Want to set up or join a club at Mohawk? The MSA has your back

The Mohawk Students’ Association (MSA) offers many services to help student well-being, from helping with mental health to financial aid.

The MSA also organizes the school’s clubs, which include a variety of different options, bound to have something that will interest almost any student.

Not only is it easy to join a club, but the MSA also offers the necessary tools to help any student start a new club. Student experience director Wendy Rolfe has noticed an increase in new clubs since students returned to mostly in-person learning.

“After so much virtual time the past few years, I believe that students are really looking for ways to reconnect in person,” Rolfe said. “By going through the process of setting up their own club, they can have the college experience they were hoping for.”

The steps involved in starting a new club start with sending off an email to the clubs and committees specialist Hibo Ahmed, learning the policies, writing an application (either via a ratification form for a new club or a re-ratification form for a club that has existed before), going through leadership training, and then getting an approval notice.

It sounds like a lot, but the MSA has made it easy and straightforward and offers free leadership training as a part of the process. Ahmed adds that club membership doesn’t have to be entirely Mohawk College-specific, making it more open than you might think.

“75 per cent of the club membership has to be Mohawk College students,” Ahmed said. “That said, the remaining quarter allows for folks that are alumni or friends who provide an excellent addition and make the club feel like an active and alive community, full of not only friendly strangers, but people you can trust and get along with.”

Mohawk College student Bryce Burt took part in both the Aviation Club and the VR Club before Covid-19 forced most of the college’s clubs to shut down or move online.

“I used to take part in as many school events and clubs as possible,” Burt said. “I remember fondly the paint party in 2019, where we all got sprayed with paint in the Arnie.”

The pandemic has been a huge reminder to take advantage of the time students spend on campus. Everyone has essays to write and exams to study for, but winding down socially with a club helps students experience more from college life and not get dragged down by the daunting next assignment.

Check out the MSA’s social media pages and website to find out what the college’s clubs are up to. For more information about the clubs, or to inquire about establishing a new club, email msaclubs@mohawkcollege.ca.