Club Advisory Board adds probationary period
The club approval process is, by no means, a perfect procedure. In order to address some of the flaws in the previous ASB system, the idea of a student-run advisory organization was first suggested by Activities Director Sandy Banks in November of 2009. Four months later, the Club Advisory Board became a tangible reality that is already actively pursuing solutions needed to forge a system of approval that is transparently fair and unbiased. In that sense, the club approval process with the addition of the Club Advisory Board has some key differences with the former process — the biggest change being the newly added “probationary period.”
The probationary period is a response to the older system’s stricter view on club approval. As Board member and Club Commissioner Urmi Mehta, a junior, explains, the fundamental philosophy that the Probationary Period is founded upon dictates “be[ing] more lenient in giving clubs a chance but harsher in cutting them out.”
“We understand that clubs might not always have concrete plans even though their ideas are creative and unique,” explains senior Anupama Tadanki, another Club Approval Board member. “Therefore, we would like to establish a system that allows these clubs to be given a chance to prove themselves so that [the] final verdict rests on their progress.”
The probationary period gives clubs a semester to actively respond to the constructive criticism given by the Board members and to address the concerns that arose during their respective interviews under periodic inspection by the Club Advisory Board. The clubs must fulfill the unique expectations that the Board lists for each individual club, or that club will be discontinued at the end of the semester.
“Probationary clubs operate just like the official clubs,” continues Tadanki, “except that they don’t have a club bank account.”
This was purposeful, since not having a bank account ensures that “the probationary clubs will have to work with the official clubs on campus in order to fundraise, promoting integration with the other clubs on campus,” said Banks.
Although the Club Advisory Board is far from obtaining all of their goals, the Probationary Period is a giant step forward in fixing the issues in the previous procedure.
“Probationary clubs, in the previous process, would’ve been a ‘no,’” said Banks. “By implementing the Probationary Process, clubs are now given a chance to cement their ideas into realistic events and prove that they have what it takes to be an official Northwood High club.”
