The Club Fair: Collegiate Speed Dating

Barry Hunsberger
The Montgazette Contributor

 

Energy and possibilities buzzed as students poured into Parkhouse Hall’s atrium for the 2018 fall ClubFair. Student o cers and club advisorsset food on their tables as lures —for a chance to pitch their club to students.Food, yers and friendliness helpedstudents match their interests with a group they wanted to join on the Central Campus in Blue Bell.

Representatives of each club participated in the Sept. 17 fair, which is like a collegiate form of speed dating. As prospective members strolled from table to table reaching for wings, cookies and bottles of water, current members handed ouyers and talked eagerly with them,wooing students to try out their club.

In the midst of the match- making, Dr. Kevin Pollock, president of Montgomery County Community College, and his administration were interacting with students, too. They served food to hundreds of students. As students waited in a line that stretched to the entrance doors facing the quad, they were introduced to the College’s many organizations, including The Montgazette.

Adopting the motto, “The Students’ Voice”, The Montgazette is a publication seeking to inform students, and is written by students. There are activities and events taking place on campus almost daily. There are dance and theater performances, writing competitions and symposiums

intended to educate and encourage students, and aid them in becoming all that they aspire to be. The Montgazette is intent on informing students, encouraging them to get involved outside of classes.

Additionally, The Montgazette presents social issues that readersmay nd relevant. We live in adynamic world. Dialogue amongstudents and faculty ebb and ow.The Montgazette aims to be a part of that dialogue, if not initiate it. Education does not come only from books and classes. It also comes from healthy and respectful conversations about our community and our world. When students expand their realm of education, they expand their realm of knowledge. The Montgazette looks to facilitate that expansion.

The Montgazette is just one of many clubs available in which students

may engage with others. The College encourages students to step outside theircomfortzoneandintothedoorsofany meeting. O cers and advisors aremore than welcoming to new faces and talent. Doing so may not only expandminds, also it may expand con dence. Students often nd themselves hesitantand ill-equipped to be a member of a club. But nothing is gained by sitting on the sidelines. Our clubs teach students what they do not know and broaden what they do.

Learn more about clubs and events online via the MyMC3 Portal. Click the “Campus Life” radio button to access the “Engage” platform for information about organizations, events and news. Or, stop into theStudent Life O ce located, on the rst oor of College Hall, duringschool hours until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Members of Montgomery County Community College’s dance team performed for the attendees of the 2018 Club Fair. Photograph by Barry Hunsberger

The 2018 Club Fair attracted many students seeking a club to join and a way to get involved. Photograph by Barry Hunsberger

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Winter Is Coming, but Fall Is Here

Bridget Depew The Montgazette Editor–in–Chief

As much as we all tried denying its imminent arrival, fallis upon us. Some of us nishedup the 2017-2018 school year with plans to relax and take a much-needed respite during the summer. Some of us fell into the category of “no rest for the weary” and continued with classes during the summer.

Regardless, we all are finding ourselves needing to adjust to a new school year. New classes. New professors. Whether you’ve just graduated high school or are deciding to continue your education after a period of time away, you may feel overwhelmed. You may be feeling anxious about what lies before you. You may be second-guessing your decision

to continue your education while working a part- or full- time job and perhaps also maintaining a household and taking care of children.

I’m here to tell you: Take heart. You do have what it takes. That spark that initially motivated you to pursue a higher education was not a mistake. Allow it to turn intoa re that you most assuredlywill need to keep you ablaze throughout the school year. We all have doubts, fears and inhibitions. Having those feelings are not the problem. Being overtaken by them, to the point of immobility, is.

It is very easy to look too far ahead and feel like we’ve taken on too much. We, as humans,

tend to get bogged down thinking about “what will be.” We anticipate the workload, the amount of time we need to set aside for studying, and we may assume it could be too much to handle. It is that point—where fear and trepidation kick in—that causes us to back-peddle on our decisions that seemed so rightwhen we rst made them.

I’ll tell you what my mother always told me: “Don’t borrow trouble.” Tomorrow brings its own set of baggage. Today is what we live for. Today is the only day we’re experiencing. We’re not living in yesterday where we might have failed at an endeavor or fallen on a particular path. Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow has not arrived. Today, you have

the strength and fortitude to handle whatever it brings you.

There are myriad reasons one decides to continue his or her education: from wanting a better job opportunity to wanting a promotion to wanting to set an example for little ones who may be watching. Whatever your reason, let it be the motivating factor propelling you forward to completion. Don’t second- guess yourself because of what yesterday has brought or what tomorrow may bring.

We can all take a lesson from Winnie the Pooh when he said, “[Today is] my favorite day.” Make today your favorite day. And when tomorrow shows up as today, it can be your favorite, too!

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