Clubs Grief

By Jordan Bonner

Editor, the Gauntlet,

The following quotation was taken from a memorandum posted in the window of the office of Greg Hovdebo, the Students’ Union Club Committee Chair:

"Clubs who did not get office space are asked to only send one delegate to speak to myself or Erin. If your club is without office space, you did not take the time necessary to fill out the office request form adequately, or did not hand in your annual report on time. We have been very lenient and do not feel we owe any explanation to every member of your club as to why you failed to get the most coveted ofice [sic] space. There are over 165 clubs on campus, you are one of the many who did not get office space. Your club is just as valued as every other club, but you did not put in the energy needed to ensure your club winning the office space. To put this into an academic analogy, you would have received a C- or less for this exercise.

Sorry for ruining your year

Chairman Greg"

The contemptuous attitude shown by "Chairman Greg" Hovdebo regarding the concerns of students and student clubs over the awarding of club office space is unacceptable. Hovdebo apparently thinks he owes no explanation to students for his actions. However, his job is to be a communicator between the SU and student clubs. His job is to justify and explain the decisions of the SU to student clubs, doing so on the student dime.

If Hovdebo’s atrocious attitude were not enough, his facts are just plain wrong. Many qualified clubs are denied office space each year for the simple reason that the SU cannot allocate sufficient resources to house them. The summer meeting at which space is allocated by the Club Committee is an arduous one. Many clubs that have well-prepared applications must be sadly denied space due to too few offices. Hovdebo’s assertion that 165 clubs sought space is incorrect. Approximately 50 clubs seek office space from the SU each year; the balance of clubs find space in other buildings on campus.

Where does Hovdebo’s elected supervisor Natasha Dhillon, the SU-Vice-President Operations and Finance, stand on this matter? Where on the radar is the chief staff member in charge of providing services to clubs, Andrea Gerenscer, the SU Director of Student Services?

As a past SU Club Committee Chair, my inclination would be to give "Chairman Greg" Hovdebo’s comments and his current job performance an F. A more fitting grade for Hovdebo would be a W on his SU transcript.