As BMCC’s director of student activities, Harry Mars is an unabashed cheerleader for co-curricular involvement
“Academics come first,” Harry Mars always reminds BMCC’s entering freshmen. “But participation in campus clubs can provide a vital measure of balance to college life,” he adds.
At last count, there were at least 65 officially sanctioned clubs on campus – academic clubs, preprofessional clubs, social clubs and social service clubs. “Members find that one of the best things about being in a club is the preparation it gives them for post-college life,” says Mars. “They have a chance to hone their leadership and social abilities and learn how to manage people and budget resources – all skills they’ll need once they complete their education.” Student clubs present speakers, films, workshops and events for the entire college community. Members also do volunteer work and participate in community service programs.
Getting started
Joining a club is a simple matter of attending the club meeting. (A list of all clubs is available at /students/student-activities/clubs/. Club hours are held Wednesdays between two and four p.m., although not all clubs meet every week. Checking first is advisable.)
Students can also sign up with a club at the Student Activities office (S206-C). “We’ll have them sign a contact sheet and then contact the club on their behalf,” says Mars.
Starting a new club is also easy: All it takes is a core group of four students to serve as officers, 15 members and a faculty member advisor. The club will be required to file a copy of its bylaws with the Student Activities office and then register with the Student Government Association, which allocates funding and provides oversight.
To be sure, the purview of Mars and the Student Activities office extends beyond the 65 campus clubs and the Student Government Association. “We make a point of organizing a full schedule of collegewide activities, such as trips to athletic events and Broadway plays, workshops and student ambassador programs.”
Volunteer activities
The office also oversees BMCC’s annual commencement exercises, registration and the Freshman Assembly and recruits student volunteers in a range of capacities – campus tour guides, registration aides, ushers and advisors to incoming freshmen. “It stands to reason,” says Mars. “New students will talk to other students a lot more readily than they will to faculty and staff.”
Admittedly, only about 1,000 of BMCC’s 19,000 students belong to clubs. Those with full-time jobs or other responsibilities may not have the option to partake in co-curricular activities; others may simply choose to focus their attention exclusively on classroom studies. “But club membership can really fill out a student’s academic life,” says Mars. “And it provides a very realistic preview of what professional life is about.”
