by Bri Becerra
As students begin to settle into campus life for the fall se- mester, student organizations are kicking off and searching for new members. In the past two weeks, two major events were held for student organizations: Scot Spirit Day and the Fraternity Sorority Life (FSL) Fair.
Scot Spirit Day, an annual Wooster tradition that boasts the numerous student organizations that campus has to offer, was held on Friday, Aug. 25. Instead of being based in the Oak Grove the event was held on the indoor track in the Scot Center.
Gabby Hiller, Assistant Director of Student Engagement, is new to Wooster this year and had a large hand in planning Scot Spirit Day. She explained that the decision to move Scot Spirit Day indoors came about because the indoor track is no longer under warranty.
“Logistically it [also] worked better because groups were able to have their own tables, it was more spread out, and weather didn’t have an impact on the
event,” said Hiller. She shared that the goal is to move Scot Spirit Day to the Scot Center permanently.
Elizabeth Kotora ’25 agreed that this change was beneficial. As an upperclassman and drum major for the marching band, she felt that students were able to have more space to explore.
“I think no matter where Scot Spirit Day is held, it will always be overwhelming,” said Kotora. “When it’s in the Scot Center, there’s more airflow, more room to move around, and [it’s] easier to have conversations with the members of the orgs.”
Another major change to Scot Spirit Day this year was the exclusion of FSL groups from the event. In the past, each group was provided with a table to promote their fraternity or sorority. This year, FSL was given its own separate promotional event, held on the back patio of Lowry on Sept. 1.
Hiller explained the logic be- hind this decision, emphasizing the importance of creating cohesion and togetherness among the FSL community.
“The students coming out to the FSL Fair are specifically interested in these organizations and they are not competing with everyone else at Scot Spirit Day. I can see this positively impacting the recruitment process,” said Hiller.
Though Hiller believes that separating Scot Spirit Day and the FSL Fair will be a beneficial change, students involved in FSL are not in complete agree- ment. Auna Campbell ’24, executive member of Eta Pi, did not welcome the change.
“I did not like FSL being separate because I felt that although it was advertised, not many people showed up,” said
Campbell. “I felt it was successful for groups who were ‘popular’ or more well known, but not really for the smaller groups.”
Kotora, who is also President of Epsilon Kappa Omicron (EKO), had a mixed review of the FSL Fair.
“This fair was more targeted for people who were pretty interested in Greek life, and I know a lot of EKOs who didn’t think about joining a sorority until we stumbled across them at Scot Spirit Day,” said Kotora. “I definitely do think it will impact recruitment this year, hopefully for the better.”
Although the decision to create the FSL Fair may not have been as well received by members of FSL, the campus community agreed that Scot Spirit Day’s relocation was a beneficial decision.
Overall, Hiller said she was happy with the outcome of this year’s Scot Spirit Day. “It was one of my first big events to be a part of at the College,” she said. “I’m looking forward to continuing [to meet] and [work] with some amazing students.”