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Chess Club complains
about lack of recognition
By: Liza Atamy
Posted: 5/12/08
The SJSU Chess Club has had trouble being recognized as an official club on campus by Student Involvement, said Albert Rich, the president of the club. Rich, a senior economics major, said the club did not receive funding for a trip to a Pan-Am in Miami, resulting in the club's inability to participate in the competition.
"Associated Students provides the funds, and they failed to fully fund us because Student Involvement didn't promptly approve us as an official group," Rich said. "A.S. didn't want the paperwork until we were approved as a club."
The Chess Club on campus has 12 to 20 active members who show up to meetings and 150 members who have signed up for the club, Rich said. "Our team defeated Rowan University, the University of Utah and tied with George Washington University," Rich said, referring to exhibition matches held online.
Rich said he went to Student Involvement to complain about the lack of recognition of the club, but the meeting was unhelpful.
Faisal Gowani, president of the Entrepreneurial Society on campus, said he had dealt with Student Involvement on numerous occasions without encountering any problems.
"(Student Involvement) is there to help out student organizations," said Gowani, a senior business management and marketing major. "They do almost bend over backwards to help us."
Richard Kelley, director of Student Involvement, said he recalled speaking to Rich about the upcoming Student Organization Recognition Banquet. "I can only say that (Rich) came in to the office to discuss the Student Organization Recognition Banquet, specifically the packet he submitted on behalf of the Chess Club, as well as the club's ability to attend the event, to which seating is very limited," Kelley said. "We have nearly 300 student organizations, 148 nominations/submissions for the event and no venue on campus that will hold everyone."
Rich said he submitted the required information in a timely fashion. "As far as I know, we followed all relevant policies and procedures," he said. "If they wanted to retract the tickets, I wanted a reasonable explanation on the basis of such an unjust decision. I expressed that excluding Chess Club from the award banquet is unacceptable." Rich said the person who was dealing with his complaint at Student Involvement said he or she had more than 300 organizations he or she had to approve, and a mailbox is just a "bonus."
"If you are going to have a service, shouldn't a professional staff make it timely and efficient?" he asked. "I complained that the slow recognition process made funding difficult, and they told me we could have applied for funding while we were in the approval process.
"Perhaps Student Involvement could better explain the funding process to various organizations," he said.
Kelley said one could file requests for funding by A.S. while paperwork was pending with Student Involvement, and information on the process could be found on the Student Involvement and A.S. Web sites.
"Student Involvement goes to great lengths to provide up-to-date and accurate information to our nearly 300 student organizations," he said. "We utilize the department's Web site, a student leader list server (and) the student organization mail boxes.
"Any policy or procedure that we manage can be found through our Web site and communicated documents. Student organizations that have questions about A.S. protocols should contact Associated Students."
Kelley also said Student Involvement makes it a priority to take care of students.
"What I can say is that Mr. Rich did complain about the way in which he felt he was treated," he said. "I explained to him that I and the rest of our staff take our roles as advisers, mentors and staff members of the university very seriously.
"Service to our students is paramount. We try to show great patience in our work with our students and to help them to understand the parameters within which we operate."
Gowani said the Entrepreneurial Society member who was preparing the nomination proposals for the banquet became ill and was hospitalized.
"We had to turn everything in by Friday morning," Gowani said. "I discussed the problem with Student Involvement and asked if I could turn the proposals in by Friday evening. They were understanding and told me I had until Sunday to submit the paperwork because things don't get looked over until Monday morning." Gowani said he felt the staff at Student Involvement always reached out to help students.
"For last year's Neat Ideas Fair, I needed the collaborative assistance of other student organizations, and I called Student Involvement for help," he said. "They got me in touch with other clubs that had similar goals and objectives in line with the event."
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