Longhorn Launchpad org fair spotlights smaller, newer clubs

Student Government organized the inaugural Longhorn Launchpad student organization fair on Wednesday to spotlight newer and smaller organizations on campus. Over 60 campus clubs and organizations tabled to find prospective members and market upcoming events.

Several organization members said they were grateful to participate in the event since they did not get to meet students during this summer’s shorter orientation sessions.

Ainsley Stutes, a University-wide SG representative and a finance junior, planned Longhorn Launchpad along with the Financial Affairs Committee and former Office of the Dean of Students, now the Office of Student Life. She said the Office of Student Life invited clubs to participate that had been formed in the last few years at UT or had posted advertisements on HornsLink to reach potential members.

“There’s lots of new orgs on campus, and sometimes without having an established pattern for a couple of years, it can be a little bit more difficult to get their foot in the door,” Stutes said.

In previous years, incoming freshmen could attend a large student organization fair during new student orientation in the summer. However, starting this year, the University shortened freshman orientation from three to two days to decrease the cost and increase the number of sessions, leaving students with fewer opportunities to interact with campus organizations.

“(Orientation) really helps you make connections, see what resources we have and … provide a firm foundation into going into your first year,” said Isabelle Ramirez, a social work senior and president of Socks for the Sole — an organization that volunteers to clothe the unhoused community in West Campus.

Ramirez was an orientation advisor last summer, and she said the summer is usually a good opportunity for meeting students, because the first weeks of the semester can be overwhelming.

“I was very disappointed when they weren’t able to do the org fair or anything this summer,” Ramirez said.

Multiple organization members said tabling, especially at orientation, is the biggest way they typically get new members to join. Micaela Viro, recruitment co-director of Minority Women Pursuing Law and an international relations junior, said the group has seen a decrease in new member interest this year.

Simran Verma, a health and society and human biology junior in the Special Olympics club, said going to organization fairs and walking on Speedway is a great way for students to get involved and meet people at UT.

“Especially (for) freshmen coming in, the first insight that they get into all the thousands of orgs on campus is through tabling,” Verma said.

For some organizations, Longhorn Launchpad provided a chance to interact with students for the first time. Biomedical engineering sophomore Sami Jata has worked on starting her organization, Simple Bare Necessities, over the past year after leading it with her friends in high school. The organization works to provide hygiene kits for a local free clinic for uninsured children. Jata said it was difficult to get started as a smaller organization and she is excited to finally start recruiting members.

“It’s been really fun sitting here and looking at all these boards, and we all have one thing in common: we’re all here to try to get new members and get the word out,” Jata said.

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