Spring Alcala Bazaar encourages student involvement

Another Alcala Bazaar is in the books. The semi-annual event, which is held at the beginning of every semester in an attempt to encourage campus involvement in the many clubs that the university has to offer, took place outside of the University Center on February 9.  
The spring bazaar was a bit different from the fall event, as the tables for each club were set up along the sidewalks in front of the UC, as opposed to up and down Marion Way as has been the case in the past.
Still, students were given the opportunity to walk up and down and stop by a number of tables in order to discover more of what each club has to offer.
Some tables, such as Yerba Mate tea, are there simply to hand out samples of their product in hopes of gaining new customers in the college students.
For Nick Peterson, president of the new USD Radio, the bazaar was also a way of getting his “product’s” name out there. USD Radio is a new student organization, and Peterson saw the bazaar as a chance to let other students know how they can enjoy it.
“The bazaar is a great way to wield your network skills and spread your seed amongst the Alcala Park population,” Peterson said. “Plus, you can show how much more elaborate, inspiring and shiny your promotional materials are than other clubs.”
While one of the most enjoyable aspects for the clubs is promoting themselves in a festive manner, it is far from a top priority at the bazaar. For leaders like  the current President of RHA, Urszula Milewicz, the bazaar isn’t so much for the benefit of the clubs as it is for the students.
 “Our goal [as RHA] is to gain as much resident participation as possible in order to advocate for all of the residence halls on campus, and the bazaar is a great way for us to reach those residents,” Milewicz said. Student involvement brings the USD community together.
But even if Milewicz’s club isn’t what some students are looking for,  Milewicz said  the beauty of the event is that “hopefully students will find at least a few things they are interested in and can become more actively involved on campus.”