Club commission simplifies club creation process

October 30, 2018 — by Jun Lee and Michael Wong

A online proposal followed by and in-person pitch reduces the difficulty of creating a club from previous years.

This year, senior club commissioners Samyu Iyer and Cameron Lin have taken measures to simplify the process of creating a club in an effort to bolster club interests and support new endeavors.

“We really wanted to focus on making the process more accessible to everyone and pretty easy to fill out,” Lin said. “We got a few complaints from last year that there were a lot of forms to fill out.”

Until last year, the process to form a club required an emailed proposal in order to receive the initial application form.

“We sort of got rid of that step,” Iyer said. “We thought that it was a little unnecessary, and we’re trying to encourage more students to try making a club for something they’re truly passionate about.”

Now, Iyer and Lin have transferred the initial steps online. An online-submitted form found on the ASB website detailing the club’s intent and structure must be sent to club commissioners for approval. If approved, a panel of ASB officers will listen to a prepared pitch during tutorials or weekends to determine whether to admit the new club.

During this presentation, all seven members of the commission listen to the club’s proposal and vote on it, majority rule.

“It’s not specifically something we’re looking for other than real passion,” Iyer said about the in-person proposal. “We want to sense that they have enough to carry them through the entire year.”

Club commissioners hope that this mitigates the difficulties of forming a club in previous years.

“Just being a club is a lot of work, and the needing to do the paperwork side of it was [too much] for the clubs,” Lin said.

Another change that club commissioners made was the frequency of submitting club minutes. While clubs last year were required to submit a detailed summary after each meeting, these written notes are now monthly requirements.

For senior Sally J. Lee, secretary of FBLA, the change is convenient because keeping track of specific details each meeting is no longer required. The new policy allows clubs to debrief monthly activities and see whether they have met their goals, keeping the intended purpose of minutes in mind.

“It’s not only helpful in that it makes our lives easier, but it’s also helpful for the club officers in assessing and reflecting on what they’ve done,” Lee said.

The new system has not seen a significant increase in applications yet. Still, Iyer encourages students to take the initiative.

“It’s a little easier if you’re interested,” Iyer said. “Go fill out the application and anyone can do it.”

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