The start of a new semester typically sees students looking to start their own clubs at Elizabethtown College. Student Senate makes the process of registering a club fairly simple, and it is receptive to all new club ideas.
Senior and Student Senate Clubs Committee Chair Sarah Conway explained that the first step to registering a club is to log in to Jayweb and navigate to the “Groups” tab.
Next, follow the link that reads, “If you are a student requesting a group, please go HERE to submit.” From there, click the “Access Form” link at the top of the page, where students can fill out the official information for the prospective club.
When registering a club, students need the names and emails of the club advisor, president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. They also need a constitution, which outlines the club’s purpose and goals for the year. For first-time registers, a “skeleton” constitution document is attached to the registration form with a format for students to follow.
Additionally, the form contains other questions regarding matters such as the number of members in a club, any funding requests that may be needed from Senate and any potential trip requests. The registration period opened Aug. 18 and closes Oct. 14.
“So, [you have] a lot of time to get your stuff in, a lot of time to ask questions in Senate and email the clubs account,” Conway said.
When considering a club, the Clubs Committee looks at their constitution and compares it to those of similar clubs. If two constitutions coincide, Senate recommends that the two clubs consider merging, or it advises that the members consider joining the pre-existing club. Otherwise, Conway stated that any potential club should be able to get approved if they have all required documents and information.
“If you’re passionate about [something], go ahead and do it, because we have over 90 clubs, and they are all different,” Conway said.
With clubs being this prevalent on campus, people wanting to form their own are in the right place because clubs foster a sense of community and fellowship.
“My roommate was into Ultimate Frisbee my freshman year, and [I joined] as a way to get to know him better,” senior President of the Ultimate Frisbee Club Nathan Cafarchio said. “Everyone in the club was very welcoming, and it turned into more of a family-type thing.”
Ultimate Frisbee is just one of many clubs available for students to join on campus. For a full list of clubs, separated by type, check on the student clubs page in the Campus Life section of the College’s website.
Students with any questions should email the Senate and/or Clubs accounts, which are senate@etown.edu and clubs@etown.edu, respectively. Conway also encouraged students looking to form a club or with any questions to attend a weekly Senate meeting, which are held Thursdays at 3:45 p.m. in Hoover 212.
“It seems like a lot of people who end up joining the club share similar interests for the most part, and it’s just very nice being around my kind of people, you know?” Cafarchio said.
