New Year, New Policy: How the New Club Policy Brings Positive Changes

Sonia Wang and Suhana Kaur

The new club policy has potential clubs applying at the end of the year instead of the beginning, a process initially proposed by the ASB advisers, according to junior and club commissioner Nami Motwani. “There was a lot of discourse throughout the entirety of our whole club process to do it a year earlier, just because it makes one of my jobs easier,” Motwani said. “It also makes sure that clubs are able to socialize and kind of market through the beginning of the school year.”

From Drama Club to Computation Linguistics Club, to Key Club, clubs are an integral part of Portola High that contribute to student culture on campus. With over 150 clubs this year, there are a plethora of options for students to choose from. However, they can also petition to create new clubs if nothing on the roster appeals to them.

Although the process of creating a club initially started at the beginning of the school year, ASB has since implemented a new club policy where prospective clubs must apply for approval at the end of the previous school year before finding a club adviser at the beginning of the next school year, according to junior and club commissioner Nami Motwani. While splitting the club application process into two parts may seem complicated, students should embrace the new policy, as it expedites club activities to the beginning of the year and equally allows students to prepare for their clubs over the summer in advance.

With this new policy, vital club events like Club Kickoff occur earlier in the year since ASB already vetted new clubs before the school year even starts, according to Motwani.

“Normally, for a majority of the first month of our school year, we spend a lot of time with the new club applications,” Motwani said. “I think that expediting the process in the previous year is easier for the club commissioner because it’s very difficult to go through those applications while being in the first month of everything.”

Motwani additionally points out that developing clubs at the end of the year can reduce stress for students who usually have to adjust to heading back to school while juggling club applications.

“Doing it a year in advance just creates an amount of solidity that we didn’t have in our foundation in previous years,” Motwani said. “People have the time to prepare over the summer for what they want to do for their clubs, and it kind of lifts this weight off of them to complete everything in the moment.”

Others contend that the old process provided more opportunities for club creation, namely for newcomers. As the new policy begins before freshmen enter the school, they are unable to start a club for the entirety of the year.

“I think if [freshmen are] introduced to the club [policy] before, like with everybody else, it’s more equal, and they have better chances,” freshman Akhilesh Kuppili said.

While it may seem unfair that freshmen are unable to create their own, they may lack the experience needed for a high school-level club, according to junior Hrishi Gopalakrishna, who went through the new application process this year. Instead, freshmen should spend their first year being members of other groups to gain greater knowledge of high school clubs.

“From high school to middle school, there’s a huge difference in the intensity of club activities and how fun the club is,” Gopalakrishna said. “It makes me feel more comfortable knowing that freshmen have already experienced how a club is in high school, rather than creating a club fresh off the bat from middle school.”

Although the new policy may seem complex, the two-step process ultimately speeds up club activities such as inter-club council meetings, permitting clubs to begin earlier. Vetting clubs at the end of each year also removes student stress by allowing them to prepare for club activities over the summer. For these reasons, it’s safe to say that the new club policy is officially here to stay.

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About the Contributors

Sonia Wang, Features Editor

Sonia Wang is the Features Editor and a Business Manager for her third and final year on the Portola Pilot. This year, she plans to utilize her skills to make as much money for the Pilot as possible. When she’s not chasing down interview sources or trying to find advertisers, you can find her reading a good fantasy book, journaling or trying to take a much-needed nap.

Suhana Kaur, Staff Writer

Suhana Kaur is a staff writer for her first year on the Portola Pilot. She’s looking forward to writing stories (especially features!) and conducting lots of interviews. Aside from procrastinating on everything, she’s usually plugged into very loud music, saving the city (she’s Spiderman) or reading. She’s trying to write a profound novel, but it’s not going so well because she’s a procrastinator. Sometimes you’ll find her half-conscious scrolling on mukbang reels.

Claire Liu, Back Page Editor

Claire Liu is the Back Page Editor and a Business Manager for her second year on the Portola Pilot. This year, she will try her best not to double the given word count. If she’s not in a comatose state because of sleep deprivation, you can find her listening to dead jazz players, watching long-form improv sessions or crying because Sonia is somehow both of her bosses.