The first Inter-Club Council meeting of the year gathered club presidents on Oct. 14 in the library during wolverine plus. ASB regularly hosts these meetings to keep presidents on the same page on updates and reminders.
Every ICC meeting is hosted by ASB, who monitors and facilitates all club activities on campus. More specifically, the Clubs Commissioner, Viana Najafi (12); the Clubs Committee, Chloe Gillard (9); and the Activities Director, Ms. Ross come to present during these regular assemblies.
This meeting’s focus was to teach clubs how to run properly. For new presidents, it ensures that they know how to be in compliance with school rules and are aware of the full range of opportunities they have to expand their club.
Clubs must meet certain requirements to avoid suspension. They must meet at least three times during the fall semester and have at least six active members.
In order to keep track of this information, clubs turn in a club minutes form to ASB after every meeting. They record the ID number of people who attended and what was done during the meeting.
A new detail this year is that ASB will be inputting the ID numbers of club attendees into the 5-Star program to better track student engagement in a club.
A recent challenge of increased club numbers every year, with 127 clubs this year, has made this step of processing ID numbers imperative for better organizing club information. ASB largely uses this data to accurately gauge campus life and tailor new events to help clubs more effectively.
Ms. Ross said, “To see us have so many [clubs] is a strong indicator of kids wanting to connect with others on campus, … [and it] is cool to see.”
Attendance and managing information has especially been flagged as a priority by ASB this year.
Najafi said, “My goals for clubs this year is to have a more organized system of maintaining meeting minutes and attendance.”
Najafi expressed that having a better grasp on club attendance and opinions helps ASB address issues that are more specific to supporting clubs in an effective way.
Money is another topic that was largely discussed at the meeting. For some clubs, funds are crucial in order to host their activities, so making sure that clubs are able to afford the activities while staying within the legal restrictions set by the district is important.
ASB opens an account that holds money for all clubs regardless of their intentions, and Ms. Young helps facilitate them. Money can be raised through donations and fundraisers that have been approved by ASB, and money in the account can be used using a purchase order form found on the ANHS website.
Funds within its account can be tracked through regular email updates that Ms. Young sends to every club advisor.
ASB has not announced any major future plans for clubs; however, a minor update that might be seen next semester is a club calendar. The calendar will display every clubs’ future meeting dates to make it easier for students to join a club without missing a meeting.
The meeting also highlighted ways clubs can also gain more exposure. Flyers and posters that must be approved by ASB can be displayed around campus and a request to be mentioned in the daily morning announcements are just a few of the many ways a club can get more members. Additionally, the National Honors Society presents a club spotlight at every meeting they host, providing a chance, especially for service clubs, to target a more specific audience of people.
