Starting a student club at Salt Lake Community College can help students build community around shared interests, but the process of creating and running a club can also come with challenges.
Getting started
Students who want to form a club at SLCC must complete several steps, including finding interested members, working with faculty advisers and navigating campus resources. While clubs help students gain leadership experience and build connections, some students say getting started can feel overwhelming.
First, students must find classmates interested in joining before beginning the official approval process.
“The first step is recruiting five students enrolled at SLCC,” said Mason Bancroft, coordinator for student clubs at SLCC.
Once the group is formed, students must complete paperwork outlining how their organization will operate. This includes submitting a club activation form, a club constitution and a commitment form for the club president. Student leaders need to attend a reorientation meeting with peer leaders from the Thayne Center for Student Life, Leadership and Community Engagement.
The final step requires a student proposal, presented to the Inter-Club Council.
“ICC is the primary governing body of all student clubs,” Bancroft said. “They review proposals, approve new clubs and help manage funding opportunities for student organizations.”
SLCC currently has 56 active student clubs, and new organizations are proposed throughout the academic year, according to Bancroft.
Zen Gatoloa, president of the Pacific Unity Association, described his involvement with clubs before taking on a leadership role.
“I started off by just joining a club to get involved and make friends on campus,” Gatoloa said.
The PUA promotes Pacific Islander culture and provides students opportunities to connect through shared traditions and community values. Gatoloa said being involved in clubs helped him become more confident in interacting with other students.
“I used to not talk to anybody,” Gatoloa said. “I would just join club meetings that I wouldn’t say anything [in].”
The value of being involved
Some students say the logistics of starting a club can feel intimidating.
Jaxon Porter, a software development student at SLCC, said students may struggle to plan meetings and find members when turning an idea into a club.
“Gathering members [on its own] would probably be a big thing, as well as organization,” Porter said. “Then it hits me. Okay, well, then, how are you gonna meet? Where are you gonna meet? What are you gonna do when you meet?”
Despite the initial challenges of starting a club, Bancroft said students often benefit by taking part in activities outside the classroom.
“The more you become engaged in college, whether that’s through a student group or getting involved with a department, the more you can get out of the college experience.”
