New Member Processes
The new member experience should be an exciting time for students to learn about their club/organization/team, develop important skills, and build lifelong friendships.
Following these guidelines will help create a new member experience that is beneficial for both the new members and the club/organization/team as a whole.
What the new member experience should look like:
- There should be a clearly written purpose/creed/motto that is distributed at the beginning of the program or posted in a space that the club/organization/team frequently uses.
- New members should know what is expected of them during the educational process.
- There should be a set time period and location for educational meetings, with little variance, during normal working/waking hours.
- The curriculum/training activities should not vary from the mission statement, purpose or manual of the club/organization/team.
- New members should feel that personal support and an enhanced academic experience is the main priority of the club/organization/team. One should feel a sense of involvement and connectedness to the club/organization/team.
- If at any time a new member feels overwhelmed, they should feel comfortable informing the club/organization/team leaders, coaches, or advisers. New members’ concerns should be taken seriously.
What the new member experience should not look like:
- There should be no dares, acts of violence, pain, suffering, or pressure.
- One should never be asked to meet at a different time or location than the standard time and location, especially at extreme times or extreme, remote locations.
- Outside of the curriculum/training one should not partake in activities where active members are not participating.
- One should never be treated as a subordinate to other members of the club/organization/team.
- No form of hazing should exist in a member's experience.