ASB Clubs Commissioner to Evaluate Clubs on Campus
December 17, 2019
In order to dissolve illegitimate clubs, a club evaluation will be held at the end of the semester by ASB’s Clubs Commissioner. Clubs that are taken down will not be able to re-apply until the beginning of the next school year.
The majority of clubs will be evaluated for efficacy through the analysis of club minutes and finances, according to Clubs Commissioner Anthony Liang. If the clubs are not consistent with turning in their minutes on time and organizing their finances, then there is a possibility that they could be shut down.
“The evaluation will be specific to your club classification–service, athletic, interest, educational,” said Liang in an email sent out to UHS club presidents. “If you are a service club, we will take a look at the contribution that you are making to your chosen cause as well as to the community at Uni as a whole… [and academic clubs evaluations will] be based on coaches or competitions.”
In addition, the advisor’s evaluation will be sought in order to reduce bias in the evaluation.
Many advisors are supportive of the club evaluations.
“I think that [club evaluations are] a good idea… I have had clubs like that in the past that formed, met once or twice at the beginning of the year, and then had nothing happen,” science teacher Mr. Nick Brighton said.
Some club presidents agree with the rationale behind club evaluations, such as junior Susanna Mathew, who is Co-President of Code Red.
“To be honest, when I initially heard of the evaluations at the end of the semester, I was a little bit intimidated, just because there hasn’t been anything like this before,” Mathew said. “Then I realized how much good it might do for the clubs that I’m in. I feel like having evaluations will bring more attention to the clubs on campus that are passionate and active, and maybe even discourage people that want to create a club that comprises of their 5 friends eating lunch together just to get some college brownie points”
Other club presidents like the idea of club evaluations but would prefer additional criteria, such as junior Ira Chaturvedi, who is Co-President of Grey Matter.
“I think that it could be better if they also tried to take in opinions of members and also asked about future goals of clubs,” Chaturvedi said. “Club evaluations should also take into account other school activities which could possibly affect the schedule of clubs as well as turnouts for these clubs.”
The Clubs Commissioner ultimately wants the evaluation to continue on for the next school year as well.
“This job of evaluating clubs … is the biggest, if not the most important role that the Club Commissioner has to fill,” said Liang. “We have stuff like Club Kickoff and Clubapalooza but more importantly than that is making sure that clubs are doing what their intended purpose is.”