I want to thank Vanessa Broadbent for a great feature on student clubs & associations, some important issues were identified.
Student engagement on campus is quite the challenge; I agree that a low number of students in residence is a huge factor in our engagement levels. Baker House residents, along with international students, are among our most involved students. With a community building focus we can further improve our overall student engagement.
With regard to some of the operational challenges involving SUS, I have some good news. First, to start a new group, no official meeting is required. We require a minimum number of members to help validate the group’s authenticity for access to limited resources (e.g. funding, room bookings). Only re-registrations require an annual meeting, and those groups are already registered and have full access to funding/poster boards.
Second, I was concerned to read some students may be under the impression we would not allow them to advertise or book space for the purposes of creating a new club. We do allow new (unregistered) groups trying to attract members to book a room and advertise, they just need to get in touch with us for arrangements. Third, we happily will pre-approve club funding that is contingent on proper registration, which should give some peace of mind.
Prohibiting either of those would be extremely detrimental to new groups, which is not what I want. I welcome anyone to come by our office to discuss this with me to make sure this information is available and clear to all of our members.
I also agree that the process for clubs could be streamlined. Why should we put hurdles in place for students who want to be a part of e-gaming, celebrate Japanese culture, or any other mutual interest they may share? I will talk with the Clubs & Associations Officer and bring this forward to the Clubs & Associations (CLASS) Committee for further suggestions and feedback on how this can be done.
I believe SUS has improved this year in its support of and collaboration with student groups. The Clubs & Associations Handbook is a great new resource, and I will update it to better communicate what I’ve outlined here. The student government, operations, clubs, and associations all have improved over recent years, and I hope to continue to work collaboratively towards an improved student experience at UFV.
Thomas Davies
SUS Vice President Internal
