31 new clubs ratified at SRA meeting

The Student Representative Assembly has approved 31 new clubs for 2015 at their first meeting of the semester on Jan. 11.

Griffith Dias, Clubs Administrator, recommended the ratification of these new clubs after reviewing their applications over December.

This brings the total number of clubs at Mac to 337, including cultural, religious, and political associations, clubs focused on social issues, recreational clubs, and academic groups.

Some of the new clubs include Bloggers at Mac, McMaster Musicbox Children’s Charity, Pro-Choice Club, S for Sustainability, Sign Language Club, and McMaster Robotics.

It also included a variety of political clubs such as the McMaster Conservatives, the McMaster New Democrats, and the McMaster Young Liberals.

Although these clubs were approved, not all MSU clubs will receive club funding.

“If a club receives any funding, whether from the university, from students, or from Athletics and Recreation, they do not receive [additional] funding from the MSU,” said Scott Mallon, MSU VP (Finance).

For example, clubs such as McMaster Cheerleading are listed both as an MSU club and a part of Athletics and Recreation, but will not receive double the amount of funding.

“Some clubs [are listed under the MSU] for risk management purposes. So not every club that’s on here pulls from MSU funding, but they use our risk management system so that they can do events and not get sued,” said Daniel D’Angela, MSU Finance Commissioner.

At the meeting, some concern arose about the Clubs Executive Council, a group that is supposed to meet once each semester. The council facilitates communication between MSU clubs, gives awards to outstanding clubs, advises on policy changes, and is a judicial appeal body for MSU clubs. The group has not yet met this year.

“The fact that [the Clubs Executive Council] has not started yet is a symptom of the fact that we have [306] clubs and there is one person managing them all,” said Miranda Clayton, President of the McMaster Marching Band, at the SRA meeting.

A solution to this issue has not yet been proposed, and the new clubs were still passed under the recommendation of the MSU Clubs Administrator.

Additional SRA motions passed include the motion to fill one MSU seat on the elections committee. This position was filled, in addition to a seat for an SRA member to sit on the MSU Executive Board.