Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

GU’s New Clubs: Network, Conserve or Fence

Each fall, students bring their creativity and passions to the Hilltop, and under the guidance of the university, are able to see their ideas develop into official organizations on campus.

“It is always very exciting to hear about the new ideas and passions of the student leaders on campus,” said Ray Shiu, program director for student leadership and special programs at the Center for Social Justice. “It’s extremely rewarding to help them turn their ideas and passions into missions.”

According to Bill McCoy, associate director of student programs and the director of leadership education, the Center for Student Programs and CSJ want to see clubs that are sustainable and will be able to grow after the founding members have graduated. They want to help students effectively use the resources that are available to them.

A theme that has been extremely relevant on campus as well as throughout the nation is environmental awareness. Newly formed student clubs that are waiting for official approval at Georgetown have followed this trend as well.

Adam Alfi (MSB ’11) and Sara Schlachter (MSB ’11) are working to organize the undergraduate chapter of Net Impact, a global networking and educational group designed for students and professionals to promote corporate sustainability and responsibility, environmentalism and reducing the carbon footprint.

While the graduate program at the McDonough School of Business already has an established chapter, Alfi and Schlachter both said that undergraduate students would greatly benefit from this resource.

“Net Impact can fill a niche specifically for business-minded students that need a way to get their foot in the door with big corporations that have like values and interests, but are still financially successful,” Schlachter said. “It has always been my hope to be able to blend working in the business world and still promote environmental responsibility, so I’m very excited to get the club underway.”

The group plans their first event to be the annual North America Net Impact Conference at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, held in November. They are also working on hosting a speaker this fall.

Along the same lines, Campus Climate Challenge, founded by Mike Durante (MSB ’10), has been an established group for a few years, but is now seeking official recognition. The CCC, a part of a large movement which extends to colleges all across the nation, works to solve campus-related sustainability and energy efficiency issues.

The group has already worked together for a period of time and boasted a long list of achievements going into the club development process. They conducted “green” auditing for The Corp, the GERMS office and several small businesses in the Georgetown area.

The Sustainability Committee was formed partially in response to the CCC’s “Green Pledge.” Signed by 3,000 students, the pledge stated that raising annual tuition by three dollars would allow Georgetown to use 30 percent of its energy from renewable resources.

The CCC is currently working on establishing a Sustainability Revolving Loan Fund with the Georgetown’s development office that could be utilized by the facilities department to install more energy efficient facilities on campus, such as triple-paned windows.

Aside from environmental awareness, Georgetown students remain diverse in their interests. Jonathan Kim (COL ’12) is founding Club Fencing. The club plans to compete against George Washington University, University of Maryland-College Park as well as several Ivy League schools. The club has already completed a petition, drafted their constitution, and has a Facebook group up and running.

“I love the sport and found lots of friends on campus who also have a passion for fencing,” Kim said. “We are ready to apply, get funding, facilities and start fencing.”

All of these clubs will need to undergo the New Club Development Program, a year-long training program which ensures that students receive effective skills to help create an organized and successful club, before they are officially recognized. Shiu’s advice for students who are looking to create new clubs is “to stay open-minded and work closely with the university and use the resources available to help develop the organization.”

CSJ and CSP will be hosting mandatory new club orientation sessions for students interested in forming new clubs on Sept. 19 and Sept. 22. The deadline for submission this fall is Oct. 1.

More to Discover