The Student Union (SU) Spring 2026 Activities Fair took place on Friday, Jan. 16, in the WashU Field House, the largest indoor space at the university. While 220 student organizations tabled at the event, several student groups were unable to table at the event due to space constraints, according to SU Vice President of Engagement Ella Scott.

“SU is limited to the space that the Field House has to offer,” Scott wrote in an email to Student Life. “If there were other options to expand space, trust that we would take them.”

Due to limited space and 300 sign-ups for this year’s fair, SU prioritized SU-recognized groups, which are organizations that apply for recognition through Student Union’s Treasury Activities Committee. SU considers the mission, programming, need for SU resources, and more when deciding if a group should be SU-recognized, according to Scott.

25 student organizations that wanted to attend the event could not get a table this year, compared to last year’s 14 student groups. One of the several non-SU organizations that couldn’t attend the Activities Fair was WashU Data Science, which, according to junior and vice president Dan Mukhin, relies heavily on the activities fair for recruitment each semester.

“Without the opportunity to table, we anticipate a significant decline in recruitment and visibility,” Mukhin wrote in a statement to Student Life. “This is particularly important as this is our first year receiving funding from McKelvey, and we have several new opportunities planned that depend on strong outreach and turnout.”

Missing the activities fair could make it more difficult for WashU Data Science to become a SU-recognized group, which requires demonstrated interest and high student engagement according to Mukhin.

Most clubs that were not able to secure a table at the activities fair still planned on recruiting informally, including WashU Data Science. However, alternative forms of recruiting cannot always supplement going to the SU Activities Fair.

“While we plan to distribute flyers at the activities fair and participate in the McKelvey fair, data science is inherently interdisciplinary, and limiting our exposure to a single school may reduce our ability to reach the greater student body,” Mukhin wrote.  

While some organizations are vying for SU-recognition, groups such as WashU Product Space do not want to pursue SU recognition. This year, the organization did not receive a table, and as a result, its members recruited at the fair by holding up a poster and handing out flyers at the fair. Junior and co-president Isaac Hwang feels there should be more spaces for organizations like his at the SU activities fair.

“Everyone who wants to successfully market their club needs to be an SU-recognized club, but some clubs don’t want to do that, including us, because it’s a lot of paperwork and whatnot,” Hwang said. “[It] kind of sucks that we have to be in this position that I have to hold up this poster, but it is what it is.”

The fair serves as a way for clubs to connect to the student body on a deeper level for Hannah McWhan, a sophomore and vice-president of WashU Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which received a table this year.

“We love to meet people face to face,” McWhan said. “I love getting to see new people because we can recognize them in practice later.”

While the activities fair is a common way for clubs to recruit new members, students can discover clubs through other paths. First-year Grace Pietrick said the primary way she found extracurriculars was not through the activities fair.

“I saw a few clubs that I signed up for for fun [at the fall activities fair], but I ended up not really liking [them]. Field hockey I joined because one of my friends was in it already, and another one of the clubs I applied to this semester, I found on Instagram.”

SU Activities Committee Chair Cora Johnson wrote in an email to Student Life that student engagement remains important to SU, as everyone on campus deserves a space to do something they care about.

“Over my time at WashU, I feel like I have seen engagement grow in so many clubs and activities. Each year, new groups are approved by the Activities Committee. One of my favorite parts of SU has been watching them build their programming and becoming part of the larger campus community!”