Club advisors, officers, and members were invited to attend VTSU Johnson’s first Club Council on Friday, Nov. 15. Club council meetings will be hosted every other month, with at least one representative present from each campus organization.
Several new guidelines for campus clubs were presented at the meeting, including mandatory community service, increased oversight on finances, and fundraising requirements.
All VTSU-Johnson clubs are now required to organize and participate in five hours of community service each semester, totaling 10 hours for the whole year.
Upon being recognized by the Student Government Association, club officers are advised to meet with the Club Council to further discuss community service options. At least one member of a club must be present for community service hours to be considered valid.
SGA recognized clubs are required to host at least one meeting a month, with three members minimum in attendance.
All approved clubs need a mission statement and a constitution, beginning in the spring semester. This documentation will serve as a reference to future students, in case a club must be revived or restarted.
A Finance Board has been created, which will approve club funding and requests. Any requests for funds larger than $50 will require both the approval of the board and the SGA, however. In addition, the SGA will match twenty five percent of funds raised, up to two hundred dollars per semester. The SGA reserves the right to refuse part or all of the request, as well as ask for certain conditions to be met before distributing funds.
All clubs are encouraged to fundraise throughout the academic year, as clubs are expected to offset some of the costs to any funding requests submitted to the SGA.
Clubs must hold meetings in a public location, anywhere on campus except a residential dorm. One representative is required to attend the bi-monthly Club Council meetings. Clubs must also elect officers for the following school year, prior to May 1.
The benefits and privileges that come with being an SGA recognized club include access to the campus vehicles, SGA funds, and various meeting spaces available to student organizations.
Student Sonja Kivela said the new regulations are helpful.
“I think it’s cool that all the presidents and chairs and everybody get to meet,” Kivela said, “When I was in different clubs last year, I didn’t even know who ran other ones. I love that there’s the ‘club spotlight’ that lists everything and ‘where’s the fun,’ and we have this to connect.”
Kivela elaborated on how the new guidelines allow for easier coordination.
“It almost felt like there was competition with scheduling events before, I don’t think it was ever thought that they’re competing, it’s just we didn’t have a way to know when all the clubs are doing it. So, you’d host an event and then find out another club has an event at the same time,.” Kivela explained.
Erin Lamotte, representing Johnson’s E-Sports (Competitive Gaming) Club agreed.
“It creates a little bit more cohesion between the clubs,” Lamotte said, “because I know in the past it was a little like a free for all, and you weren’t really adhering to some of the rules and then they’d request money and I was like, ‘I don’t even know if you guys are meeting or not.’”
Attendees collectively agreed that this new system will increase oversight and create a paper trail, allowing for smoother operations across the board.