ESSO Club Night

Club night, which will be held this Sunday on the Academic Quad, is marked by the deafening noise of over-zealous Exonians trying to persuade both new and returning students to write down Exeter email addresses.Organized by Joanne Lembo, director of student activities, and hosting over one hundred clubs, the event provides the opportunity for students to see the exotic club description come to life on the lawn.Many Exonians eagerly anticipate that the opportunity to discover the vast diversity of clubs on campus from badminton to fly-fishing to science Olympiad.“I want to find out about the different acappella groups and sign up for them, ” Audrey Hahn, a prep, said. “I also want to find out more about clubs that I didn‘t know existed and have never heard of. ”For many club-heads the hour and a half is the most crucial campaigning time of the academic year. Stands plan to make eye-catching posters, give out delicious food and shout witty slogans at passers-by.“We don’t get a lot of avenue to promote our club other than word of mouth, ” Senior Priya Boddu, co-head of the chemistry club, said. “It’s a really great way to get a bunch of people interested in the subject. ”“We are going to have a candy colored set up of different pH scales in beakers, ” she added.Unlike weekly whole school club emails, the function receives a lot of attention from students.“Club night has a lot of energy, which people really like, ” Priya added. “If you see an area of the quad that you like, you can easily go there, but it’s harder for students to be attracted by an email. ”“Club night is the most important time to recruit members, ” Joohan Wan, senior and co-head of the Exeteras, Exeter’s male acappella group, said.Many believe that the personal element of the occasion attracts new students. The easy interaction between pre-existing and prospective members increases the number of subscribers to the email list.“For Exeteras we are just going to have a sign, wear our uniforms and sit there. A lot of people already emailed me and expressed interest so at this point I don’t really need to do anything. Kids can ask us questions about how the audition works, ” Wan said.However not all Exonian clubs will be represented. ESSO, who hosted their own separate club night this past Tuesday in Agora, also had a variety of clubs to offer. This ESSO Interest Night was met with the same exuberance that claims many students who equally look forward to Club Night.“In ESSO club night, it doesn’t take a long time to go around all the tables, so it’s not a waste of time in an Exonian’s schedule, ” Upper and head of Fair Trade Exeter Jeanne Olivier said. “Actually talking to the club heads and asking them questions about the club requires less effort than reading a whole email, and it’s much more interesting. ”“It gives a chance for new students to learn about your club, and even though a good percentage of the people who put their names down on your list won’t actually become committed members, it still gives you good exposure, ” Olivier added. “It’s worth it for the people who actually do come and become members. ”"I think it was a good success because we got a lot of interested people, ” Senior and (don’t know what she is to ESSO) Flora Wang said. “There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm in the room, and that’s always great to see. ”

“When new people came to interest night, there were so many things that they could choose from, ” Wang added. “I was happy to see that there was such interest from people in ESSO.”The ESSO assembly, held last Friday, served as an opportunity to inspire Exonians to participate in the many ESSO clubs and events that take place throughout the year.
 “I think that the ESSO assembly is just a way to give a clear picture of the types of clubs we offer, ” Wang said. “Some people came in and asked for specific types of clubs, which shows that they learned a lot about ESSO during the assembly, so I think that the ESSO assembly did play a big part. ”Overall, whether signing up for a student-run club or an ESSO event, Exonians are offered the chance to pursue their interests and make the most of the Academy’s resources.