the start of the semester, it is additionally a great way for new and returning students to meet and get to know each other over shared interests. “The spring Involvement Fair gave me the opportunity to meet some of [the] Springies this semester. It was wonderful to see some new faces and exchange ideas of what events we want to see more of in the future.” Dominique Smith ’26 said.
The Involvement Fair is usually a lively event with students mingling and showcasing what makes their organization special. “The whole atmosphere was upbeat and welcoming. One of the orgs started playing music, and at one point people started dancing together, which was such a highlight. It reminded me how lively and connected our campus community is. I love that students stay so active outside the classroom and that every year there are new organizations forming that reflect such a wide range of interests. It made me feel proud to be part of it.” Dolidze said.
Cat McKenna ’28 contributed fact checking