Bi-annual Club Rush shows students’ group spirit

Student+Malekah+Isa+%28right%29+plays+soda+pong+during+Club+Rush+in+the+Campus+Center+Plaza+on+Oct.+31.+

Denis Perez / The Advocate

Student Malekah Isa (right) plays soda pong during Club Rush in the Campus Center Plaza on Oct. 31.

By Cindy Pantoja, Opinion Editor

A large crowd of students attracted by an enormous inflatable miniature golf course and performance stage gathered outside of Fireside Hall on Oct. 31 for Club Rush.
Work for the clubs started early that morning and by 8:30 a.m., club members began decorating their tables and the early signs of the stage’s frame were visible.
By 11 a.m., all the work was completed and the campus was ready for the festivities.
“This is a great opportunity for student to learn about the clubs and for clubs to bring awareness about what they do.” ASU President Alex Walker-Griffin said.
The ASU organized this event in order to provide a comfortable space for clubs to charm students and invite them to join the club that best fits their interests.
Currently, there are more than 20 clubs that are active at CCC.
Among the clubs present at the event were the Puente Club, Men and Woman of Purpose, La Raza, the Gaming Club, and Students for Educational Reform, among others.
Attendees were asked to grab a card and fill it with stickers from each club. They were encouraged to visit each table and were offered a chance to win two raffle-style tickets — one for pizza and the other for mini golf.
All the tables offered small prizes such as candies, cookies, games and little trinkets.
The table with the best design and the with most student signatures at the end of the event received extra money to for their club account.
“I took this opportunity to learn about the clubs,” business administration major Ikhor Bali said.
One of the most popular tables at the event belonged to the award-winning Speech Club. Prominently displayed on its table was the group’s latest first-place trophy.
Speech Club representatives Gabriella Hernandez and Ralph Boquilon happily placed the required sticker on attendees’ cards while they extended an invitation to join their club.
“We travel around the state and have all the traveling expenses covered,” communications major Ralph Boquilon said. “We develop our public speaking skills while we advocate for issues in our own community.”
Political science major Hector Galvez, who hosted the Community Organizing Political Action club (COPA) table at Club Rush, said the club used the event to bring awareness about the importance of students voting in the Nov. 6 general election.
“I’m here spreading the word, advising students that they should vote and why it is important to support issues like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).” Galvez said.
The table for the Engineering and Math Club was the busiest table of the event.
Members interacted with students and offered various activities such question roulette. Student had to spin the roulette wheel and science major Rudy Suarez Serrano asked participants a science or math question. Winners received a warm invitation to club events and some candy.
As the games were fully underway, in another area of Campus Center Plaza, students enjoyed live rock and hip-hop music performed by local singers and bands.
While most of the students busied themselves visiting the tables, eating pizza and playing miniature golf, nurses invited people to enter Fireside Hall to receive a free flu vaccine.
Upon entering the building, students filled out forms with their personal information and their most recent medical history. In order to receive the vaccine, they also had to sign a consent form that authorized the nurses to perform the procedure.
“At events like this, we get to interact and inform students about how important it is to be protected against the flu,” Dr. Louise McNitt said.