Tell us how your club is adjusting to the Arch

We had a meeting of all the Union officers this past week. The grand marshal, undergraduate president, graduate president, judicial board chair, and I all met a few times a semester to make sure that all bodies of our Student Government are working together cohesively. On this occasion, we met to discuss some wrap-up items as many of our terms are coming to an end and student leader appreciation. The one thing we all have in common is that we get to work with so many motivated students every day who help and inspire us to do the most we can to improve the Union during our short terms. We want all students to know that we see you and we appreciate you. Nothing we do means anything if we don’t have the support of our students.

We also discussed how the Arch and the resulting lack of a full junior class impacts student clubs and organizations. Juniors commonly hold leadership positions or are at least in the process of training to be future leaders. With this gap in leadership, we are all concerned that our clubs will suffer. We want to help juniors re-integrate not only back into school, but into their clubs and leadership roles. We recognize that they will return to campus with a wealth of new knowledge and want them to be empowered to share what they’ve learned with those in their clubs, or join a new organization and develop a new interest or skill.

If you or any club you are a part of has a solid plan on how to combat this potential problem, please reach out! We need your help! Every club functions differently, so there will not be a cure-all, but it is important that we as a Union are prepared to deal with this problem.

Sophomores will have to step up to fill these positions. Naturally, this means that they have less experience and will need more guidance. As a Union, we are trying to figure out how to provide that. We are implementing more training for our club representatives so they are well-versed on the policies and procedures that clubs need to be aware of. Hopefully, these representatives continue to be people who clubs can reach out to. We are also concerned that when juniors come back to campus, they may not be as motivated to participate in their previous clubs. I know there are many students who are extremely passionate and will have no problem jumping right back into leadership roles in their clubs. Others who may not have been so invested before they left may find it harder to get involved. I encourage clubs to reach out to returning juniors who were previous members. Update them on your new meeting times and encourage them to rejoin!

Again, if any student or club has any thoughts on what we can do to make it easier for you, please reach out to pu@rpi.edu. We need and value your input!