Student crammed their way through to meet representatives from more than 80 different organizations that set up shop for Pantherpalooza on Wednesday.

Created by Student Government, the event was tightly packed inside the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Pantherpoolza has registered student organizations gather in one place and is open to all students who wish to take up extra activities in their spare time.

The space had gotten so tight that some of the organizations had to be moved into the hallway outside.

Some of the representatives said Pantherpoolza was easier for students because it was inside, while others felt it was inconvenient because of the overcrowding.

Ryan Brown, a junior accounting major, said his organization, the Student Accounting Society, did well at Pantherpalooza.

“We got to talk to a good amount of people that seemed to be interested in our organization,” Brown said. “We’re kind of specialized so we only attracted people that are accounting majors.”

Brown said he liked the event last year when it was held outside on the South Quad.

“That way you get more people getting out of class and they see what’s going on,” Brown said. “I feel like it’s a better turnout when it’s outside and it’s more spread out.”

Other representatives did not feel the same, such as Michael Skasick, a senior English major and a representative of the Gamers Guild.

“Usually when it came to Pantherpoolzas in the past, we have been able to get some members, but not as many as we really desire,” Skasick said. “This semester I definitely think it was different.”

Skasick also said that while the inside was all cramped up, it was a better turnout than in recent years.

“Last semester, with the whole thing being outside, we regrettably didn’t make the cutoff,” Skasick said. “I actually prefer to be indoors, especially when it comes to something along the lines of gaming.”

Tyler Gordon, a sophomore communication studies major, and Patrick Muhne, a freshmen kinesiology and sports studies major, were representing the EIU College Republicans and the water polo club, respectively, and they said they also believed the event would be better if it was held inside.

“Inside does work better than outside,” Munhe said. “It was really good because it was really narrow and you just look left and right and you could basically see everything.”

Both Gordon and Munhe agreed that, despite the overwhelming capacity in the grand ballroom, the inside space helped them meeting more people interested in their respective organizations.

“Our position was really convenient,” Gordon said. “We were on the edge too and we weren’t as crowded.”

Luis Martinez can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].