Clubs on Display at Unity Day
By Ellen Yoshitsuga
eyoshitsuga@theguardsman.com
City College’s Unity Day for the Spring 2024 semester was held in the amphitheater next to the Wellness Center on Feb 13. Students browsed tables representing student groups and resource centers and enjoyed the music and warm sunshine.
The Inter-Club Council (ICC) puts on the event every semester. Clubs are financed by student fees, and participation in Unity Day is required.
ICC Vice President Jason Luong did a great job getting people involved, according to Dean of Student Engagement and Wellness Amy Coffey. While student participation in campus life is still recovering from the pandemic, more student groups are now being recognized and it feels more like a vibrant college campus.
Several Guardsman reporters wandered around chatting with people and taking pictures. Here are just a few of the many groups on display.
The Filipino Student Association’s biweekly meetings are open to anyone. They organize events that are relevant to Filipino culture and have an annual event for Mental Health Awareness Month, according to Shawn, an FSA member, as he greeted passersby.
Alpha Beta Gamma is a national Business Honor Society, founded in the 1970s. Emily La manages social media for the City College branch. As a marketing major, she enjoyed one of their recent events with a speaker in the marketing field. Emily says the club is a great opportunity to network and learn about careers, making it a good addition to your resume.
Michelle, tabling for Anakbayan, said they are a national organization that uplifts “issues of the working class in the Philippines and overseas.” They oppose military aid and see the issues in the Philippines as linked to issues at City College. Their small table was covered with event flyers, literature, and buttons.
Brianna, a student worker, is happy to be a part of the re-launch of the African American Student Resource Center, located in Rosenberg Library Room 300, next to EOPS. It’s a place for African American students “who are facing so much displacement and financial instability,” she said, to have a place to feel welcome and “just be themselves.”
“The best thing about the event is always the people involved,” said Coffey,” There was a moment during the event in which a student started singing and without realizing it, everyone at the event just froze to listen. A lot of students loved that part of the event and remarked about how nice it was to share that collective experience.”
According to Coffey, students are facing wellness and mental health issues following the pandemic, and clubs can be a way to find and meet other like-minded students. This can make a huge difference for someone who may be struggling or feeling isolated.
