FIU clubs welcome Panthers in the global first year

Jay Vaparia/Contributing Writer

Freshman year can be stressful, considering the awkward attempts to fit in, adapting to a different culture and dealing with homesickness.

According to Victoria Vaccari, a student services advisor for the Global First Year, this nervousness can be overcome by getting involved on campus in any manner, but most freshmen are unaware on how to take the first step.

“I meet lots of international students who are apprehensive about their first year in college,”

Vaccari said, “For most of them, it is their first time away from their homes.”

For freshmen, the foremost recommended campus activity is getting involved in a club that caters to their interest. With over 200 clubs to choose from, there is something for everyone here. However, in case a student does not find a suitable club to get involved in, it is more than easy to create your own club or organization.

“Registering a club is easy; interested individuals have to fill out a form online and attend an Orgsync orientation,” said Nadine Matas, Vice President of the council for student organizations. Orgsync is an online portal which contains the information of every single club at FIU, and also acts as medium of communication between the club members regarding meetings, activities and goals.

“We even provide funds to run the organizations, thanks to the student government association”, Matas said, “…we try to encourage more and more freshmen to join clubs.”

For the hobbyists, there are numerous organizations within FIU that range from niche, “Anime Etc.” for anime enthusiasts, to nature-friendly clubs like “Wings @ FIU,” that aims to create awareness and danger that threatens the natural habitats of birds. The billiards, Astronomy and Chess clubs are perfect opportunities to pursue a different hobby while learning something new.

Hamdan Albalawi, a member of the Billiards club at FIU said, “We, the members of the club,promote billiards to students…represent FIU by competing against other schools and organizations, and ensure members have a great time.”

For freshmen that are still uncertain of what club they want to join, they can explore and weigh their options at the convention for clubs and organizations, put forth by the council of student organizations during the first week of every semester. Representatives and members from various clubs set up their stalls in GC ballrooms and provide information about their club, along with engaging activities and free food.

Moreover, for those who wish to get involved within the executive branch of the University, several student organizations are influential in voicing different student opinions to the University Administration.

The Student Government Association is one such organization at FIU. It is a united student body that aims to establish a student government providing a form of representational government the student can effectively participate.The sheer choice of academic related clubs is helpful for freshmen with undecided majors, as they can explore various clubs and rule out on a major to pursue. For every major, there is at least one club that caters to students interested in the field.

The former president of the American Marketing Association, an organization under the College of Business said, “Everything we do is marketing-related. Our members have the opportunity to carry out on-campus promotions, conduct marketing research and develop integrated marketing campaigns and more! In addition, we are extremely active. We meet twice every week.”

The club also manages their own blog, post internship opportunities and provide career advice. Each year, they take part in a case competition that include brands such like Vitamin Water and Ice Breakers.

This is just one of many academically influenced clubs available on campus. Such clubs are equipping their members with the necessary skills needed to succeed in their respective careers. Many alumni who visit the campus for talks and speeches testify to the fact that enrolling in clubs like these provided the head start they needed to survive and succeed in their respective fields.
The full list of clubs and organizations at FIU is available at www.orgsync.com. Go panthers!