Inter Club Council held its second club day of the academic year on Jan. 22, moving it back from the main quad to the Sunken Garden.
The ICC holds its quarterly club day to give De Anza clubs a chance to show interested students their activities and shared interests.
“We started planning last quarter,” Hsu Yati Phyu, 23, computer science major and Inter Club Council Chair of Programs, said.
The council implemented a “passport” system, encouraging students to visit nine clubs, collect stamps and redeem a prize.
Last quarter, ICC handed out cotton candy. This quarter, it gave students mochi donuts.
“We support 80 plus campus clubs,” Phyu said, “We fund them so students can hold events.”
In front of the stairs across the campus center, the Outdoor Club’s big blue kayak drew crowds for its semiannual kayaking trip out to the baylands.
While many clubs recruit De Anza students for their shared hobbies and interests, others combine personal interests and professional opportunities, such as the Beauty x Tech Club.
“We are a pretty new club. We just started last quarter,” Beauty x Tech Outreach Lead Melica Afnani,18, public health major, said. “We hope to do a lot of collaborations and workshops this quarter.”
Afnani said the club wants to create technology focused on human needs, including a bracelet that tracks skin moisture and reminds wearers to hydrate.
The club collaborates with the 3D Printing Club, as it also uses the printing lab as its room. Beauty x Tech Club had its first meeting that Friday, on Jan. 23, to plan its next project and prepare for the upcoming De Anza Expo.
“There are a lot of engineering majors on campus and a lot of them try to join clubs, but not a lot of them try to produce projects for their portfolios.” Melica said. “We just want to give them as many opportunities to help them finish community college and hopefully transfer.”
TEDxDe Anza Secretary Shreyas Menon, 19, data science major, said he and his club wants students from different backgrounds to speak to their student body representatives.
“A lot of people already know about our club,” Menon said. “There’s no more explanation for this.”
“I haven’t seen that much initiative from the student body.” Menon said, “As a club leader, you want to reach out to anyone and everyone.”
Menon also said the club hosts student-led speaking events.
“A lot of people already know about our club,” Menon said. “There’s no more explanation for this.”
Menon said that the event not taking place in the Main Quad makes it difficult to attend club day and that he thinks being near the library is easier for students to access.
ICC Advisor Maritza Arreola said that the council has done club days in both spots, with pros and cons to each.
“We (Inter Club Council) can fit only so many clubs in that middle area (of the main quad),” Arreola said. “We have to stretch out into the aisles, which some clubs like and some don’t.”
The main advantage of the Sunken Garden for Arreola is that it accommodates all clubs in one location, but that the main quad is more central and visible for students passing through.
The council moved club day to the main quad in 2024, following the Flint Center’s demolition and concerns that holding it in the Sunken Garden would potentially expose students to debris and asbestos.
“I’ve been here since 2020, when we (ICC) had to do it online,” Arreola said. “I believe we’ve learned from each one.”
