Lasell College is home to more than 50 student clubs and organizations but there is always room for more. Sophomore Kelsey Desjardins has a passion for yoga and saw a niche in the school clubs that needed to be filled.
Starting a new organization on campus was a new process to Desjardins and she wasn’t sure the amount of time or effort it would take to get it all started. “It didn’t take long,” she said. It involved first speaking with the office of student activities (OSA) and putting the pieces of the potential club together. She needed only three signatures of students on campus in support of the club and had to make a “constitution”, a document explaining the club’s mission statement, rules, regulations, and information about an e-board. After getting approval from OSA, she also had to set up an OrgSync, a website Lasell’s clubs use for organization.Â
Every year, Lasell hosts its biannual Student Activities Fair to advertise clubs on campus. Desjardins took a big step in starting this club despite her nerves that not enough people would join. However, after the 277 sign ups she received at the Activities Fair, her problem wasn’t having enough people, it was finding a space big enough to fit everyone. She believes what made the club so successful is mainly the interest that students around campus already had in yoga. She also advertised through word of mouth, Instagram, and business cards.Â
The yoga club involves weekly yoga sessions on Sunday nights, where Desjardins will teach after getting certified over the summer, and will also include monthly trips into Boston to take specialty classes. Desjardins is a busy college student already, and running a club takes just as much dedication after the initial starting process. “It was easy to start but a lot of work after.” Not only are there club meeting times but she attends OSA meetings, handles club functions, maintains the online appearance, and handles the paperwork and budget. At times she feels a little overwhelmed but is handling it well. It is definitely an exciting process for her and other students at Lasell.