White tables and colorful balloons adorned a usually drab and businesslike room in the library as clubs and their advisers jovially conversed over the buffet of Chinese food in Library L-109 Wednesday at the Inter Club Council’s Adviser Appreciation event.

The event ran from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and was an opportunity for Los Medanos College’s clubs to recognize their advisers for their work supporting the student organizations. ICC also provided the clubs with funds to purchase their advisers gifts, like Debate Club’s matching gifts of lotions and slippers to their advisers, Marie Arcidiacono and Star Steers. Similarly, Art Club provided Eric Sanchez with a personal sketch.

In addition to the free food and gifts, the event concluded with an opportunity for each club to talk about their adviser and what they mean to them.

Tammy Smith, a fixture in many clubs around campus including ICC, LMC Associated Students and SACHE (Students with Abilities Coordinate to Helping Each-other), kicked off this portion of the event by thanking the advisers and the club system on campus for helping “students like myself who were painfully shy.”

The clubs were then introduced in alphabetical order with the advisers being given a certificate of thanks.

While not every club had someone in attendance, many students gave passionate, emotional speeches including Art Club’s Micah Judah who waxed poetic about Sanchez.

“I can never repay you,” said Judah before explaining the way Sanchez stepped up to the role when no other members of the Art Department would.

Genaro Mauricio of the Debate Club also took the podium to speak about Arcidiacono and Steers, describing Arcidiacono as “like a second mother,” and saying that “there is no way I can ever repay her.”

He also gave credit to Steers, a recent addition to the club, for quickly becoming a vital member of the organization.

Similar appreciative speeches were given for a plethora of clubs, including LMCAS President Marco McMullen’s talk about the work adviser John Nguyen.

The last club to speak was the newly formed Young Americans For Freedom, a club for students with conservative political opiniona. While adviser Kurt Crowder was not in attendance, club member Jessica Anderson did speak to his importance to her and the club.

“We had a hard time finding an adviser,” she said. “We look forward to bringing the conservative cause to LMC.”

Teresa Archaga, head of ICC and Student Life and organizer of the event, was happy with the result.

“This is the biggest turnout we have ever had,” said Archaga.

While happy with turnout, Archaga was hopeful that even more clubs would join the program, emphasizing the importance of clubs to create a campus culture.

To create a club, students need a total of four officers for the club along with an adviser. The adviser can be a full or part-time employee. Once these requirements are met, students can download a form from www.losmedanos.edu/studentservices/clubs/default.asp and turn it in to the Office of Student Life is located to the right of parking lot A.