Cal Poly’s drafted strategic plan, which outlines the university’s 30 priorities for the next five years, calls for more learning outside of the classroom through boosting club support.
Ideas are still in their early stages, but the drafted plan suggests providing club leaders with communication tools and training.
The plan has not yet been finalized either, and students will be able to provide their input in an open forum on Thursday, Oct. 25 in Berg Hall (building 5, room 105).
“The student input is going to be critical about the biggest need that we have right now,” Leader and Service Director Jason Mockford said. “We have ideas, but we know students have a lot more.”
Mockford said one of the issues clubs deal with is ‘transition years.’ When club officers graduate, new officers often have difficulty assuming their roles.
Mockford said he wants to smooth out the transition and ask for student feedback on how to do so.
The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), for example, navigates officer transitions by asking current officers to write down a timeline of tasks and duties to be completed on a monthly basis for upcoming officers, according to aerospace engineering senior and NSBE treasurer Trystan Bolds.
NSBE officers then meet with incoming officers to make sure they understand their duties and, as a result, have a smooth and organized transition.
The best way administration can support NSBE, Bolds said, is by informing more students about the clubs on campus.
An officer in the Mobile Application Development Club also said increased publicity would help boost extracurricular activities.
“Having the administration, what’s the word I’m looking for, administer that [more easily], to where students can find out more about clubs…in a sense, it’s easier to be involved in a club, find a passion they like, get involved in that club,” computer science junior and the club’s corporate relations officer Garrett Wayne said.
Mockford said having a face-to-face conversation with him is the best way to provide input on club services. His office is in the University Union (building 65, room 217).
This article is part of a series highlighting areas of the Cal Poly Strategic Plan. There will be an open forum for students to give input Oct. 25 in Berg Hall (5-105).