By Audrey Werth/tr news editor
A new yearlong series of workshops aimed at student organization success will be held in the TR Idea Store.
Student development assistant Cortney Walden created the workshops as a way to support long-standing campus organizations and give newer ones the tools they need to be successful.
Collegian file photo
“Sometimes, students have a great idea for a club, but then they are unsure of how to run a meeting and how to retain members,” she said. “That’s the focus of these workshops.”
Each workshop will focus on one topic important to clubs based on the time of year. Early in the semester, workshops will teach students how to advertise effectively, recruit members and run meetings effectively.
Walden and student activities coordinator Eddie Brassart want the workshops to help students plan ahead and strengthen their clubs, so fewer organizations burn out after only one semester.
“We want to start to try and create some traditions within the organizations and have strong, lasting groups on campus,” Brassart said.
The spring semester was the test run for the series. The first workshop focused on the importance of advertisement for student organizations.
“We talked about fliers and what they should look like, buttons and stickers and ways to think outside of the box to help students effectively advertise their club,” Walden said.
TR student Blanca Licon, who is involved with multiple campus clubs, thought the workshop was effective.
“For someone who doesn’t know how to start a club or how to run a club, I think they will benefit,” she said.
Brassart said a fall workshop will focus on calendars to encourage organizations to decide on event dates early so they can use group meetings to prepare for their events.
“Sometimes, unfortunately, we have to say no to events because it’s not possible to throw something together as quickly as some might want,” he said.
It can take several weeks to make purchases and confirm necessary plans on campus to make an event happen, Brassart said.
“We want to get organizations thinking about events earlier and earlier so that we don’t have any issues getting them the stuff that they need,” he said.
Part of the problem clubs face is high turnover. Many students are juggling multiple responsibilities, making it difficult to be totally committed to their clubs. Other times, club leaders may graduate leaving the group without a structure moving forward.
“Sometimes, your club falls to the wayside because you have so much going on in your life, which is fine, but then we want to be able to get someone new to step in,” he said. “And once they do, hopefully, we will have a workshop to help them along.”
A club can be created at any point during the semester. In the past, if a club started mid-semester, there wasn’t a system in place to help ensure its success.
”Now, if we have a club that starts in the middle of November, then we will have a workshop shortly after where we can get them up to speed on the necessary processes,” Brassart said.
TR currently has 23 active organizations with several new clubs in the process of becoming recognized.
All clubs have to turn in a registration form, sign an anti-hazing agreement, find a faculty advisor and create a club constitution.
Walden and Brassart encourage students to ask questions and spend time in the Idea Store, located in front of the campus, even if there is not a scheduled workshop.
