STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS STRUT THEIR STUFF

by Sara Evilsizor

Although the evening session was relatively slow, this year's EXPO and Chancellor's Picnic went off without a hitch.

Fair weather allowed students to participate in the free picnic and several free carnival games, as well as to observe the organization booths, which were the highlight of the EXPO, according to Don McCarty, student services coordinator.

"It is a situation in which student organizations can promote themselves," McCarty said.

In all, 40 booths were set up, showcasing about 75 student groups in the Alumni Circle with the food tent taking up the entryway and the carnival events situated in the quad.

For some organizations, the EXPO was vital in reaching people.

The Student Support Services Grant was formed only a week ago to help students with disabilities and according to member Rachel Sommerer, the program used EXPO to makes it debut on campus.

"This is the (students') first introduction to it," Sommerer said.

The SSS Grant group handed out 150 flyers. Sommerer said the they will be back for next year's EXPO.

"It's met my expectations," Hall said.

Another organization for which the EXPO made a difference was International Students, Inc., a group designed to help host students.

"It is many times my first introduction to internationals," volunteer Lynda Williamson said.

Though many organizations did not return for the evening session, Williamson said she is glad she did because it gave her another opportunity to make connections.

Many of the booths were empty in the four-to-six o'clock session, and only one carnival game remained.

Food was still available, however, and people listened to the Afro-Cuban Percussion Ensemble as they ate or walked around.

Though the evening's turnout was lower than the ten-to-two o'clock's turnout, the overall attendence was successful, McCarty said.

"It improved in both areas," he said, as this year's evening crowd was equivalent to past years' daytime crowd.

One booth that remained popular all day was the Residential Hall Association, which featured a chance to throw pie at volunteers. When asked why she volunteered to be "pied," Tsetsi Tasheva, RHA member, said she did it for the attention it granted her booth. "This is getting the most people," Tasheva said. 'That's why we keep doing it." Gary Clark, a UM-St. Louis police officer, jokingly cited "all the assaults at the pie-throwing booth" as the only problem during the EXPO.

Clark and other campus patrol officers were on duty all day as proactive patrol to assure that things were under control.

Clark said that his main service had been in assisting students in such things as finding the temporary shuttle stops, which were the only disruptions caused by the EXPO.