As the 2018-19 academic year starts to kick into gear, a variety of events and activities are taking place across campus to both welcome students to campus as well as showcase many of the groups, clubs and programs NC State has to offer its students. This past Sunday, students from a variety of different majors and interests came to Miller Fields to experience one of these events: RecFest.
RecFest 2018, held on Aug. 19 and hosted by NC State Wellness and Recreation, gave many students a chance to come together to learn about many of NC State’s club sports and organizations with an evening of food and fun, while bringing attention to wellness-oriented opportunities across campus.
“I think it’s a kick-off to the semester and showcases our new shift and focus on wellness,” said Alexis Steptoe, wellness programs coordinator in NC State’s Department of Wellness and Recreation. “You’ll be seeing wellness messages sprinkled throughout. It’s built into the games and built into the activities that we have, but we really want to demonstrate to the student body that we are here to support your overall well being, and not just the physical aspect.”
Students attending the event were able to participate in a variety of games and activities, including inflatable obstacle courses and slides, a climbing wall and a small archery challenge where students attempted to knock down a small ball suspended by a jet of air. A number of food vendors, including Moe’s, Domino’s and Duck Donuts.
A variety of club sports were also present at RecFest, offering information about their groups and encouraging students to sign up, including NC State’s Club Quidditch team, Sailing Club, Club Tennis and the Fusion Dance Crew.
Travis Tucker, a fourth-year studying aerospace engineering and the race team captain for NC State’s Sailing Club, was present at the event to represent his group.
“Being involved in something is a huge part of college life, and RecFest gets them to come out and find groups to be a part of.” Tucker said. “There’s a lot of people who have no idea what sailing is, so they come [to RecFest], see us, sign up, and sometimes they stay with us for all four years.”
Elizabeth Blenk, a fourth-year studying aerospace engineering and a member of the Sailing Club’s race team, says that RecFest is an important event when it comes to clubs recruiting new members.
“The majority of our recruiting comes from RecFest, probably around 80 percent,” Blenk said. “We want people to come and learn [about our group], and end up loving it and a lot of that comes from RecFest.”
The co-directors of Fusion Dance Crew, Amy Hinds, a fourth-year studying biological sciences and Keturah Postell, a third-year studying polymer and color chemistry, think that RecFest is a great way for incoming first-years to see what campus has to offer.
“I think it’s a really good way for freshmen to see all of the club sports and see all of the things NC State has to offer,” Hinds said.
Postell added that RecFest also introduces freshmen to the groups present at the event by giving them a face-to-face introduction with their members and officers.
“It’s really good for freshmen, since they don’t really know what’s on campus yet, so it really helps to give a face to all of the clubs and groups that are out there,” Postell said.
Throughout this year’s event, both new students and returning students are able to start the year off strong, and perhaps find a new group on campus they can become a part of.
“I think the returning students recognize this as an opportunity to kick off the semester in a fun, engaging way, but for the new freshmen, I think it really shows that the university has a lot to offer,” Steptoe said. “Hopefully they’ll see the different booths and different vendors and see all of the things we have to support the total wellbeing of students.”
