Kildee Farm Bureau Pavilion was packed Thursday night for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ (CALS) annual New Student Barbeque. Members represented their agriculture organizations, promoting and recruiting new students to join.
With almost 100 student clubs and organizations, CALS offers clubs and organizations for all majors within agriculture.
“This event is really special because you can see what all the clubs are,” said Sydney Septer, treasurer of Agriculture Communications of Tomorrow at Iowa State. “There is a lot going on and a lot of opportunities to get involved with and to see what Iowa State has to offer you.”
Agriculture Communication of Tomorrow is a club for students majoring in Agricultural Communication. It allows members to gain insight into the world of communications. They specialize in marketing, broadcasting and industry perspective.
“We are a club for exposure,” Septer said. “We love to give people opportunities and allow people to learn.”
“We are here to connect with other women in agriculture and allow them to learn about our sorority,” said Sophie Snively, Sigma Alpha Sorority co-chair for leadership and development.
The Sigma Alpha Sorority centers itself around all aspects of agriculture and aims to promote friendships between its members.
“Our main purpose is to give women in agriculture professional development opportunities as well as a social opportunity,” Snively said.
Block and Bridle, the largest club at Iowa State, is animal science-based but is open to all majors.
“We are a lot more than just live-stock shows,” said Trenna Cherney, who is the vice president of the organization. “We help form resumes, build connections and make friends.”
Block and Bridle organizes a blood drive, an animal learning day and much more. Within the club, there are interest groups focused on beef, swine, sheep, goat, horse, poultry, companion animals and meats.
“This CALS event is probably one of the best things we do as Block and Bridle,” Cherney said. “Being here and just talking to freshmen or transfer students is a great way to get started here at Iowa State.”
The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) is a nationally recognized club that is known for marketing, marketing strategy, and creating marketing products. NAMA offers a class within Iowa State (AGEDS 4750), which creates a marketing plan from scratch that will be presented at a national level. Within the last few years, NAMA has been a top-five finisher at the national level.
“The CALS event is our biggest promotional opportunity that we go to,” said Ellie Moser, ISU NAMA president. “It is great to get to know new students and figure out their interests and what sparks their interest the most.”
Many other clubs and organizations were in attendance at the event, including Pre-Vet Club, Horticulture Club, Bacon Expo, Food Science Club and more. To learn more about clubs through CALS, visit their website.
