IMSA Student Council 2016-2017 Club Chartering Application

IMSA Student Council 2016-2017 | Club Chartering Application

Club Chartering Application

Letter from Student Council

Many students have experienced weekly club meetings at their home school or the occasionally exciting assembly, but few can claim to have been part of the tremendously multidimensional club life at IMSA. The resources on our campus allow student organizations to put on a variety of events and activities that we can all enjoy, but what’s more is that the residential atmosphere at IMSA will give club members a powerful leadership challenge to boot. Adult advisors for past clubs have been around to support and aid student leaders, but in the end, the quality of programs around IMSA’s campus comes down to you.

Student Council and Student Life are here to help. This past year we chartered 56 student-led clubs and equipped them with everything from funding and advertising opportunities to access to meeting spaces and connections with other clubs. Discuss the chartering documents with Student Council members in advance so that we can help iron out parts of your club vision and make sure you have everything you need going into the first semester. We believe that all student organizations should coordinate with Student Council in order to improve the extracurricular culture on our campus. Sometimes, becoming a chartered club is not the right fit for a group, and in such cases, we will do our best to connect you to the right resources and organizations!

Please take the time to read through this packet and consider working with a group of students and an adult advisor to start your own club! Note that cultural clubs managed by the Peer Multicultural Educators (PME) this year should still apply for a charter from Student Council. If you have any questions about this process or what chartered clubs do, reach out to a member of Student Council!

Happy Chartering,

Student Council 2016-2017

Privileges of Student Council Chartered Clubs

• Recognition as an official IMSA club

• The right to include IMSA in the club name

• Usage of academic facilities for meetings and program space

• The ability to display advertisements around campus

• The ability to request money from Student Council

• The ability to reserve a spot at the Club Fair

• Featured in the yearbook

• Usage of external allocated funds (if applicable)

• Access to the club guide and its resources

Note: Student Council reserves the right to revoke the privileges or charter of a club at any time if it is deemed to be underperforming in its duties and goals.

Timeline

Chartering Applications Released: Thursday, May 19th

Club Chartering Applications Due: Friday, May 27th, 11:59 pm

Decisions Released: Tuesday, May 31st

Submit to & with the subject line: [Club Charter] –Club Name-

Appeals Due: Thursday, June 2nd, 11:59 PM to /

Appeal Process

Clubs will be notified of their chartering decisions and will receive comments on their applications. Clubs that are not accepted may contact Keith McIntosh and Amy Woods to try and appeal the decision if they believe that important information has not been considered or if there have been significant updates.

Club Categories

If your club can fit into multiple categories, choose one category that you feel is the best fit.

Competition

These clubs have a primary focus on attending competitions or tournaments throughout the year. These can be group or individual, state or local or national or IMSA-specific, online or real time tests. These clubs are expected to attend at least one accredited competition during the year. That competition must be one that was planned for during the chartering process.

Education

These clubs have a primary focus on teaching its members or the general IMSA population about a topic. Topics can include academic subjects as well as skills or activities. These clubs are expected to hold consistent meetings to teach, as well as to plan curriculum or methods. They may also be expected to hold events that promote awareness or demonstrate their members’ mastery of the topic. Cultural clubs should answer these questions.

Recreational

These clubs look to provide a way for students to engage in an activity that helps them relax or simply have fun, whether it’s sports, games, reading, or anything in-between. They are expected to hold meetings or events at which students can engage in the activity. This may include cross-campus competitions or tournaments.

Service/Activism

These clubs have a primary focus of serving a community, either the IMSA campus or external ones. Service can include tutoring programs, fundraising, hosting events, or promoting awareness. These clubs are expected to meet consistently for recurring activities as well as execute any other events particular to their service.

Other

If your club does not fit any of these particular categories, answer all of the general questions and contact a Student Council member in advance (at least 48 hours before the deadline) to further discuss your application.

Introductory Information

Club Name

Primary Club Leader

Email Address (Phone Optional)

Other Club Leader(s)

Email Address (Phone Optional)

Advisor(s)

Email Address

Please select one category that applies to your club:

Competition

Service/Activism

Education

Cultural

Recreational

Other

Mission Statement (Please be specific and concise)

Application Questions

Delete any questions that are not relevant to your application. In addition to answering these questions, please complete the following:

• Club Funding Year Outlook Form

• Club Advisor Agreement Form

These additional documents, additional information, and updates can all be found online at sites.imsa.edu/studco/charter.

Item One: Identity

Give a brief description of your club’s goals, activities, and intended audience. Explain how student leadership is structured in your organization, and why this particular structure is the best for your club. Explain any enhancements to structure from past years, if applicable. Finally, describe how your club fits in the extracurricular scene at IMSA.

Item Two: Early Charter Benefits

Chartering a club in the spring gives clubs the entire summer to plan out the coming year. Explain how will your club utilize this time, i.e. how will you plan ahead for the year? What people, organizations, or more will you contact?

Item Three: Reflection and Foresight

For Returning Clubs | Reflect on your club’s performance last year. What went well? What should be improved for the future?

For New Clubs | Please outline potential issues and obstacles that your club may face throughout the year. Then, provide practical ways to address the issues.

Item Four: Additional Questions (All Clubs)

1. What is your vision? How does this club contribute to the student body? What will this club provide to those that are interested in and/or affected by the club’s activities?

2. What meetings and/or events will you hold to serve your planned purpose?

3. How will you know when your vision has been fulfilled? How will you gauge your progress and show that you’ve accomplished your goals?

Item Five: Additional Questions (Competition Clubs)

1. If you did not answer this in Item 4, Question 3: besides trophies and awards at competitions, how would your club show and/or measure its success at the end of the year?

2. What is the importance of the competitions that this club’s members would attend?

Item Six: Additional Questions (Educational Clubs)

1. If your club overlaps with existing IMSA programs or courses, what differentiates your club? If your club does not overlap, how will you teach members better than if they taught themselves?

2. What methods will you use to teach and why? Who will teach, and how are they qualified?

Item Seven: Additional Questions (Recreational Clubs)

1. What does your club accomplish that otherwise could not be done in informal settings? For example, how could a club focused on Mario Kart or Monopoly be advantageous over a group of students simply gathering together to play?

2. Do you plan on focusing and catering to people who are already a part of the niche or reaching out to new people? Why and how?

Item Eight: Additional Questions (Service/Activism Clubs)

1. What is the long-term plan for your service organization? Will it continue to do the same activities and events each year? Will it branch out? How will it sustain itself?

2. How will you get students interested and engaged in the service topic, the serviced community, and area/way of service?

More Information

Visit sites.imsa.edu/studco for online resources and updates. You can also contact any member of the Student Council cabinet (listed below) as well as Ms. Amy Woods () or Mr. Keith McIntosh () with questions or feedback.