Freshman J.D. Owen watches freshmen Matt DeSalvo and Danny Wooldridge play in a sand volleyball match at Titan’s Sept. 6 volleyball mixer. The “Top Gun” themed mixer invited participants to recreate the beach volleyball scene from the movie while duking it out on the sand courts. [Jonathan Lindsay] Sophomore Megan Brown laughs while she holds junior Laura Merrit during one of many games at the Ko Jo Kai pajamamixer Sept. 19 in the Hammon Room. “Themixer was just a fun, relaxed activity to help new girls feel at ease,” Brown said. “We really got to know all about them through fun and games.” [Jonathan Lindsay] Sponsor Melinda Johnsonwrites on sophomoreWhitneyWash’s shirt at Omega Lambda Chi’s graffiti mixer in the McInteer Rotunda on Sept. 6. Mixer attendees and members wore plain shirts, so they could write mixer-essential information for display, such as their name, major and hometown. [Chris Hamilton] oining a social club could be an intimidating process. In an effort to lessen the pressure of meeting an entire club all at the same time at a one-time open house, Corey McEntyre, who was appointed director of campus life in fall 2007, decided to hold a mixer solely with social club officers. McEntyre said the mixer was set up so interested students could meet directly with the club officers. McEntrye graduated fromHarding in 2007 with a degree in dietetics and readily accepted the chance to prolong his time on campus with a staff position,especially one interconnected with student life and entertainment.The director of campus life post became available after Zach Neal accepted the title of assistant dean of men. McEntyre’s transition from student to staff was a smooth one. His new position included oversight of social clubs and campus events planning, both tasks closely related to student campus culture, with which he was familiar. His involvement on the campus activities board and in a social club while he was a student gave him an insider’s perspective into student life. “As someone just coming from the system, I felt I could really understand people and help them,especially in matters of social clubs,” he said. “I really wanted to be able minister to people God put in my path, building off of existing relationships I had with students.” OnewayMcEntyre set aboutmaking the social club process more approachable and user-friendly was through his idea for a less daunting club meet-and-greet — the officers mixer. Sophomore Rachel Geddie, an encouragement officer for Pi Theta Phi, thought the new mixer was a good idea. She said the officers mixer was structured like a pre-open house, allowing prospective members to meet the people in charge of various clubs. “Officers are a good representation of the club, so you can still get a good feel of a club without being tossed into a sea of intimidating jerseys,”Geddie said. Students who attended the mixer thought it was a helpful way to initiate contact with the club process. Junior Lilly Garza,who was interested in joining a club,liked the smaller crowds at the mixer. “I liked being able to talk to all of the officers without having a ton of people to get through,” Garza said. “The mixer was helpful because officers have been in the club longer and know more answers.” McEntyre said that the mixer was a hit and would be continued in the future. “This year, people interested in joining a club actually had a chance to already know some faces in the crowd at bigger mixers,” he said. [Jodi Jordan and Kristin Kelley] j Newfaces take newplaces in the mix [ ] 246 [organizations]
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