Global Network Clubs Coming to Shanghai
This is a post-Student Government Summit report on clubs collaboration within the GNU, based on an interview with NYU Shanghai Clubs Committee Chair, Richard Zhao. While last year’s focus appeared to be creating NYU Shanghai internally, this year’s spotlight has seemed to be the integration of this newly established institute into the Global Network. This initiative started with the creation of the Global Affairs Committee (GAC) and the position of the Global Vice President, but has continued to spread into other aspects of student life like On Century Avenue’s inclusion of the Global Desk. As we begin thinking about how to further integration this upcoming semester, On Century Avenue had a talk with NYU Shanghai Student Government Clubs Committee Chair, Richard Zhao, to get an insider’s view on how club collaboration is essential in bringing the Global Network together, and what progress is underway. Collaboration between clubs within the Global Network is crucial to not only bringing the campuses, but also the students, closer. The Student Government Summit was especially successful in establishing a clear path to increasing club collaborations; according to Richard, “...NY and AD have very similar visions as well as problems as we do, so all the conversations we had were somewhat resonant and reflective of what the Shanghai club environment looks like.” During the Summit, Clubs representative sat down and discussed common goals and organized ways to meet them. An ideal environment our Student Government is aiming for is one that enables students at any campus to access the information of any clubs that interest them within the entire Global Network. Clubs work differently at each campus, majorly in terms of their governing bodies and finance. For example, neither New York’s SSC nor Abu Dhabi’s Student Government has a Clubs Committee that parallels the one here at Shanghai. In New York, club operation and management falls under the jurisdiction of the SSC Student Activities Board, while funding is controlled by the All-Square Student Budget Allocation Committee. The clubs are also allowed to implement co-pay and fundraising to alleviate their financial burden, something Richard says we are going to test out in our own Shanghai clubs in the upcoming Spring semester. In Abu Dhabi, clubs are called Student Interest Groups (SIGs), are managed by the Student Government Executive Board, and funded by the Student Funding Board. Richard says that while he is in touch with his counterparts at New York and Abu Dhabi, more communication is set to be planned in the upcoming semester, including more frequent and regular Skype meetings to brainstorm and substantiate projects. To date, Shanghai’s main focus has been reaching out to clubs in New York and Abu Dhabi: “We have exchanged information such as club directory, mission statement, and successful events, and are constantly keeping such information updated. Moreover, New York uses OrgSync as well, so I can access their club portals as well, allowing us to directly connect with their club leaders and discuss potential collaboration opportunities.” During the Summit, many issues were discussed regarding club collaboration, including, but not limited to:
The ideal SIG/club ecosystem across the Global Network - it is imperative to allow students to integrate into clubs of other portal campuses when they study abroad, which can be best done with previous involvement with the club. Current vision and progress includes trying to allow portal clubs to be established at other sites and establishing the notion of “Global Clubs”, where the President and Vice President of the club will be from different campuses. A stronger relationship on OrgSync is also a prerequisite for establishing what clubs exist on other campuses.
Getting clubs to be self-driven - one of the issues on the table is how to avoid micromanagement of clubs especially when it comes to inter-school collaboration. It was established that the most effective way to do is give all the clubs the option of going global by plugging it at club training sessions and easing the process of club collaboration and contact by flagging clubs that overlap and using tags to find commonalities between sites.
Fostering a culture of responsible spending - because all three schools have different systems of allocating funds to clubs, there is a need to find a hybrid way for the Global Clubs that allows each site to chip-in. Other problems that need to be addressed include the fact that while some clubs overspend, budget in general is underspent; and that administration does not have access to detailed spending to see that some of the money is not being used.
Global management - global management on the club level is required with a smooth transition, but possible problems include the need for global club advisors, global budgets (which has to be location specific, contingency and semester based, and tied to where tuition comes from), as well as the role of site ambassadors.
Sustainability - one of the biggest problems with club collaboration is ensuring how it continues as students circulate around the GNU for study abroad; a possible answer is to make clubs more academic interest focused. Transitions also need to be smoother, which is why Shanghai is planning to have club elections in February/March. Finally, because Shanghai and New York use OrgSync, Abu Dhabi will also begin it, but New York also uses Bos$.
The Summit concluded that a comprehensive, organized directory of all clubs with tags is necessary to establish initial connection, and that clear, consistent communication about expectations is required. Post-Summit, representatives from the three campuses are now brainstorming global management strategies such as admin points of contact for budgets and advisors, and continuing communication about the best practices to employ. This semester, several Abu Dhabi clubs will begin to establish connections with Shanghai and New York to establish connections: these clubs including Ecoherence, a group devoted to environmental protection; Pakistani Students Association, a group that promotes Pakistani culture; and ADvocacy, a group that focuses on volunteering and community service. Richard says that he expects more club communication and collaboration this semester. From their side, Clubs Committee is going to have regular meetings with Shanghai club leaders to survey their interest and discuss possible ideas for collaboration, while also being in touch with SAB and ASSBAC from New York and the Office of Student Activities from Abu Dhabi. When asked about expectations he has for clubs at NYU Shanghai, Richard said “Most importantly, we would like the clubs at NYU Shanghai to be mindful that there are people out there in the GNU who share common goals and interests, and it would be of great benefit to reach out and be in contact with them. We encourage and expect every single club at NYU Shanghai to come to us to discuss this matter so that we know of your goals and can help you.” OCA would like to thank Clubs Committee Chair, Richard Zhao for providing all the information regarding the Clubs Committee, and the Student Government Summit that was required for writing this article.
This article was written by Lathika Mouli. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Tirza Alberta