More than 18 student service departments participated in the first Student Services Fair held Feb. 7 in the San Rafael Plaza. The fair was designed to enhance student awareness of student services available on campus.

“We had noticed that a lot of the people that we talked to didn’t know that there was a job placement or career center,” said student services technician and student services fair co-coordinator Kathy Kostjal.

Prior to the fair, the only two services that advertised themselves to students were the Job Placement Center and the Career Center. Others realized that something had to be done to increase visibility. It was decided that a fair would be held at the start of every semester.

“If you’re a new student here, you can’t know everything that the college offers,” said Kostjal. “It takes your whole educational time here to figure out what we can do.”

Leslie Gregory, co-coordinator of the fair, said students are hesitant to go to service offices because they think that they have nothing to offer them.

“Students may not be sure what they are looking for,” said Gregory. “Sometimes they don’t know how to phrase their question.”

By taking their offices outside, Gregory and Kostjal said students may find them more accessible.