To the Editor:

I am going to cut to the chase. Much of the student body does not know what the Student Association does, the roles of the SA executive board or the many accomplishments our board has made in making more opportunities available to them.

I am proud to say that as the executive vice president of the Student Association, my position is all about clubs, the lifeblood of this campus. My office, nicknamed TEAMEVP, acts as a resource and point of contact for clubs and oversees all non-financial club activities.

In the first month of each semester, new group registration occurs. TEAMEVP has been sorting through 50 Intent-To-Charter forms from people who want to start new clubs.

TEAMEVP provides fundraising and leadership opportunities for groups, such as the annual FAST conference. This year, FAST will be held on Oct. 28th at 5 p.m., is required for club presidents and treasurers and features speakers from many departments.

TEAMEVP works with Dan Adeyanju, the vice president for multicultural affairs, to foster collaboration between clubs. One of TEAMEVP’s goals this year is to increase club involvement. We are confident that we will accomplish this goal and are working hard to restructure PAWS as well as create a streamlined calendar of all club events that occur on campus.

I am so passionate about clubs because they have directly benefited my personal growth. As an incoming transfer sophomore to Binghamton University in the fall of 2010, I didn’t know how to make friends and would initiate awkward conversations with people on line for food, in the hope that one of them shared a similar interest with me.

I then saw a flier for the club Enactus, formerly known as SIFE, which is a group of students who launch businesses to help communities and to get first-hand experience in entrepreneurship. I decided to attend a meeting and, by the end of the year, had been elected to the E-board and had found a niche of interesting people who shared a passion for social justice.

Binghamton University boasts 258 student groups, the most clubs of any SUNY school, and I hope that you take advantage of some of them. Are you interested in film? BU Film Salon holds regular screenings of experimental movies. Do you want to play sports recreationally or competitively? Club Sports has 38 sports to choose from. Do you believe that, deep down, you really are a pirate? Pirate Club is arrright for you.

Log into PAWS to search through a full list of clubs. Whatever your interest, identity, background or proclivity, there’s a club that’s right for you.

Feel free to come to my office, located in the SA Office in the New University Union past M&T Bank. My office hours are 1-4 p.m. on Monday and Friday, and 12-3 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. Email me at EVP@BinghamtonSA.org.

I also hope this letter has inspired you to become more active and involved in on-campus activities. I promise that joining a club will enrich your college experience and make BU feel more like a home for you.

Derek Gumb

Executive Vice President, Student Association