By CATALINA FERNANDEZ
Staff Writer
Being involved with a club is one of the most common activities of student life at University High School (UHS).  Every year, students, both new and returning, have the option of starting or continuing a club through the Club Registration process at the beginning of each semester. Clubs at UHS are devoted to many causes and topics, such as academic, art/culture, entertainment and community service. Throughout the year, students at UHS have the opportunity to explore these clubs with club-related school wide events such as Club Kick-Off Day and Clubapalooza.
The club registration process consists of an information meeting, held by the Associated Student Body (ASB), at the beginning of each semester and requires students interested in starting or continuing clubs to fill out forms listing the advisor and room number for club meetings, frequency and days of meetings, members and the purpose and goals of the club. Megan McCarthy (Sr.), president of the UHS Drama Club, commented on her impression of the Fall 2014 club registration process and said, “I felt that ASB did a great job this year explaining everything that needed to get done and all the deadlines; registration all went very smoothly.” Lakshmi Kannan (So.), however, has a different opinion on the matter and said, “The club registration process was very time consuming. Finding an advisor was the hardest part because the fact that there are a lot of clubs on campus made more teachers less available for new clubs.”
When asked to speak on the matter of students finding club advisors, Mrs. Jelnick (ASB director) said, “Be honest when you go to a teacher, be upfront and transparent, and let them know what is involved.” As advice for teachers that are deciding whether or not to advise a club Jelnick said, “Be thoughtful and take on a club that you genuinely care about to make sure it is a cause that you can get behind.”     
Even though students may have contrasting opinions about the process of starting or continuing a club, clubs at UHS have proved effective in granting the possibility for students to be involved or aware of the social aspect of student life. Nico Hawthorne (Jr.) said, “Clubs have given me unique opportunities to meet new people, get involved in ways that I never would have and have made my high school experience that much better!”