The much-awaited American University of Sharjah (AUS) Club Fair began today, October 1, with hundreds of students convening in the Student Center. The two-day event, which is held each semester, gives new students a chance to sign up for the many cultural and common interest clubs on the AUS campus.

Thirty ethnic and 25 interest-oriented clubs make up the 55 clubs participating in the fair this semester. Eight new clubs have been established and these include the Japanese Cultural Club, Korean Cultural Club, Chinese Cultural Club, Biology Club, Business Management Club, Gastronomy Club, Performing Arts Club and Philosophy Club.

The AUS Student Center has been divided into three segments: eight departments from the Office of Student Affairs have been set up in one section; ethnic clubs are in another area divided into the GCC corner, Middle East corner, Asia corner, Africa corner and South America corner; and interest-oriented clubs consist of the entertainment corner, engineering corner, business and finance corner, and informative corner.

Organized by the Office of Student Affairs, the fair was inaugurated by AUS Chancellor Dr. Peter Heath, in the presence of Dr. Thomas Hochstettler, Provost; Salem Al Qaseer, Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs; Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs; Munketh Taha, Director of Student Development and Organizations; and other senior university officials.

According to Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, "I am glad to know that more and more students are taking advantage of the extracurricular opportunities the university has to offer. The fair is one way of showcasing the various clubs and organizations that our students can join and the different non-academic student support services they can avail from Student Affairs. The vibrant colors and decorations are a reflection of our students' interests and heritage, and I wish our students successful events for the semester."

The Club Fair gives new students the opportunity to join clubs while making new friends. "I have never been to a club fair before and I'm really impressed with the scale of the event and the time and effort the seniors have devoted to making this a memorable experience for us," said mechanical engineering freshman Jawad Iqbal.

The Club Fair will end at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow, October 2.