Several minority student groups on campus are seeking new members in freshmen and returning students through informational receptions, which are currently being held.
The receptions are a way for interested students and returning members to become acquainted with the organizations, and members say the gatherings are successful recruitment tools.
On Sunday, the Office of Racial Ethnic Student Affairs held an open house in the courtyard behind Student Services as its introductory reception.
Several university and office officials were on hand for students to meet.
Tammye Coles, coordinator for the Black Student Alliance, or BSA, was at the event and said the connections made at these receptions are important.
"There has been work done showing (that) students who are, in some way, connected to campus are more likely to seek information or assistance via a professor or student organizations," Coles said. "They are more likely to graduate because they have someone to go to. We are in the business of educating and graduating students, so we feel it is necessary to make affiliations at the beginning - it is critical."
About 200 people attended the open house Sunday. Among the new faces was Provost Kim Wilcox, who said he attended for many of the same reasons other newcomers should.
"This is the time when we are introducing people to campus and I wanted to get out and talk to smaller groups of students," he said. "This campus has all kinds of opportunities for engagement, whether it be drama, intramural sports, theater or cultural groups, and we hope all students can find the right match for them, and this makes finding that easier."
The casual receptions, which often include refreshments and introductory speeches, are open to students of all ethnicities.
Maggie Chen Hernandez, director of the Multicultural Center, said the events and groups are targeted toward specific racial ethnicities, but all are welcome.
"A lot of people have the idea that if it's a BSA meeting, that it's just for black students and only they are involved in it," she said. "That is maybe the assumption in most student groups, but there is participation from others - whether they are black, Asian, Native American or even white."
Communication sophomore Angela Perez is a part of several Latino-based groups, and said that being a part of the groups helps her clear up misconceptions about her own ethnicity.
"I am part Spanish, and my whole life I have been labeled just Mexican," she said. "They are so different and I try to tell people (about it) first."
Hernandez said the receptions differ from the first meetings held later by the groups because the gatherings do not involve official business. She added that the number of students retained by the organizations after the initial receptions is different for each group, and whether someone returns depends on the individual.
"If you go to the initial (Asian Pacific American Student Organization) meeting, 250 to 300 people initially come - that is pretty huge," she said. "But it's different for each group. There is a natural attrition for each group."
Retailing junior Daniela Ferreira said she joined the Chicano and Latino group Culturas de las Razas Unidas, or CRU, to develop relationships.
"You can meet people and get to know them instead of seeing them in classes only," she said. "The university is so big. It helps make it seem smaller."
