The Matador Involvement Center has been conducting new club workshops.

Jennifer Villarreal, activities assistant for the Matador Involvement Center (MIC) said these one-hour workshops are for students to be introduced to the process of establishing a new club or organization on campus.

“Campus offers college based special interest, sports, recreation, fraternities, sororities, cultural, religious and political clubs and organizations,” said Augie Garibay, activities coordinator for the MIC. “And within those groups there is a variance of what they represent, their ideas, ideology and even identity they represent.”

Students who are interested in learning about the benefits and basic requirements can register at the MIC, which is located on the first floor of the Sol Center in the University Student Union (USU).

Villarreal said the workshop includes a review of all the policies and procedures such as the constitution, a look at the necessary paperwork, such as the university recognition documents.

“At the end of the session, students know pretty much what they need in order to establish a new organization or club,” Villarreal said.

This event has been very successful in the past, Garibay said.

However, some students do not follow through with the paperwork.

Last year there was a couple hundred students that wanted to start one club or organization but did not follow through or had a change of heart, Garibay said.

“Last year there was about 90 students per workshop (and) 35 new clubs and organizations came out of those meetings,” Villarreal said. “That’s about one third that officially get recognized.”

Kate Wilson, 18, psychology major, said she hopes to see what sororities have to offer.

“I want to be part of a family base,” Wilson said.

Reina Sepulveda, 18, undecided major, said she is looking forward to the workshops because she thinks it is important to be involved and make a difference.

Garibay said these workshops are the initial guidance conversation for a lot of students that have an idea of what they want to do by creating an organization on campus, but may not necessarily realize that there is a history of other organizations that may have existed before their idea came to the table.

“We try to advise them (students) on working with other clubs and organizations that are already exist to not duplicated efforts but at the same time not lose the uniqueness of their idea,” Garibay said.

He added that there are ways to address those issues without having to build up through conflict or criticism.

“If a student comes in with an idea for a new club, we are not going to crush a student’s dreams, we will help them go through the process and see what happens, and every step is an experience,” Garibay said.

Villarreal said students can go to the MIC website and see the list of clubs and organizations.