When I began my role as the Vice-President Services of the Nipissing University Student Union (NUSU), I immediately struggled with how to properly manage my institution’s Clubs program. On one hand, I could take a hands-off approach – occasionally checking in on the campus clubs, and hoping they govern themselves well. On the other, I could inject more structure into the program, build and create resources, and put in place a guideline and policy under which the clubs would govern themselves; thus ensuring the under NUSU operate well and continue to thrive year after year. With a desire for structure, the staff of the Nipissing University Student Union began laying the groundwork work to implement a Clubs policy.
Our approved Clubs policy has not only made a world of difference for our staff, but it has made the day-to-day operations and governing of our Clubs easier for those students who choose to participate in and lead them. The policy covers the rights, responsibilities and expectations of a campus club, the channels to go through to access NUSU and Nipissing University resources, funding grants, and proper financial management and bookkeeping. This helps both the Clubs program and myself stay accountable and on track throughout the year. I often consider myself lucky, for a couple of reasons; the first that NUSU had a blank slate to work with when we molded the Clubs program over the course of several months. The second, that we have amazing and dedicated staff, all of whom provided feedback, and whose thoughts and effort went into this project - their efforts are incorporated not solely in the Clubs policy, but in the resources that we created alongside it. Although I do have dedicated (and sometimes flexible) weekly office hours, there is no way to make sure that I am available to meet with every single one of the club presidents or executives one-on-one. Between their schedules as students, and mine as a student executive, nothing ever lines up exactly the way we want it to. Instead, we decided to institute a Clubs summit – a yearly meeting with all of the club executives in early September. The summit allowed for discussion with our clubs, familiarization with the new policy, and an introduction to the resources allocated to the Clubs program on campus. Though it seemed to be a big undertaking at first, instituting a summit is a project I would recommend for others in my position. Also, offer food and snacks when you plan a long meeting or event – students love food, and it’s almost always guaranteed to boost attendance. Finally, NUSU runs our Club Days/Clubs Week once or twice a year. We gauge this based on the popularity of our first run during the second week of classes in September, and if it is successful, we run another week during the second week of classes in January. This promotes not just the NUSU clubs program, but also allows for the clubs to get the word out, recruit students, and advertise the events that they have over the coming weeks and months. While we do help our clubs with resources, we encourage them to run events independently, and sign-up for those that we facilitate, including Club Days/Clubs Week. This is a practice that allows us to step in and help when need be, but really lends independence to the executive of all of our Clubs. It is extremely important to note that not only do Clubs provide an outlet for students, they help provide avenues for expanded social circles and extracurricular activities; as well as promoting ties with one’s chosen post-secondary institution. David Ratcliffe, Vice-President Services, Nipissing University Student Union
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