Searching For Clubs; Students Question Involvement At SAC

Communication on clubs are limited; newsletters and bulletin boards on campus rarely mention them, with flyers focusing more on academic programs. Even after becoming official, clubs undergo an intense process to connect with the Santa Ana College community.

Clubs are required to submit a funding form packet that includes a funding request form, an activity approval form and flyers or invoices at least two weeks before any event.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know we had certain clubs until I heard from a friend,” said Jessica Lopez, a second-year nursing major. “I wish they promoted [clubs] more so we could get involved earlier.”

The disconnect between the number of clubs SAC has to offer and the lack of promotion makes it difficult for students to discover and become involved in them. As a result, the selection of official clubs has become limited; only including anime club, engineering club, Phi Theta Kappa club, Fire Tech club, Puente club and Christian Students club. Many other clubs exist, but without being ratified, they’ll possibly remain unofficial for this semester. They will not be allowed to fully participate in Inter-Club Council meetings or even request funding from ICC, which may hinder plans for club-related activities.

It’s not just students struggling to find clubs. Club leaders themselves face challenges in reaching the campus community when advertising themselves. Particularly in a post-pandemic environment where student engagement has shifted online, getting the word out about their clubs has been difficult.

“It’s really hard not to be disheartened by the entire process,” said Jesus Calderon, third-year welding major, secretary of the Innovate. Venture. Network. club and prior ICC and ASG members when discussing the amount of forms they needed to complete in order to advertise around campus. “We [club cabinets] wish it was easier to be able to do something as simple as hanging a flyer on a bulletin board.”

Second-year ICC president Sarah Martinez Morales was surprised to hear that so many students felt like clubs were absent at SAC.

“Clubs give students a sense of community, and that’s something I think is essential. [ICC] thought we were doing enough with promoting, but I’m going to be working with my advisor, vice president and secretary to help club culture thrive. We don’t want SAC’s community to fade away.”