Alcala Bazaar: Something for Everyone
One of the University of San Diego's premier Welcome Week fall semester events took place all along Torero Way on Sept. 6 — the Alcala Bazaar.
Alcala Bazaar is an opportunity for all students to discover the many ways to be involved on campus and beyond, both in San Diego and even opportunities to go to international destinations. Student organizations, university centers and departments and local vendors all come together to promote awareness, answer questions and provide unique opportunities.
On Tuesday it was a chance for such clubs as Torero Gaming (eSports), USD Improv, the SMILE (Students Making Initiatives to Love Everyone) Club, and USD Votes, a campaign to register students as new voters in this fall's election, to promote their existence and learn more about their services. Next to them were some of USD's traditional outlets like fraternities, sororities, club sports programs, Associated Students, USD Student Media, Student Veterans Organization, Career Development Center, University Ministry and Outdoor Adventures.
Academic departments such as Liberal Studies, Music, Political Science and International Relations and the School of Leadership and Education Sciences' Leadership Minor were represented, as were the Honors Program, USD's Mortar Board chapter and the USD Preceptorial Assistant program. Important centers offering ways to build community on and off campus — the Karen and Tom Mulvaney Center for Community, Service and Social Action, the Women's Center, the Black Student Resource Center, United Front Multicultural Center, Office of Sustainability, and the International Student Organization — were on hand.
Two campus organizations offering students the chance to travel internationally to help people in other countries — Global Engineering Brigades and USD Medical Brigades — took signups for upcoming information meetings. The Global Engineering Brigades just did a trip to Honduras in late August and plan to do frequent service trips to Tijuana. Medical Brigades has done past trips to Honduras, Panama and Nicaragua, but team members on Tuesday indicated that a trip with doctors to help people in Ghana is potentially on its radar.
Whatever a new Torero might have been looking for or if a returning student wanted to participate in something new, the Alcala Bazaar likely had it. To see more of this annual event, check out some photos taken by USD News Center's Ryan T. Blystone.