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January 27, 2014
FAIR
OFFICERS
More than 300 student organizations have signed up for spring Involvement fair
Iozzio says Rutgers has former student officers in almost every law enforcement department
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decided to split the involvement fair into three different events. “When the room is too crowded, it’s hard to engage in conversation over interests,” she said. Spreading the event throughout different days would disperse crowds and provide a better experience for both the student organizations tabling the events and students at the event to learn about the groups, she said. Monday’s schedule includes the Greek Involvement Fair at the RSC, Willson said. Wednesday and Thursday are part one and part two of the Spring Involvement Fair, featuring student groups and organizations separated by interest. “Preparations for the fair are going well,” Willson said. “Student Life is just working on getting word out and letting students know what’s going on.” Student Life has introduced “Twitter Trivia Tuesday” to allow students to engage with the organizations without having to physically be present at the fair, Willson said. “We will be tweeting from the ‘Get Involved’ Twitter account asking different trivia questions about student organizations on campus, and students can win prizes,” she said. This year, more than 300 student organizations have signed up, which is much more than years past. Willson said she is pleased with the participation this semester. Because it is a planned indoor event, Willson said she is not too concerned about the weather. Yet, she recalled a time when a snowstorm arrived during the involvement fair, which did not cancel the event but affected foot traffic. “Because it is so cold, Student Life will be providing free coffee in the Coffee House of the Livingston Student Center on Wednesday and Thursday,” she said. Willson said student organizations would be hosting performances both Wednesday and Thursday. “Typically, we haven’t included performance pieces during our winter involvement fair because we couldn’t accommodate for it, so this year because we are utilizing the Coffee House, we thought to invite our perfor-
mance groups to display their talents,” she said. Cliff Wang, vice president of the Rutgers Management Consulting Association, said the involvement fairs are important for students to gain interest in different clubs and increase involvement. “When clubs consider that their entire senior member base will be graduating, the drop in numbers of these seasoned members can be alarming,” he said. “As a result, it’s important to make your presence known at these fairs and target eager underclassmen who might not have committed to an organization yet.” Wang, a Rutgers Business School senior, said his organization always gives informational material to students that visit its booth, ranging from brochures about the organization to flyers about the consulting industry. “It is also important to be prepared to answer any questions students might have regarding the organization and how commitment-intensive joining the club might be,” he said. Heidi Nicklaus, a residence hall counselor, said the fair provides an easy access opportunity for students to view the hundreds of organizations offered at Rutgers. “There are uniquely specific groups and there’s essentially something for everybody,” said Nicklaus, a student in the Graduate School of Education. “Besides acquiring specific information about the organizations, students get to meet other students who are passionate about a common interest.” Nicklaus, a member of Scarlet Listeners, a peer counseling, crisis and referral hotline, said the organization would be in attendance at the Spring Involvement Fair on Thursday. She said joining the Scarlet Listeners has provided her with a foundation of counseling skills that she will constantly utilize in her future professional career. “Being involved in a variety of clubs and organizations allowed me to meet new people I never would have met just by walking around campus,” she said. ”I gained leadership experience holding positions, I have worked with diverse individuals, I strengthened my confidence and I have refined my time management skills.”
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because they are students. They help to build a relationship with the police department and the community. Charles Nary, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, is a CSO who works closely with the Rutgers community. He is a part of the CSOs mounted patrol, and he rides horseback on the Cook and Douglass campuses. A typical day on the job for Nary includes patrolling the campus for potential hazards, ensuring building safety and helping people in need, which he said is easier with horses. “The horses make things more approachable,” Nary said. “People come up to us more often, they’ll come up and say ‘oh can we pet the horses,’ and then from there, if they have any questions, it’s easier.” Riding horseback also gives the officers the added benefit of height, allowing the CSOs to get a better sense of their surroundings, Nary said. They can also get into areas with the horses where cars cannot. Nary plans to go to law school following graduation, and said his time with the CSOs has given him insight into how law is enforced in real-world situations. “I thought [the CSOs] were definitely a good opportunity for me to work with law enforcement and learn their perspective on criminal law and see how things are actually enforced,” Nary said. For many CSOs, the program is a stepping stone to a career in law enforcement after graduation, with some alumni working in the FBI and border patrol, among other
places, Iozzio said. “We have [former] CSOs in almost every major law enforcement department,” Iozzio said. “The ones that really do shine and give it their all can get recognized, not just by Rutgers, but pretty much anywhere.” This has been the case for Divya Buttan, a field-training officer for the CSO division. Buttan, a School of Arts and Sciences senior who became a CSO in 2012, said her time with the program has led her to want to pursue a career as a Rutgers police officer after graduation. “Rutgers has been so amazing to me,” Buttan said. “I’d really love to continue to progress to a full-time career here.” One of Buttan’s most memorable experiences as a student officer was during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, when she worked in the University’s emergency operation center.
CSOs assisted in evacuating Rutgers students before the storm hit, and Buttan said she helped with efforts on the College Avenue campus. “It was an amazing opportunity because it helped me learn about what law enforcement does in times of crisis,” Buttan said. “The students were really grateful that there were law enforcement officials helping out with this serious disaster.” As a field-training officer, Buttan super vises about five people, and said she has learned leadership skills during her time as a CSO. “It helped me better my communication skills and dealing with people,” she said. “It’s taught me how to manage stressful situations and effectively become a supervisor.” The CSO program plans to start their next hiring process in February, an opportunity Buttan said is for anyone who is passionate about serving their community. “[The CSOs] are almost like a family since we’ve been through so many things together,” Buttan said. “It’s an amazing experience.”
Charles Nary, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore and Community Service Officer, patrols campus on horseback. EDWIN GANO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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Shockwave, an a cappella group, performs at the Involvement Fair in September at the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus. The spring fair will include performances from multiple organizations. DENNIS ZURAW / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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