Phi Theta Kappa’s booth at Welcome Day. Photo by Lake Land College via Facebook.
The process of creating a new club here at Lake Land College (LLC) can seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to! Here, for your convenience, is the complete guide to starting your own club. Lisa Shumard-Shelton, director of Student Life, spoke on the simple process, the restrictions and requirements and the struggles a student might face in starting out.
She explained that an interested student would first need to obtain a “Request for Charter of Campus Club” form. On this form, they must have the name and purpose of the club, 10 currently enrolled and interested student’s signatures, along with at least one full-time faculty or staff member’s signature.
Once that form is complete, the club must submit it, the club’s constitution and/or by-laws to the Student Government Association (SGA) through the Student Life office. After it has all been submitted, the SGA will vote to approve or reject the constitution of the club. If approved by a majority vote, it will then move on to the Vice President of Student Services, Valerie Lynch, to be approved or rejected again. And finally, it will make its way to the College President to be presented to the board of trustees. If approved by them, the club has achieved active status. The potential to be rejected can sound scary, but a club is welcome to submit a new constitution as many times as they need to, to get approved. When asked why the club had to be approved by so many people, Shumard-Shelton said, “One reason is, once they fully become a club, they can then request for funds from the college.”
The restrictions and requirements for creating your own club are limited. Shumard-Shelton explained that a club must follow the process listed above, but beyond that, following the college’s philosophy and rules is all that is required to have the potential to be approved. The club handbook also states that no club that has the sole purpose of playing a sport shall be approved, as that is the purpose of intramurals.
Getting started on the forms seems to be the hardest part of the process for new clubs, according to Shumard-Shelton. She stated that COVID-19 seems to have made a significant impact on club activity and new club creation. “After [COVID-19], a lot of our traditions here at Lake Land [fell off]. Students haven’t been through it before, or seen it happening,” she explained, “It takes a while to build back up, so the students can see it.” Having an experienced advisor to help create a club also helps make the process easier. Shumard-Shelton encourages all students interested to consider creating a club, “We want to encourage students to get clubs going for whatever they’re interested in and be flexible.”
Those interested in starting a new club should reach out to Student Life at [email protected] or stop by the Student Life Office in Luther Student Center, room 404.
