On Monday, Sept. 15, students trekked their way up seven floors to the gym. The gym was bustling with students, all excited about the upcoming clubs for this year. Almost the entire school was trying to fit through a set of double-doors, all to enter the same space. Posters were lined up in rows, with students passing out candy, meeting new people, and getting to express their interests to others.

Earlier this year, the Jones administration decided the club fair needed a new location: the gym.

Students feel strongly on where the club fair should be located next year. The change in locations this year was generally unpopular.

“The gym was musty and so packed,” said attendee Jose Oseguera ‘28. “I liked last year better because there were two cafeterias, meaning there were less people in each.”

Oseguera wasn’t the only one who thought the gym was overly crowded.

“It wasn’t as crowded in the cafeterias, not all the clubs had to show up in one area” said Lashawn Sumlin ‘28. “I would have liked it better if they had used the entire gym, but it was too crowded because they only used part of the gym.”

A survey was conducted asking 56 students their preferences on the club fair location. 34 of the respondents were attendees at the club fair, and 22 of the respondents were representing a club. Out of all the attendees, 91% preferred to be in the cafeterias, and 9% preferred to be in the gym. Out of all the people representing clubs, 77% preferred the club fair in the cafeterias, while 33% preferred the gym. Some attendees felt the space was simply too small for so many students.

“When I was waiting outside to get into the gym, a whole bunch of guys squished me and they would not stop squishing me. I couldn’t breathe,” said Annabel Bautista ‘28.

Many of the people that represented a club and preferred it to be located in the gym stated that they didn’t have to deal with the congestion, which made everything a lot easier. They liked how all of the clubs were organized, and how they were all lined up next to each other.

“I found it really annoying having to go from one building to another building,” said Ignas Petrus ‘27. “I really liked how everything is just in one place.”

Petrus represented multiple clubs at the fair this year, meaning he had to move around to different locations.

“It’s easier for people to find you…as a representative of multiple organizations it makes it really easy for me if I have to go from one organization to another,” said Petrus.

When asked, the administrative team expressed that the club fair was moved due to safety concerns.

“Based on our personnel, including security staff, we felt it would be best-managed if we moved all clubs up to the gym to a central space,” said Principal Kerry Dolan.

Although this decision was made with the safety of everyone in mind, the administrative team recognizes the difficulties in getting in, and how crowded it was inside the gym.

“While that obviously posed its own challenges with respect to flow of traffic, most decisions to shift locations or procedures almost always boil down to what will be safest,” said Dolan.

Security worked with the administrative team to make this decision, choosing to move the club fair to benefit both administration and Jones students.

“Club fair was moved because operationally, we have to make decisions that ensure we are best equipped to keep everyone safe,” said Dolan.

There is currently no plan for the club fair location next year, but administrators do recognize student’s opinions on this matter.

“We haven’t had the opportunity as a team yet to discuss feedback and next steps,” said Dolan. “It is too early to determine at this time.”