Adam Walker, Contributing Photographer

On Sunday, the extracurricular bazaar showcased 448 clubs, teams, bands and publications to hundreds of participants. 

The bazaar took place in Commons and on the Beinecke Plaza and ran from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., but some groups left early due to rain showers. 

Although students of all ages attend the annual bazaar to browse club offerings, the event mainly targets first years and showcases the plethora of club offerings at Yale. 

“I really liked the extracurricular bazaar — getting to see a bunch of the opportunities here was very helpful and welcoming,” said Eugene Covington ’28, who attended the bazaar. “Also just getting to know everyone, talking with a lot of the leaders, really allowed me to make those essential connections and impacted my interest within those different clubs.” 

Club members and leaders participating in the bazaar to recruit new members employed an array of strategies to garner interest in their organization.

The extracurricular groups were able to participate in the bazaar if they re-registered with Yale Student Organizations, the branch of the Yale College Dean’s Office and Office of Student Affairs that provides resources to student groups or Yale Athletics in the case of club sports.

Two students told the News that they often seek to differentiate their group from similar organizations to first-year students. 

“Freshmen often have heard of the Yale Political Union, but need to know specifically what the difference is between the parties,” said Gaya Buchta ’27, who manned the bazaar table for the Progressive Party of the Yale Political Union. “So I’ll chat with them about what the differences are between the Progressive Party and the Party of the Left, the Independent Party, et cetera.” 

Will McDonald ’26, recruitment chair of Just Add Water, an improv comedy group, said that he “always makes sure to differentiate each of the five improv groups” by explaining that “we’re the musical one.” 

Three students interviewed by the News also emphasized the importance of a striking poster board and engaging table decorations to bring potential new members to their table. 

Ameya Rastogi ’28 told the News that he was often “naturally drawn” to the tables with the most people around them. He also was attracted to the ones with tall displays and with posters that “looked like they had put a lot of effort into them.” 

Although they did not have a place at the bazaar as an unregistered organization, the Yale Endowment Justice Collective ran a recruitment campaign from afar. 

In an email obtained by the News, the EJC asked clubs who attended an “informal coalition” in May to place a few educational pamphlets, or “zines,” about Yale’s investments in the war in Gaza through weapons manufacturers so they could “reach students and build a strong base as we start organizing actions for the year.” 

The News counted that at least fifteen different student organizations featured the zine on their tables.

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