From Green Panther’s environment focused initiatives, to Drone Club’s technological skills, it’s no secret that ISB hosts a wide variety of club opportunities. Clubs at ISB are an integral part of our curriculum; from IB CAS conditions to freshman club requirements, ISB’s club culture drives students to become involved in over 60 offered clubs and sometimes to develop their own, unique ideas. 

Yet some of these club ideas aren’t approved, and students want to know why.

To understand what the process for starting new clubs looks like, and to understand why some clubs aren’t initially accepted, PantherNation spoke to Vaanya Kapur, a sophomore Service Council member. “We look for clubs that are unique and really bring something different to the community,” she says, “honestly just creating a positive impact on ISB is like the main thing that we look for.”  

Clubs must undergo a pitch meeting before being approved, where they are required to  submit a club application and presentation, and later pitch their idea to members of Service Council. “The goal has to be clear and obviously the goal has to be feasible,” says Mr. Peter Assimakopoulos, ISB’s CAS and Service Learning Coordinator. “When a student or group of students is really passionate about it, it moves everyone forward and they get a lot of wonderful things done.” 

However, this process can be tricky because both the Service Council and Mr. A want to ensure that initiatives don’t have excessive overlap. The range of different clubs already in action makes it challenging  to come up with a unique idea that could qualify as  an independent club and not just a project. Extensive planning can be challenging. Last year, about five club pitches were rejected for reasons such as these.

For sophomore Alina Decker, an unapproved club was “due to safety concerns.” 

Decker planned to partner with a Thai organization based in Hua Hin that helps soi dogs, but it would have meant extensive student interaction with animals. The risk management implications left ISB apprehensive. “The school doesn’t really want us doing [it] in case of any diseases or anything, and we were also told it was because the local shelter was an hour and a half away and it’s too far,” she says. 

The news came via email a couple days after the pitch, and was disappointing to all members of the club. But there is a protocol for cases such as this. Alina and her group were given the option to repitch and try again with more preparation but decided against it. “I think I just really loved the original idea,” she says. “I didn’t want to change it.” 

Students can also shape unapproved clubs into personal projects, which was also available to Decker’s group.  Mr. A says it’s a common solution. “If a small group of students wants to continue [their club as a project] because they’re really passionate about it, I would love to help support them,” he says.

But between school work, sports, and other commitments, finding the time to run projects may seem daunting, and students often put these ideas off for the future. Sometimes clubs simply aren’t designed to be projects, and other times the officers don’t follow through — making clubs turned projects a rarity. 

“Right now I think I’m really busy, [but] I can see myself starting it again and just doing it as an individual service project like next year,” Decker says.

Because there are already so many student-run clubs at ISB, starting a new one is hard. With the lengthy process and specific criteria, starting a new, successful initiative at ISB is nothing short of challenging. Yet Mr. A is hopeful for the future of clubs at ISB. With pitch meetings happening throughout the year, the door for a wide variety of clubs is open and waiting for students to fill it. “The gamut is quite open,” says Mr. A, “as long as they’re helping ISB and surrounding communities.”