In recent years, a number of Union clubs have struggled with attendance at their meetings. To combat this, Student Activities and club leaders are trying new ways to engage students throughout the year. These initiatives, such as the Bolt Points program and changing to practicum status, have been successful this year.
At the beginning of each academic year, Student Forum hosts a club expo to get students involved in the approximately 130 clubs on campus. Soon after the expo, these clubs begin to meet in the fall term and have a significant number of students at meetings. However, as the year progresses, fewer and fewer students attend these meetings. In some cases, so few students attend that these clubs struggle or cease to exist.
This sentiment among students has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. “ I would say that clubs in general have shifted. I think some people are interested in clubs and are going out and doing things, but at the same time, we have a lot of students who are saying ‘this is the only thing I’m interested in. I don’t want to join more,’” Katie Davin, Assistant Director of Student Activities, said of this change.
However, this change is not as simple as students attending fewer club events. “We did lose a lot of clubs during COVID, but there’s been a boom in clubs being created in the past couple of years,” Davin continued. “I think we are at a point where we have a higher number of clubs than we did pre-COVID.”
This change in attendance has impacted how some clubs are able to operate. At Concordiensis, we have had fewer staff writers and members than in years past, and therefore less people to write articles. However, we have combatted this by temporarily decreasing our workload (i.e. editions per term), fostering a positive work environment, and creating ways to bond as a team.
Some of these clubs’ absences have been felt more than others. At this year’s Mayor’s Cup, Union’s pep band the Nott Noisemakers did not play at MVP Arena. The organization last performed at the men’s hockey season opening game in October. Before then, approximately 8-12 students performed at each game — fewer students than opposing teams’ pep bands, which typically have 20-30 students per band.
To entice students to attend events for clubs, Student Forum created Bolt Points, a program where students earn points for attending certain club events. These points can be redeemed for prizes such as a Stanley cup, a Starbucks voucher, or a hammock. “ We’re rewarding students for what they’re already doing and hopefully gamifying the experience in a way that people are excited to go to new events that they might have not already gone to previously,” Davin explained. “As of right now, it’s been a huge success. We’ve had over 50 percent of the population at Union get Bolt Points in just the first term.”
Another club, the Student Investment Fund, took a different approach to attract students. The club manages approximately $1.1 million of Union’s endowment, and allows students to learn about different finance careers. Two years ago, the club struggled with membership and structure. That changed in the last academic year, when the club became a practicum credit and developed a specific structure. This term, approximately 100 students have attended each meeting.
“We (the faculty advisors of the club) introduced the Portfolio Management Practicum and established a structured framework for the club, organizing it into different financial sectors led by designated sector leaders,” Professor Prateek Arora, the current faculty advisor to the practicum, said.
“The results have been overwhelmingly positive. Many students have gained (and are continuing to gain) valuable financial management skills and other essential abilities, such as teamwork, presentation skills, and decision-making.”
Students can inquire about clubs they are interested in by checking UEngage, going to the student activities office in Reamer 404, or emailing [email protected]. Club leaders can also seek advice from student activities staff on member engagement or other issues.
