This school year, the Committee on Student Activities (COSA) has decided to change the new-club proposal process in what it hopes will be an effort to better achieve its mission of being a resource for students to sustain a culture of active club life on campus.
Many students have long seen COSA as a club that does the opposite. “In the past, we have been viewed as a club that is not there to help the students but to catch the student’s mistakes. We do not want to be seen like that because that is not what we are mandated to do by our mission,” said Laura Solano Florez ’20, vice chair of COSA.
Last year, because many clubs failed to stay active throughout the year, there was a major change in the club proposal process: COSA developed a more selective process for club approval.
If students wanted to start a club last year, they had to email former Assistant Director of Student Activities, Ms. Alex Long, or former Director of Student Activities, Mr. Jim Yanelli. The student would also have to contact a COSA member to initiate the approval process.
COSA would assess the students’ goals and learn why they thought this club was important. If all went well, the leaders would be allowed to have an introductory meeting. Although, since everything was done through email, the process was complicated, and students often misunderstood COSA’s goals. Emails were frequently overlooked, and COSA members could take days to reply.
Meanwhile, students didn’t know what to expect or what to do while they waited for a response. “I think everyone is busy at this school,” Paul Montrone ’22 said, “Teachers and students cannot always get back to you until later, so there must be a more efficient and organized way of doing this.” This year, Solano-Florez hopes that this new process will reconstruct students’ view of COSA’s mission.
There are two major changes in this new club proposal process. First, the process will limit the time students have to submit club proposals to two weeks. Freshmen are not allowed to propose clubs because COSA believes that freshman year is a time to explore activities before students establish their own. Now, seniors are also not allowed to propose clubs because it is very difficult for them to assemble club members, and hand down their leadership positions before they graduate.
COSA hopes that these changes will not only allow it to select only students who are actually passionate about their clubs, but also club leaders to have time to establish their club and make sure that it is active and sustainable.
Second, at school meeting on Tuesday, September 24, COSA announced that the club-proposal form will soon be on Boarcast for two weeks for interested students to fill out. “This addition to the process will simply help us learn more about what students are trying to start and make us more organized,” new Assistant Director for Student Activities Ms. Colleen Kazar said.
Now, COSA will be able to track who is submitting the form and when they are submitting it, which will then allow COSA to schedule meetings with students to discuss their clubs
For sophomores and juniors who are looking to start a club this year, the message from Solano-Florez is that “starting a club is like taking a sixth or seventh class. You have to be willing to do it and have the time and effort to put into the club.”
One major characteristic COSA looks for in club leaders is passion. How much effort and time are new leaders willing to put into the club? “The club not only has to be unique and different from other clubs but also a club that will influence the school in a positive way,” said Solano-Florez.
In recent years, COSA has undergone countless changes, including developing an online form for club proposals, a social media committee to promote club events through the new instagram account “choatestudentactivities,” and a set of publication guidelines. “Now, we will have all of that in one go, so that it is more clear to students what they are doing.” said Solano-Florez.
