The juggling clubs rise and fall in the air, caught and then tossed again by both amateurs and seasoned members of the Out of Hand Juggling Club.
"A lot of freshmen come in already knowing how to do all sorts of things," said Benjamin Lichtner '12, the club's co-president, as he watched students show off their skills in front of the club's booth at the Student Activities Fair Thursday night.
The fair drew over 275 student groups and a sizeable chunk of the first-year student body into the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, where club members shared their talents and ideas as freshmen crowded the track to search for organizations that appealed to them.
The event opened to first years at 7 p.m., and within minutes some booths were swamped.
"People showed up really fast, just in general," Lichtner said, noting that four people signed up for Out of Hand's mailing list within the first 20 minutes. The club lost many seniors last year and is welcoming newcomers so it can rebuild, he added.
Other groups saw a slower stream of students trickle in at the beginning of the night.
"We've had a few freshmen, but we're still watching for more people," said Rachel Thakore '13, leader of Brown's chapter of Nourish International, mere minutes after finishing her booth's setup.
Nourish International, which runs business ventures to raise money for international projects dedicated to fighting global poverty, began at Brown last year with 10 members, Thakore said. The goal for now is to expand to 15 permanent members.
Ralanda Nelson '12, chair of the Undergraduate Council of Students' Student Activities Committee, said though she did not know the exact number of first-year students who attended the fair, she recognized many of the unit leaders and noticed their attendance.
"I was really excited for the number of first-years that I saw coming," she said. "This is the first time they get to see what student life is like outside the classroom."
Those same first-years made the rounds in the OMAC, some signing up for multiple clubs and looking for an "experience outside of academics," said Sean Gilman '14. Gilman signed his name on the mailing lists for the Brown Republicans, Brown Inventors and the Pre-Medical Association, while fellow first-year Thomas van Hentenryck '14 signed up for the Brown Democrats and the tennis, rowing and debate teams.
Shari Chase '14 had a specific goal — she wanted to sink her teeth into writing.
"I'm looking for some kind of literary magazine to work with, so I'm just looking at all of them right now," Chase said after signing up for the African Sun, a literary magazine that serves Brown's black community. Chase also looked at the Round Magazine, the Branch Christian Ministry, ballroom dancing and women's rugby.
The Orientation Welcoming Committee and the Student Activities Office organized the event. Planning for the fair began in late June, with early registration for student groups ending in early July and regular registration continuing until August. Registering early for the fair increased a club's chances of getting their ideal spot in the OMAC, Nelson said.
"You can always just anticipate a crazy night with a lot of people," she said, "but it always works itself out."
