Over 200 booths representing Oregon State University clubs and local businesses will soon line the fields outside the Memorial Union and the Student Experience Center Plaza.

 The annual 12th Beaver Community Fair returns on Sept. 30 from 12:00pm – 4:00pm, allowing students to gain familiarity with what their school and community has to offer.

OSU Program Council Event Specialist Paul Pangan compared the event to “going on a shopping spree,” and said that the event displays many of the organizations that students are paying for but often overlook. 

 “A lot of students most of the time don’t realize that [they] have access to CAPS, transportation services, and a bunch of these other really cool services,” Pangan said. “Students don’t get exposure to that as much because a lot of the information that we try to pass on to them informing them about these clubs and services come in the form of brochures and magazines.”

BFC allows students to get an idea of what these clubs and services are about in person along with their peers, which Pangan believes creates a more engaging and lasting experience than a piece of paper they’ll likely throw away.

Pangan emphasized that the event is a great way to build community, especially for freshmen and new students. According to him, the event helps them gain perspective about the size of the world and all the opportunities they have in front of them in college.

Pangan encourages students who attend BCF to participate and open themselves to opportunities and experiences they may not have previously considered because it could aid them in the future.

“If somebody hands you something, especially at one of these events, just take it,”  Pangan said. “You’re better off getting a piece of information that you may or may not need than not getting a piece of information that you needed but never got.”

A consistently updating list of participating clubs is available here.