ASB club cut-down necessary

Clubs on campus are meant to be reflective of the ideas and causes that students believe in and support. However, the ASB recently decided to cut down on the number of clubs, citing an increase in illegitimate and inactive clubs.

The ASB’s decision is necessary and acceptable. Several of the clubs on campus are inactive or formed to boost the club leaders’ college applications.

With the presence of these types of clubs on campus, there is less space for newer, legitimate clubs, which actually work hard for the success of their causes.

The ASB’s institution of an audit form that club presidents must fill out during ASB meetings is a great idea. The form, which allows the ASB to evaluate each club, is a useful tool for removing any clubs that are not legitimate or not serving any purpose.

If clubs are not meeting on a fairly regular basis, or if they are not accomplishing anything, they should not take up space on campus. These clubs, dubbed “rogue” by clubs commissioner junior Sasan Saadat, end up drawing students into a time suck that does not benefit them or anyone else.

Clubs such as “Lumberjack club” have been popular in the past, but the ASB is justified in removing such clubs that serve no purpose. (The catch to lumberjack club was supposed pancake breakfasts, but these did not occur in recent years.)

Many clubs meet weekly and work hard to reach their goals, but they are often overshadowed by “joke” clubs with amusing premises that attract more members.

Several of the aforementioned “rogue” clubs seem to be clubs disguised as groups with philanthropic causes, but they don’t actually schedule frequent meetings or provide their members with opportunities to support these causes or participate in anything related to the group’s topic. This supposedly offers students the ability to place “founded X Disease Relief Club” as their most fulfilling extracurricular activity.

Faking philanthropy for a college application is low enough, but such clubs really do suck students into a hole that does nothing more than wasting the time of everyone involved.

When a school has 60 clubs, being in a club or being the founder of a club starts to lose its credibility. If this happens, even the legitimate clubs on campus will not be able to benefit on their college applications.

Clubs such as “Starcraft Club,” which was recently individually presented to ASB treasurer David Zarrin, do not even need a school club. Those clubs that do not even need a school environment to operate especially need to be removed.

Cutting down on the number of clubs may upset some, but it is a necessary step.