Nunamann Hall Landing was completely packed on Thursday, September 10, 2026, as hundreds of students gathered for the Welcome Back and Club Rush event. From start to finish, the highly anticipated gathering kept the landing full of high energy and had a continuous stream of people looking to get involved.
Even when a complete and utter downpour of rain hit, students continued to stay, and others continued to arrive, keeping the event going despite the weather.
“I don’t even know where to begin, just a lot of good energy this year,” said DSC student and SGA President Antonio Valley. “You know we have 6 different campuses, so I’ve been to all of the welcome backs except for the ATC campus. Students are just ready to get involved, which is honestly a breath of fresh air. You know, just so many asking how they can get involved and how to start their own clubs.”
Autumn Demarest agreed, saying “I’m really excited for this event today. We have a lot of people, a lot of food, and there’s just a lot of energy. It is humid out here today, but we are all still persevering and pushing through, but I’m excited to see where this goes and hopefully people will be able to join some clubs today.”
Dozens of student organizations and campus departments, from the Writing Center, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Intramural Sports to Student Publications lined the walkways with decorated tables, tri-fold posters, and sign-up sheets. Walking through the event, attendees could see a variety of options on display that showcased all the different ways students can get involved on campus.
“I always enjoy days like this on campus, where everyone is just all together and it’s a great time,” said DSC student Noah Betau. “You know, it’s just fun to take a breather between classes and it feels more like a college because everybody’s Rushing. We’re so used to the mundane things around here just coming and going, so it’s nice and fun. And, not to mention, the free food.”
Walking around the landing, the buzz was definitely noticeable, with students overheard asking their friends things like, “Are you going to rush for intramural sports?” and “Are you going to go out for the lit mag?”
To get ready for the rush, clubs set up their table displays and coordinated schedules to make sure that someone would always be there to hand out flyers and talk to people. Being out there on the landing made it a lot easier for everyone to just walk up, ask questions, and make that first face-to-face connection without feeling nervous.
“This is my third year here at DSC, and I just love seeing campus be so vibrant because I know that for a state college, we’re a lot more worried about what student life is going to look like with how much smaller it is,” said DSC student Collette Barton. “But I love seeing all the clubs and all the unique pop-ups.”
Madeline Johnson, another DSC student, agreed, adding that she “didn’t even realize the Rush was happening until she walked out of class and saw the massive crowd outside” but that it’s “really nice to see everyone all together.”