Linbo Fan / Sun Staff Photographer

Cornellians enjoy fall food and interact with over 40 clubs and organizations at the first Fall Fest in Klarman Hall Saturday.

October 23, 2016

Cornell Class Council Hosts First Fall Fest

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More than 1,000 Cornell students and community members gathered in Klarman Hall for Cornell’s first Fall Fest Saturday, which featured 45 different clubs and organizations from both Cornell and Ithaca.

The event was hosted by Cornell’s 2017 Class Council. Lauren Lang ’17, Class Council president, said she was “really looking forward to” seeing students “celebrate this really great season.”

After learning that “some people couldn’t even get into Clubfest” in September, Lang said she thought Fall Fest would be a good opportunity for students to “meet new organizations on campus” and find “something that they love.” She described the event as an “alternative Club fest.”

“[The Class Council] started brainstorming the idea back in the spring, but then it sort of evolved after clubfest,” Lang said.

Gabriella Alexandrou ’19, a member of Mayor Potencial — an organization that offers students social entrepreneurship opportunities in impoverished countries — agreed, saying Fall Fest was “a great way to see programs” because clubfest was “packed.”

Heavy rain on Saturday forced the Class Council to move Fall Fest from the Arts Quad to Klarman Hall, but Lang said she remained optimistic the event would be a success.

“It is interesting, exciting, and there are a bunch of different things to do,” said Javier Correa ’20, an attendee. Because Fall Fest coincided with Cornell’s First-Year Parents’ Weekend, Correa was one of many students who attended the event with their parents.

The decision to hold Fall Fest on Parents’ Weekend was not intentional, but Lang said the coincidence was helpful for parents who want to “see what goes on on campus.”

The event offered a variety of fall themed snacks. For example, the Cornell Beekeeping Club offered honey samples, and Mayor Potencial distributed doughnuts with apple pie filling.

“Carving pumpkins, talking to people about conservative ideology, it’s a good way to reach out to the community,” said Olivia Corn ’17, chair of the Cornell Republicans.

Lang concluded that Fall Fest went “incredibly well,” adding that she hopes the event can be held outside in the future so “we could have more performance groups and more space for organizations.”