News Highlights
Author:
Rima Cortbawi,
Office of Communications,
rgc01@aub.edu.lb
 Office of Student Affairs website
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AUB student clubs occupy West Hall area for two days
Students on a club stand outside West Hall |
For two consecutive days on October 20 and 21, 2009 AUB clubs and societies competed for members among the student body through their 52 stands set up in front of West Hall. Some stands offered candy, others gave away cookies, cake or other goodies, but all housed friendly members of the cabinet eager to promote their clubs with a smile and information on planned activities. The whole process is character building for students and it furnishes involved members with very useful skills for later on in life.
"Club members have to do a great deal of negotiation; to start off, they have to submit proposals and be convincing and credible. Then once established they need to gain popularity and remain active; throughout the year they have to plan events, organize activities, send out invitations, account for expenses. Successful event managers benefit from the enhancement of invaluable skills for the future. Sometimes clubs join hands in organizing some events, and then they learn how to build partnerships," said coordinator of student activities Hiba Hamade. |
Currently there are 48 clubs and 10 societies at AUB. Clubs can admit members from any major, but societies are usually comprised of students sharing the same major. Each club or society has an account at the Comptroller's Office and funds raised from membership and events go to that account. "This year membership fees are 10,000LL, up from last year's 5,000LL, and they are for the whole year, or two semesters," continued Hamade.
Each student can register for up to two clubs and two societies, and there should be a minimum of 25 students, including cabinet members, in each "active" club/society. The maximum number of members in each is 75. Such a restriction on numbers,
"increases chances for only enthusiastic members to join the club, making it much easier to guarantee attendance (of at least half plus one) during the May elections of each club's cabinet members," explained Hamade. There are five cabinet members in each club/society: the president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary and member-at-large. |
 | Fans of the Music club
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Active clubs at AUB are able to raise more money and can get supported by the University Student Faculty Committee, which meets once a year to decide on which clubs are active enough to merit financial support. Foremost among the clubs with the highest number of members are: the Lebanese red cross, the freedom club, the Palestinian cultural club, the camping and hiking club, the Jordanian cultural club, and the Lebanese Armenian heritage club.
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