St. Edward’s Student Involvement coordinators and the Student Government Association (SGA) joined forces to host the first Student Organization Market. The market took place on March 5 on Ragsdale Lawn, serving as an opportunity for students to promote their organizations while raising money for any future projects.
The market featured a total of 12 organizations that participated as vendors; the Psychology Society, Blue Rhythmic Dance, Hilltop Readers, Physical Therapy Organization, International Student Association, Global Affairs Society, Hilltop Game Developers Club, Monarchs on the Hilltop, Latinx Student Leadership Organization, Delta Sigma Pi, SEU Happy Feet and the American Society for Microbiology.
Vendors sold items that differed at each booth, varying from snacks and drinks to items such as books, t-shirts, art prints and even raffle tickets
One of the organizations that caught the eye of students was the Hilltop Readers, which sold “Blind Date with a Book” along with handmade beaded bookmarks for $5 each, selling out within the first hour of the market. Hilltop Readers provides student readers a space to connect with one another and discuss the different books selected each month. Founder and current president, sophomore Lauren Westfall, expressed that her participation in the market was a good opportunity to garner student engagement and find new members along the way.
”Selling things on campus and having these events where you’re sitting outside and tabling, you really get to talk to people and make those connections in person, which is so huge for organizations,” Westfall said.
Instead of selling individual items, some of the organizations in attendance decided to sell raffle tickets for exclusive items. Organizations such as SEU Happy Feet and Physical Therapy Organization raffled off prizes like gym equipment or a JBL speaker, but Delta Sigma Pi decided to raffle something that has had all the recent buzz.
The St. Edward’s chapter of the professional business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, sold tickets that allowed students the opportunity to win a Jellycat Snow Dragon plush. Junior Carolina Benavides, one of the members who helped with sales, explained that she and other members wanted to raffle off something more popular with students to get their attention in hopes of raising more money. Members are using the money raised at the market to help fund their national membership dues and other future events that contribute to professional development.
”Our fundraising officer was talking to some of the other officers and one of them had mentioned Jellycats, and we ultimately came to the conclusion to raffle them,” Benavides said. “They’re usually really expensive and raffling is a great opportunity for you to get one at a cheap price.”
Multiple vendors also offered a variety of food and drink products at the market, such as dirty sodas, paletas and pastries. On the other hand, Monarchs on the Hilltop decided to get creative and sell chamoy pickle kits. This snack, which became popular on TikTok, features a pickle wrapped in a Fruit Roll-Up, stuffed with toppings like Gushers and Hot Cheetos, and garnished with chamoy. Proceeds from their sales went to Casa Marianella, which provides housing for refugees and asylum seekers in the Austin area.
“We were thinking of something that we could sell that would also maybe be sort of an experience that would draw people in, and some of us just thought of when the pickle kits were popular on TikTok,” outreach specialist Sofia Fox said. “So we made our own kits and sold them for pretty cheap and we thought it’d be fun for people to try.”
Each of the organizations that made an appearance at the market sold different items, but all of them had the same purpose: to promote student involvement and raise funds to continue their events. The market was a unique way to promote student engagement on campus, helping each student organization gain valuable experience in communicating its purpose to the student body.
“It’s perfect because it’s kind of like an involvement fair in the middle of the year without being an involvement fair,” Fox said. ”We’re out here selling to students, but we’re also telling them about things that we do and why we’re doing them, so I think that’s the most important thing.”
