Plaza Vaquero has seen a rise in activity for the past two weeks during Club Rush, which began on March 5.

During Club Rush, the plaza is lined with tents and ornamented with colorful posters, enticing freebies, and merchant stands while students meander among them, exploring several of the many options Glendale College has to offer.

The event, which takes place each semester, is a major opportunity for clubs and organizations to come out and recruit students as members. Representatives from many clubs reserved tables in Plaza Vaquero and came prepared with brochures, applications, flyers, and even prizes for potential members.

Others incorporated such eye-catching incentives as free popcorn and bowls of candy conveniently placed alongside applications. ASGCC representatives even sold fresh fruit to passersby.

“I think it is very effective,” said Mery Vardanian, vice president of the English Club. “It is our first day out here and we already got three people.”

Club Rush is not only about recruitment and fund raising. It serves as a medium for on-campus organizations to simply relay their message and bring students of common interests together. According to Armenian Student Association (ASA) president Lusine Mosinyan, “We are a cultural club a lot of our members are Armenian, but aside from that fact, I believe students are attracted to ASA because of the informative meetings, activities, and our involvement in ongoing issues.”

One major role clubs and organizations play on campus is unification. According to Mosinyan, “Clubs and organizations bring diversity to the campus. Without these, the campus would be a pretty boring place to be.”
Organizations do not only play an important role in uniting students on campus, but several of them also generally contribute to the community as a whole. Alpha Gamma Sigma’s (AGS) director of publicity, Luz Ramirez, said, “This semester, we plan to do a lot of community service and get students together to help out in the community.” According to Ramirez, campus organizations greatly accommodate such activities.

Not only were students introduced to on-campus opportunities at Club Rush, but they were also given a variety of off-campus opportunities as well. Several off-campus organizations, including UPS and the US Marines came to Glendale College during this height of on-campus activity, whether they realized it or not.

“I didn’t know you guys had something going on right now,” said UPS representative Jennifer Rodriguez, “A counselor from the college scheduled me here at this time. I’m sure she knew what was going on, which is better for us.”

While the club representatives consider Club Rush to be a great recruitment and promotion opportunity, many students find it a valuable source of information and awareness regarding on-campus activity.