Addressing the Organization of Clubs on Campus & the Club Approvals Process

2015-2016 | Resolution-2 | Page

Resolution #2

of the 2015-2016 Session

Addressing the Organization of Clubs on Campus & the Club Approvals Process

Introduced by

Brianna Singh, SA Secretary, 2015-2016

Annabelle McIntire-Gavlick, Parliamentarian, 2015-2016

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Passed on

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Jazz Silva, Student Association President, 2015-2016

Presiding Officer

Whereas, Michael Donatti, Eric Pan, Matt Adrianowycz, Varsha Sathappan, Brianna Singh, and Annabelle McIntire-Gavlick (SA Members) in conjunction with Cat Majors (GSA Member) and Olivia Barker (Associate Director of Student Activities) recommend the following to Student Activities;

Whereas, the current clubs system does not allow for communication and collaboration between clubs;

Whereas, the current genres of clubs are not reflective of the distribution of clubs within those genres;

Whereas, the new club registration and renewals process is difficult to navigate;

Whereas, the club registration and renewals process is lengthy and creates an unnecessary burden on the staff of Student Activities;

Whereas, the goal of leadership roles in clubs and organizations is to develop leaders focused on working to achieve their goals;

Whereas, the Committee for Club Approvals had difficulty defining a club and identifying potential overlap between proposed clubs and current clubs on campus; therefore, be it,

Resolved, That the club approval criteria be based on sustainability, an original mission and vision, and demonstrated interest from the community;

Resolved, That sustainability is defined as a plan to continue for four years or have reasonable justification for the short-term nature of the club;

Resolved, That the original mission and vision is reflected in the addition of two questions to the Student Activities club application form suggested to be worded as follows and shown to the Committee for Club Approvals:

●  Can you justify why you’ll make an impact on campus?;

●  How are you different from existing clubs on campus?;

Resolved, That demonstrated interest be defined as receiving signatures from the following:

●  Three leadership members including a president and treasurer;

●  Five general members;

Resolved, that all clubs on campus move towards changeover in the Spring semester;

Resolved, That the clubs be sorted according to genre of club as follows:

●  Visual and Performing Arts;

●  STEM;

●  Academic;

●  Sports and Recreation;

●  Service;

●  Environmentalism and Sustainability;

●  Cultural;

●  Political;

●  Religious & Spiritual;

●  Social & Special Interest;

●  Departmental GSAs;

Resolved, That the Office of Student Activities implements a Council System, with clubs placed in councils based on designated genre. The mission of the club council system is to facilitate interactions between clubs and serve as a source of support and advocacy;

Resolved, Councils will be required to create a mission statement and maintain a consistent and reliable form of communication with council members. Councils will be required to review potential clubs within two weeks of being forwarded the application by the Parliamentarian in order to avoid club overlap;

Resolved, Councils will meet a minimum of once per semester to answer any questions regarding new clubs forwarded from the Committee of Club Approvals as well as facilitate conversations between clubs within that council.

Resolved, Councils will be chaired by elected representation from the clubs within that genre, serving in office until the next Spring semester when new representation is elected. It is recommended that Councils establish their own election process within a year of being in place.

Resolved, Councils maintain the right to write a charter and set up a C-Fund if deemed appropriate. If a C-Fund is opened, the council needs to elect a treasurer as well as modify the election process as necessary;

Resolved, Councils will choose a staff or faculty advisor with guidance from Student Activities. This advisor will serve to facilitate and support any needed conversation with administration as well as provide guidance for council leaders;

Resolved, That the Office of Student Activities expand their mid-year check-up and follow up with clubs mid-way through the year to remind them of their goals set out at the beginning of the year;

Resolved, That the Office of Student Activities expand their club renewal process to include the following:

●  Inclusion of a brief 4-year sustainability plan;

●  Request contact information for new leadership, if already transitioned;

●  If no leadership has been elected, that the club list the best point of contact;

●  A year in review done by outgoing leadership;

●  Goals for the coming year done by incoming leadership; and

Resolved, That short-term clubs with strong justification for their existence who receive approval from the Committee for Club Approvals be given all of the rights and privileges that a long-term club would have until their dissolution.