Between January and May, Case Western Reserve University welcomed 15 newly recognized undergraduate student organizations on campus. This includes 11 under the Undergraduate Student Government and four groups under the Undergraduate Diversity Collaborative. Many of these clubs are now starting activities this semester.
Among the 11 new clubs in USG are AnchorPoint, Global Business Brigades and Survivor Club. The four UDC clubs are Black Student Nursing Association, the Chinese Basketball Club, Color Stack and Latin Presence in Nursing. The full list of new clubs can be found on the CampusGroups website.
After being recognized, student organizations gain access to funding, a page on the CWRU CampusGroups hub, tabling and event space rights, support from the recognizing organization and more.
One new club under USG, AnchorPoint, states in its constitution that its mission is to “support young individuals transitioning out of foster care and into independent living after turning 18 years of age,” and to “raise awareness and provide essential resources and guidance to help them become self-sufficient.”
Third-year students Alex Kim and Evelyn Oh are the co-presidents of AnchorPoint. Kim says the idea of the club came from a similar club in South Korea that worked with orphanages.
“It turns out that the United States got rid of [formal] orphanages,” Kim said. “We shifted our idea from helping orphans into helping the youth in foster care and group homes.”
This year, they are collaborating with the Raven House, an emergency home for girls ages 7 to 12.
“We want to volunteer there and just offer tutoring, help on resumes and job applications or [assistance in] getting a higher education,” Oh said.
Students interested in starting a new university-recognized undergraduate student organization must submit applications to the appropriate recognizing organization, typically USG or UDC. Generally, they must have 10 to 15 initial members—depending on the recognizing organization—an executive board, an adviser, a logo and a mission statement. They will then be contacted about the next steps in the application process. Further details about application requirements can be found on the USG and UDC websites.
Applications for both USG and UDC clubs this semester close on Oct. 1.
Graduate students who wish to start a recognized organization should contact the Graduate Student Council for more information.
The club application process can often be complex. Mariama Bah, the UDC vice president of internal development, encourages students to start preparing to apply early.
“Time is of the essence,” Bah said. “The sooner the application is submitted, the more time you have to work on and practice your presentation.”