With more than 1,000 UA students undecided on their majors in a university with ever-increasing enrollment, today’s Meet Your Major Fair may hold more importance than recent annual fairs, University College officials said.

“”I think it’s a wonderful opportunity, because it’s a friendly environment where students can kind of do one-stop shopping,”” said Angie Register, executive assistant for University College.

The fair’s friendly atmosphere is designed to attract students who would otherwise decline to attend the contrasting environment of a department office, she said.

Fair officials have tweaked the event over the years according to the needs of fair attendees, as spelled out in evaluations turned in by attending students over the years. The fair now has representatives from more than 80 majors, Register said.

As students walk into the Arizona Ballroom at the Student Union Memorial Center today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Register explained, they will check in at a front desk, where a fair official will give the undeclared students a map showing the location of each major’s representatives.

As they leave the fair, Meet Your Major officials ask attendees to fill out evaluations to gauge the success of the fair’s techniques, she added.

The presentations of the majors’ representatives will range from PowerPoint presentations to one-on-one talks with students.

The fair has proven to be a successful event over the past several years, especially for the English department, said English representative Bridget Radcliff.

Besides simply providing students with details about available majors, the fair keeps students’ options open. It makes information about more than 80 majors instantly accessible, giving students the opportunity to test the waters in any area they see fit, she said.

“”Students are always looking for options,”” Radcliff said.

Radcliff echoed Register’s belief that the fair’s comfortable atmosphere is a valuable step in steering students toward majors that may potentially become their future careers.

“”I think (it is) incredibly important,”” she said. “”It’s certainly an enjoyable experience.””