Newman University has a wide variety of clubs available to students, ranging from Swing Dance Club to the Hispanic American Leadership Organization (HALO). What many club members often do not consider is how much time and work goes into planning for each club event throughout the course of a semester.
Thursday, Oct. 26, marked the second official Club Presidents’ Council Meeting, which took place in the Sister Tarcisia Roths, ASC Alumni Center. This is when a representative, usually the president of each club, gathers to discuss the organization and layout of meetings, recent and upcoming events as well as any changes that have been made within their club over the past month.
In order to work together more effectively, the clubs have implemented a sort of scheduling courtesy through the course of each semester, said Diana Stanley, president of the History Club. “Clubs try not to double book on events simply for the practicality of not dividing potential student attendance.”
Director of Student Activities Lauren Fontarum initiated the club council meetings and actively oversees each one. At the meeting, club representatives presented an update on their club’s activities and Fontarum followed up with questions concerning ways to help each succeed more in the future.
In addition to the presentations from the club presidents and representatives, a discussion was held with Fontarum about how to utilize funding for clubs with the aid of the Student Government Association (SGA).
“[Taking advantage of these opportunities] has allowed for this year to have more club coordination than in the past,” Stanley said. Several clubs co-host events throughout the semester. One of the more popular ones was the recent Boo Bash Event. While the event is hosted by the Campus Activities Board (CAB), it features a variety of clubs and other student organizations.
“Looking ahead, there will be a Homecoming Lip Sync Battle at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22, in the De Mattias Performance Hall, and that will be a great opportunity for clubs to get involved,” said Fontarum. “Both teams and individual performers are welcome to participate.”
The next Club Presidents’ Council Meeting will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17, in the Alumni Board Room.
