I write in response to Mr. Eugene Kondratov’s Editorial titled “Streamlining the Club Formation Process.”
I can sympathize with Mr. Kondratov because I understand that the club-formation process can be quite tedious for some, but this is not always the case for all clubs-in-formation. I have been in USG for three years now, and have spoken and worked with many students who have worked several months to start their clubs, so I understand that it can be difficult.
In USG’s defense, however, the numbers don’t lie: In the past year we have approved several new clubs. FACE AIDS, Mu Alpha Pi, FUPS, MAPS, the Improv Club, CIAO, the Hellenic Society are among the clubs that have formed under the leadership of former VP Roxanne Garcia and current VP Sarah Devine. This only shows that the club-formation process, tedious though it may be, works.
Can the USG club-formation process be streamlined? Probably. Everything can be adjusted to run better. Should the process be gutted so that we “eliminate the need to review a club” and immediately provide new clubs funding? No; that is a dangerous step. Taking away the review process is tantamount to condoning all potential student clubs. What if someone wanted to start a Nazi Club? Or a Pornography Fans Club? There is a reason why there is a process of review.
Can the Fordham community be improved? Absolutely. Our community is not a perfect community, but what community is? I would contend that our imperfect community is doing well. Our community must not be that disjointed when 800 students go to Midnight Breakfast, when 200 students crowd the Outdoor Plaza during Spring Fling and when community-enhancing programs like Orientation and Urban Plunge draw in hundreds of interested applicants to be Orientation Leaders and Urban Plunge assistants.
What concerns me most is a potential breakdown of communication. When students are afraid, unwilling or uninterested in reporting any deficiencies in the community, the community as a whole suffers. Several student leaders felt hurt by Mr. Kondratov’s criticism. Mr. Kondratov and I have met to discuss his concerns. I know that his desire is to see a thriving and growing Fordham community. Thanks to his willingness to dialogue, I can approach the USG Senate with feedback about our club-formation process.
Things will never change unless students are willing to do the dirty work of dialoguing and advocating. It takes time and energy, but believe me, change can happen. One needs only to recall the great work that Students for Solidarity and the Progressive Students for Justice did to call for a wage increase for our security workers. Thanks to their work, our security staff will see improved wages, family health insurance, and other benefits (see The Ram editor-in-chief Amanda Fiscina’s article “Security Workers Win Wage Increase.”)
I encourage any other concerned students to please contact me. Fordham has become a second home to me, so if there is anything lacking, especially in the club-formation process, I would like to know. Together, we can find solutions. But we will never reach these solutions unless we talk. If you want a community, we all have to work toward building one.
1 comments
"Should the process be gutted so that we “eliminate the need to review a club” and immediately provide new clubs funding?"
Dave, I'm really surprised that you would take that out of context. I never said that we should eliminate the need to review a club. The full sentence reads, " Eliminating the need to review a club in committee would streamline the process, especially since USG will vote two more times on the club before it is approved." This type of misinformation only serves to discourage people from speaking out. The club is reviewed by the Director of OSL&CD, then the Dean of Students, and then is voted on by the USG Senate. I simply said that making it go through the Operations Committee may be an unnecessary step, and should be reviewed.No one said the process is terrible, or needs to be perfect. It isn't enough to talk about the accomplishments. Let's focus on improvements by addressing the issues, rather than baseless attacks and quotes out of context.For further information, please read the original article I wrote "Streamlining the Club Formation Process."