Monday, January 27, 2020

LBCC Clubs are in Need of Student Leadership

With Student Activities Coordinator Barb Horn having left LBCC to pursue a different career
and Program Assistant Heather Morijah now working full-time in the Department of
Institutional Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Student Life and Leadership has been left with
some big shoes to fill. 

In the 6 years Morijah worked as the Program Assistant of Student Activities, she organized countless events based around the clubs and even held meetings with all of the student leaders involved clubs on a regular basis. These meetings often decided how to distribute resources among the clubs and kept clubs in the know about opportunities for them to grow. These meetings became known as the Council of Clubs and while Morijah didn’t create the meetings, she played an important role in shaping how the meetings operate.

The Council of Clubs still exists and continues to play an important role in how clubs operate, however Club and Engagement Director Mark Wiebe now holds the meetings. Wiebe is in charge of ensuring clubs are informed about events, have access to resources, and all of their information is current.

With all of the information pertaining to clubs, Wiebe manages quite a bit to say the least. Wiebe also keeps track of which clubs are currently active and inactive. Currently, there are 21 active clubs, including The Black Curtain Society, Chess Club, Poetry Club, and Dance Club. While there are 21 active clubs, there are 39 inactive clubs.

There are several reasons for why a club might become inactive, but they all boil down to one central issue: “So why do clubs become inactive? First of all, because of [a lack of] student leadership and second of all because they are no longer relevant, I suppose, to the students on this particular campus,“ Morijah explained. 

She also noted that clubs are cyclical and can quickly fade out, especially when a student leader graduates or moves on to a university. It’s clear to see clubs become inactive and there are certainly reasons for that, but it’s worth noting that inactive clubs can be revived at any time by a student interested in becoming a student leader.
Students looking to revive inactive clubs or start a new club can view a fairly recent list of both active and inactive clubs on the LBCC website. Wiebe in the Student Life and Leadership office, just to the left of the Roast Runners cafe, can provide more information about how to go about reviving an inactive club or starting a new club. 


Wiebe noted how having more clubs could allow for more volunteers to help staff club events. By staffing more club events, clubs have the opportunity to get new members and possibly earn funds for their club. 

Clubs also are opportunities for students to experience a new activity with new people, Wiebe added. Wiebe said it best when he affirmed, “To state the obvious, students do better when they have support.”

At a Glance:

LBCC Student Life & Leadership: While autonomous from the college itself, the organization acts as a student operated union. Made by students, for students. Student Life and Leadership prompts students to have more involvement with their college and develop interests outside of achieving a college education. Student clubs, events, and activities are all ways the organization attempts to reach out to students and provide more than the traditional student experience.

When it is Open: 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday - Friday

Where is it: The Student Union building in front of the Forum on the Albany Campus, just to the left of the Roast Runners cafe.

Contact: Mark Wiebe, By Email: slcclubsengage@linnbenton.edu

More Information:

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