Students Reflect on Club Expo, ESSO Interest Night
By SHAWNA JIANG, LAUREN KIM, SOPHIE MA, and ARIANA THORNTON
On Friday, Sept. 22, and Saturday, Sept. 23, hoards of Academy students eagerly attended the Exeter Student Service Organization (ESSO) Interest Night as well as Club Expo, formerly known as Club Night. Amidst the commotion of co-heads advertising their clubs and curious students walking from booth to booth, both events allowed Academy students to explore their interests and join new communities.
Offering over 100 clubs and societies, the Academy is home to everything from Mycology Club to the Daniel Webster Debate Society. Held in Love Gymnasium, Club Expo was a commotion of interactive attractions, booming music, and enthusiastic club heads greeting prospective new members. Meanwhile, ESSO Interest Night was held in Grainger Auditorium, where more focus was put on explaining what each service club does. Both events featured club heads handing out sweets and waving colorful posters to attract newcomers to their clubs— a long-standing Exeter tradition.
Productive as Club Expo was, both new and returning students remarked on the business of the event. “I think Club [Expo] is always super chaotic, very busy, very loud, a lot of energy going on, but also tons of fun,” senior and Debate Society co-head Ophelia Bentley said.
Prep Cecily Reed agreed. “I would say that Club [Expo] was a little overwhelming, but very fun,” Reed said. “I ended up picking many clubs I’m excited for, including everything from Mock Trial and Exeter Investment Club to Bob Ross and Breakfast Club to the Meat Club. ESSO Night was more manageable, and I really liked many of the charities they had there. I signed up for several.”
New upper Emma Marden echoed Reed’s sentiment that Club Expo was overwhelming but enjoyable. However, Marden also experienced rather adverse and unexpected effects from the hustle and bustle. “No shade to them because they just wanted [to do] a demonstration, but the Powerlifting Club did end up fracturing my foot,” Marden shared.
“They had a barbell [at their booth], and some person who was doing their demonstration lifted it up and slammed it down, and it landed on my foot,” Marden continued. “But otherwise, Club Expo was a really good opportunity to get to see all the clubs that were offered. I’m thinking of joining the ones very centered around social justice.”
“[Club Expo] was pretty positive because I discovered a lot of new [clubs],” new upper Abby Waritu said. “There were really funky ones, like the mushroom one. It was nice to see all the different affinity groups as well.”
“I signed up for so many [clubs], I forgot which ones they were,” prep Aruth Chinsupakal said.
ESSO Interest Night functioned slightly differently from Club Expo. “ESSO Interest Night is [a bit] different from Club Expo in that we’re not trying to get lots of members,” upper and ESSO board member Hillary Yoon said. “We’re trying to get people who are gonna stay throughout the whole year and actually make an impact on our community. We’re trying to get quality over quantity. It’s not a competition of who gets more [sign-ups], per se. So, instead of designing activities to get people to sign up, ESSO Night was more focused around explaining what the club did,” Yoon continued. “It required a lot more one-on-one talking and conversations between club heads and potential members.”
This year, as COVID-19 restrictions begin loosening up both outside of the Academy and within, ESSO is returning to many of its pre-pandemic operations. “This year, we’re definitely excited because due to the looser COVID restrictions, we can have more engagement with our children’s clubs, connect with the Greater Exeter community, and run clubs that involve seniors at Riverwoods or other retirement homes,” senior and ESSO board member Jacqueline Subkhanberdina said.
Yoon agreed. “It’s a lot more hands-on now, and we’re kind of going back into the usual rigor of how ESSO clubs used to work before COVID hit. It’s been great!”
New students shared that Club Expo and ESSO Night not only allowed students to explore different areas of interest but also helped form new bonds and connections within the Academy community. “I really liked how enthusiastic all of the people running the booths were and how I could walk around with my friends and sign up for clubs that are generally out of our comfort zones so that we can be out of our comfort zones together,” prep Bianka Laufer said.
“People that were running the booths now wave to me on the side of the street because they recognize me from going up and complimenting their club or signing up,” Laufer said. “So I think [Club Expo] really did bring the community together in a way, even if I don’t necessarily know [the club heads’] names.”
“I honestly loved getting the candy, but I also just loved seeing other people and what they were interested in,” prep Whitney Pickett said. “It was great learning more about my friends and seeing everyone come together in this shared interest for joining clubs. I joined the Economics Club and went to their first meeting, which was a lot of fun.”
“Just how many student-led clubs there were really interested me,” Pickett said. “It made me want to start a club.”
“A lot of the stations were interactive and [club heads] did a very good job of explaining their clubs,” prep Paris Tran added.
Senior and club co-head Hannah Rubin, who experienced Club Expo and ESSO Interest Night throughout the pandemic, commented on how Club Expo has changed over the years.“When I came in as a new lower, Club [Expo] was on Zoom, which didn’t feel exciting at all because all I did was sit in my room and click on different Zoom links. I didn’t get to meet anybody, see any posters, or grab any candy,” Rubin said. “The year after, both ESSO Interest night and regular Club [Expo] were in-person, but both were outside, which made finding the clubs you wanted to join a little bit chaotic because it was dark and the tables seemed to be scattered every which way.”
“But this year’s Club [Expo] was how I always imagined Club [Expo] at Exeter to be,” Rubin continued, “with all the club tables, shouting students, and excitement.”
Bentley added, comparing last year’s outdoor setting to this year’s indoor Club Expo. “It’s much more difficult to have sound travel outdoors,” Bentley said. “Also, your table’s location can influence how successful [your club is] because the people on the outskirt tables are not in the mix of things as much. The indoor setting made every club have an almost equal platform. I definitely think indoors was my preference overall.”
Student Center and Transportation Coordinator Daisy Jobarteh, who helped organize Club Expo’s set-up, spoke a little more on Club Expo’s location changes. “We used to have it in Grainger. Then we found that there were just too many clubs and it was very tight. The next place we had it was in was the rink. That space wasn’t bad,” Jobarteh shared.
“[Because of COVID], last year we had it outside. It was horrible, only because it was under the tents. I felt like the students probably felt like they were really cramped,” Jobarteh continued. “I think space is a huge thing. So this time around, having it in the gym, I thought that was the best place. I don’t know if we’ll always be able to have it there, but that was great.”
Some returning students and co-heads, however, found last year’s outdoor setting to be charming. “There were parts like that I liked about both [settings],” Subkhanberdina said. “I think something about the night outside— there was a certain charm to that, and it felt very lively. Under the fluorescent lights in the gym, the mood was a little different. It was nice that at least all the clubs were in the same general zone compared to last year. But I do miss the atmosphere of last year a little bit.”
To senior Val Whitten, this year’s Club Expo was nostalgic. “It reminded me of the [Club Expo] from prep year where everyone was super high energy, and we were all exploring the resources at Exeter,” Whitten said. “Only it’s different for me now because I’m on the other end of the table, running booths for the Exeter Business Club and The Exonian’s Business Board, getting to meet prospective [members], and introducing them to the clubs that I love on campus.”
New students also shared feedback for Club Expo. “Maybe [next time have] a map for Club Expo, just because it was sometimes really confusing, and I spent a while trying to find some of the clubs,” Pickett said.
Tran agreed. “The layout was really cool. I got kind of lost, though, looking for clubs. But the whole setting was very vibrant.”
“Having all the clubs there made it a little hard to find things or find friends if you got separated,” Reed added.
Jobarteh explained a logistical issue they faced during planning. “Because the gym was being used by others the night before, I wasn’t able to go in and visually plan the layout of the clubs.” Jobarteh said. “So [next year, I’d like to] have more time with the space and better plan the layout of the clubs. This would also prevent last minute changes. We respect all the spaces we use for events, and trash can be a problem, so next year we should have more garbage cans.”
Some students offered ideas to mitigate the crowdedness. “[Club Expo] could have been held at different times or across the span of a few days so that it wouldn’t get as crowded,” Laufer said. “I think that drove a lot of people away because of how many people were there.”
Subkhanberdina suggested more chairs to be added next year for club heads manning booths for the entire two hours. “I got a little tired standing up,” Subkhanberdina said.
Other students commented on the methods some club heads use to attract new members. “I think it’s not very genuine when it comes down to trying to get members that will actually commit [to clubs] because there were so many clubs that would really coerce you [to sign up],” Waritu said. “I feel like that’s probably an informal tradition or something that just happens every year, but it’s kind of useless.”
“Sometimes we feel kind of pressured to sign up for clubs because of the way [club heads] were shoving candy in your face and throwing their phone in your face. But it was kind of funny,” Tran added.
“I was definitely being persuaded into joining a lot of clubs that I probably would not have joined otherwise,” new upper Molly Lankler said in agreement. “But the environment was really cool. There was a lot of excitement around the clubs, and everyone was very passionate, so I felt really welcomed into the community.”
Despite some hiccups, most students described their experiences at Club Expo and ESSO Interest Night as very positive. “I feel like I met so many more people and really got to be a part of Exeter,” Pickett said. “Joining a club is something you actually choose to do. I thought it really made me feel like a part of the community on more than just a basic level.”
