Student Government, Inc. (SGI) officially recognized 13 student organizations, which range from service-based groups to professional networking clubs, at its regular floor meeting on Monday evening.
The newest campus organizations in the budgetary category are Actuarial Club, Circle K International, Drug Information Association, Hellenic Society, Irish Society, and the Pre-Dental Club/Operation Smile.
The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacists, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, Best Buddies, Glamour Gals, Kappa Psi, L.I.V.E. Dance Crew and the Red Cross Club will be non-budgetary organizations.
“We look forward to seeing all that these new organizations accomplish over the next semester and the coming years!” SGI Vice President Caroline Zottl said in an email.
New groups are added to the official roster of campus organizations through what is called the Power to (re)Organize process, which is run by the SGI Organizations Committee each year. Potential organizations apply to the committee, which recommends viable organizations to the SGI floor. Floor members then vote on each group.
This year, 15 organizations—seven in the budgetary category and eight in the newer non-budgetary category—were given the opportunity to present to Student Government and answer any questions.
In the voting process, each eligible member of SGI listed the organizations in order of preference, Zottl and SGI Parliamentarian Jason Chen explained. The votes for each organization were then averaged to determine the final ranking.
The highest-scoring groups were the Actuarial Club, which provides networking and study opportunities and support for actuarial science students, with a 1.7 average, and Best Buddies, an international organization that pairs student mentors with intellectually or developmentally disabled peers, with a 1.8.
The two organizations that were not approved were the Consulting/Business Case Club and the Clinical Laboratory Science Club.
The 13 approved groups will join the 80 organizations already recognized by SGI on the Queens campus.
Two groups, the Actuarial Club and Circle K International, were previously recognized organizations that have now moved to the budgetary category.
Drug Information Association was also previously a campus group, but became inactive. It has now been revived, and L.I.V.E. Dance Crew has been active but not officially recognized since 2008.
SGI recognition allows student-run groups the ability to reserve meeting rooms on campus. Official organizations also receive a modest printing stipend in addition to a budget, if applicable, and groups are required to attend various meetings and training sessions led by Student Government.
The organizations committee is chaired by Opjyot Kaur and co-chaired by Sara Restrepo and Sarah Hanna.
The meeting was run by Chen and attended by about 50 students and Dr. Daniel Trujillo, the dean of students.
The 13 newly approved organizations are listed and described below:
Budgetary
The Actuarial Club: provides study groups, test preparation and networking opportunities for actuarial science students.
Irish Society: a reinvented version of the Gaelic Society, the Irish Society exists to celebrate Irish heritage and culture and broaden awareness on campus.
Hellenic Society: Aims to promote knowledge of Greek culture and provide a group for Greek students. Previously an organization, the Hellenic Society has been revived.
Drug Information Association: Also previously an organization, the newly reorganized Drug Information Association aims to cultivate awareness of opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry among students.
The Pre-Dental Club/Operation Smile: The pre-dental club exists to raise awareness of opportunities in the field of dental medicine and provide students with the resources to successfully apply to dental school. The group plans to partner closely with international non-profit Operation Smile, which works with underprivileged children who have cleft palates.
Circle K International: already a non-budgetary organization on campus, Circle K is a service and leadership organization that is affiliated with the Kiwanis club.
Non-budgetary
Best Buddies: also a national organization, Best Buddies pairs student volunteer mentors with intellectually or developmentally disabled students. Each pair of buddies spends quality time together and also participates in group events with other pairs.
L.I.V.E. Dance Crew: already active on campus, L.I.V.E.–which stands for love, individuality, versatility and expression–promotes excellence of dance. They perform all types of dance, mostly hip-hop, at campus events.
Glamour Gals: Glamour Gals is a nationwide organization that provides free makeovers for women living in senior homes.
American Society of Consultant Pharmacists: a professional organization for consultant pharmacist that aims to raise awareness among students of opportunities in the field of consulting pharmacy.
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacists: part of a larger organization, the St. John’s chapter of AMCP will provide networking opportunities for students interested in managed care pharmacy.
Red Cross Club: the St. John’s Red Cross Club will act as a branch of the national Red Cross and provide aid and volunteer services to those in need.
Kappa Psi: a pharmaceutical organization that is open to all majors, Kappa Psi’s requirements include eight hours of required study time per week.
