With the start of the fall semester came the return of Welcome Back Days!

The event, which took place from September 16-18 in the Student Center, gives students the chance to become informed, as well as sign up for student clubs. With over 30 clubs to choose from, HFC has a variety of organizations, ranging from academic to recreational. Some of the many clubs that participated at Welcome Back Days were the Community Service Club, Baking Club, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Phi Theta Kappa, Student Council, and The Mirror News.

In addition to club recruitment, the event hosted a voter’s registration table. Students could fill out the required application, as well as collect candidate information on the upcoming November election.

The second day of Welcome Back Days saw entertainment from magician Edd Fairman. The Chicago performer has been entertaining audiences with his magic act Wizard of Sorts for more than 12 years (wizardofsorts.com). Performing more than 200 shows a year at colleges, private parties, and corporate events, Fairman has worked with corporations such as HBO Films, Ford, and the Four Seasons Hotel.

The Big Bang Blues band made their debut at the event on the third and last day. The cover band consists of HFC science faculty members Steven Murrell on bass guitar, Brian Kirchner on lead guitar, Mike LoPresto on vocals, and Hans Masing on drums (hfcc.edu).

Not all fun and games, Welcome Back Days incorporated an academic component as well. On September 18, several colleges from Michigan and Ohio visited the campus, informing students on steps they need to take when transferring. The University of Michigan-Dearborn, Eastern Michigan University, Sienna Heights University, and the University of Toledo were a few of the colleges in attendance.

Coinciding with Welcome Back Days was Community College Week, which was recognized at the event. Created by the Michigan Community College Association, the September 13-21 event is celebrated by all community colleges in Michigan. It focuses on the powerful impact community colleges make on students, the workplace, and economy.

The event proved to be a success, with students seemingly taking an interest to the organizations. But Student Activities Officer Cassandra Fluker wishes there was an even bigger turnout, stating “A lot of clubs are still forming, so the turnout was not as high as I expected. But overall, I think it was a nice turnout. Many students signed up for clubs.”

Occurring twice each school year, Welcome Back Days will return in January.