April 28, 2013
1 min read

Tangled in red tape

WAITING: Clubs like the Book Club take as long as 10 weeks to get approved, while neighboring colleges take only several days.

Club start-up process keeps students from getting involved on campus

Students starting a campus club this semester will have to jump through hoops.

Clubs at Santa Ana College take about four weeks to become ratified, while neighboring colleges, like Orange Coast College, take as little as four days.

Irvine Valley College and Santiago Canyon College take two weeks to review applications for approval.

“I often felt left in the dark throughout the whole process. This was my first time putting a club together and I really didn’t have much help,” said Caitlin Garrett, who organized the Choir Club during the spring semester.

Of the 26 clubs this semester, three were not ratified, according to Eddie Lopez, the Inter-club Council president.

“A lot of the time with newer clubs they’re unclear about what the requirements are for starting a new club, making the transition less seamless than it should be,” Lopez said.

If the ratification process has not taken place by the tenth week of the semester, students must wait for the next semester before they can apply for club status.

“If students submit their applications before 2 p.m. on a Thursday, the club will be reviewed for approval by the following Tuesday,” a representative from OCC’s Associated Students office said.

Santiago Canyon College has no deadlines and clubs may take as little as two weeks to be approved.

“ICC regulations are somewhat strict … you can’t even pass out flyers for the club or event unless ICC approves it first,” Tulip Ragien, president of the Communication Studies Club said.

READ MORE:  La Cuatro Ahora: Long-standing businesses remember a time before construction

Club events held on campus require request forms to be completed and may take weeks to be processed.

Even if a club is ratified by the tenth week, students are left with less than half of the semester to find members and plan campus events.

With active layoffs over the past four years, departments have been hit hard, said Associate Dean of Student Development Loy Nashua, noting “Things don’t happen overnight.”

Still, the daunting application process leaves some students wary.

“It just takes too much hard work for something that may not even be approved in the end,” said Christian Orozco, whose music appreciation club was not ratified.

WAITING: Clubs like the Book Club take as long as 10 weeks to get approved, while neighboring colleges take only several days.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Previous Story

Rodriguez sets new career mark

Next Story

HotLine: Flaming fail

Latest from Blog

Baseball – 20110308 – Fullerton

Author Recent Posts el Don News Latest posts by el Don News (see all) Read our Fall 2023 Print: Vol. 100 No. 1 - October 23, 2023 Santa Ana College Awarded State

Art exhibit lures attendees with unique pieces

Santa Ana College’s Art Gallery debuted “Three Strong Women” on Sep. 11, featuring the work of sculptor Gina Herrera, welder Veronica Preciado, and painter Katherine Zhukovsky. The exhibit was created by Gallery
Go toTop