About 197 groups took part in the 70th annual event, said Rochelle Spencer, assistant director of student leadership and involvement. Because of COVID concerns, last year’s event was split into seven mini-sessions on campus with 20 to 25 groups at a time.

“Everyone’s been really excited and counting down for K-Day to start, so they can all be here,” she said. “Everybody seems to be having a lot of fun. The food went over really well. We actually ran out of most things early, which has not happened in a long, long time at K-Day.”

About 3,500 to 4,000 students come to the annual event, Spencer said. It helps students explore their interests and connect with other people who share them.

“They find their organization, typically in their first or second year here, and then they join for the rest of the time they’re at Michigan Tech,” she said. “And that helps bring our students back every year.”

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Drew Pienta, assistant director for the Michigan Technological University Robotics Systems Enterprise, poses with the team’s robot during K-Day Friday.

Groups attracted students with eye-catching gambits like paintball guns, skateboarding or computer games.

The MTU Fencing Club had swords on display for a stream of interested students. The club is both for people with experience fencing and those who want to learn, said treasurer Weston Stroming.

“It’s kind of hard to get into competitions because it’s not that prevalent up here,” he said. “So it’s just kind of a place for people to meet and learn and get to know each other through fencing.”

About five to seven members show up to every meeting, Stroming said. The ranks could swell after K-Day. Stroming said he’d talked to five to 10 people with fencing experience, and 80 people had signed up to get more information.

“I’m excited for this year, especially if even a quarter of them show up,” he said.

MTU’s Robotic Systems Enterprise team steered a robot on the ground in front of its booth, which also included its brightly colored autonomous vehicle. The club has more than 50 members, and competes across five areas, said assistant director Drew Pienta.

First-year physics major Jack Holtgren signed up for an outdoors club and table tennis club.

“I think it’s a great way for students to find something that they’re passionate about, and then also connect with other people that are passionate about the same thing,” he said.

The student clubs and the free stuff were a draw for Michele Powell, a second-year wildlife ecology and conservation major. She joined a crafts club, and was also interested in clubs for women in natural resources, sustainability and aquariums.

“It’s nice to see how many people there actually are at Tech, because it seemed like a lot less last year with everybody in their rooms,” she said. “It’s nice to have an event people can come to and have fun.”