You did it! You made it to college and are ready to start making the most of everything your campus has to offer. As a Native student, your identity is part of who you are, and something you want to celebrate and explore with other likeminded students. One way to do that is to join or start an AISES College Chapter. Here’s how to start a chapter at your school.
Find Out the Requirements
Most colleges and universities have requirements that must be met in order for students to establish new clubs and organizations on campus. Make sure you know what those are before moving forward. Contact your student life office for information and to ask for any help you may need.
AISES also has its own set of requirements for forming a new chapter. The list of requirements can be found on aises.org. While the list isn’t long, the requirements are clear and must be met before AISES will approve your application for a new chapter.
Find Potential Members
You can’t have a club without multiple members, and an AISES chapter is no exception. AISES requires that you have at least three individuals who are active AISES members in order to be considered for a chapter. Look for other Native students who would be interested in joining. Reach out to friends and various departments on campus, and post on internal message boards to expand your search. Let people know that you’re looking to start a chapter and want others to join.
Find an Advisor
Most clubs — AISES included — require an advisor. Choose an advisor thoughtfully. The person should be someone who supports your club’s goals and wants to help the club develop and grow. In this case, it may be beneficial to look for an advisor who is also Native, but that’s not a requirement. Finding an advisor who believes in your club’s mission and goals is what matters.
Directly Involve as Many Members as Possible
Once you’ve established your chapter, you need to make sure that it continues to exist — and that it continues to grow. One way to do this is by engaging as many members as possible. Members who feel they are contributing will be much more inclined to remain part of the chapter. Since not everyone can hold a high-level position, get members involved in other ways. Ask them to create subgroups or small committees to work on specific chapter goals and events. Allow them to choose their own projects or areas to focus on to help foster passion and excitement about the work they are doing.
Tap into Your Admissions Office
Starting college can be a daunting prospect, and it’s always nice to find other students who have similar interests. Connect with your admissions office and see if they are able to share the names of incoming students who identify as Native. If so, reach out directly to those students and tell them know about the AISES College Chapter. They might be thrilled to learn not only that there is a chapter, but that you want them to join.
Spread the Word
For your chapter to grow, students need to know it exists, and that it’s a chapter worth being part of. College students are pulled in so many directions that they have to choose where they give their time. Sponsor or co-sponsor high-profile events on campus; host a “bring a friend” meeting where members bring one friend who might be interested in joining; ask your student newspaper to profile the chapter; and ask your professors to mention the chapter to students they think would be interested. These are just a few ways to help get the word out about the AISES College Chapter on campus. There’s plenty of room to get creative!
Being a part of an AISES College Chapter can be a wonderful experience that helps you learn, develop leadership skills, and feel connected to others with similar ideas and values. Don’t wait any longer — start your chapter today.
On Topic
Mikaela David-John is a Saint Regis Mohawk tribal member and a graduate student in family, youth, and community sciences at the University of Florida. She currently serves as the AISES Region 7 student representative. David-John is a founding member of the University of Florida AISES College Chapter and currently serves as president. She has been an AISES member since her undergraduate days at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she held several executive board positions within the RIT AISES College Chapter. In addition to her studies, David-John works as a community research coordinator for Partnership for Strong Families, a child welfare agency in north central Florida.
How does having an AISES College Chapter benefit students?
At many colleges and universities, Indigenous students have to work hard to find their space. Having an AISES College Chapter on campus helps students find a sense of community. Through social, cultural, professional development, and community service events, AISES College Chapters can build up Indigenous students and help them become well-rounded individuals ready for a bright future. They also help promote diversity among the students. Events that the chapter holds can help educate the college community at large about Indigenous cultures.
What steps are involved in establishing an AISES College Chapter?
You can find the official steps here. However, here are some tips to help things go a bit more smoothly on your end based on what we experienced when starting our chapter at the University of Florida this past spring.
• Start forging connections with faculty and staff prior to starting the official application process in an effort to identify someone to serve as your chapter advisor. This person does not need to be Indigenous but does need to be willing to help! It is definitely an added bonus if they are Indigenous as they can understand the cultural aspect and what it’s like to be an Indigenous student in college.
• Create a list of all the Indigenous students you know on campus and ask different departments and organizations on campus if they can help identify Indigenous students. It’s important to get students on board and registered as AISES members before you submit your application. You will need to provide proof that at least three AISES members are willing to help you start a chapter.
• The last step is to acquire a letter stating that the college or university has certified their chapter as a duly recognized student organization. However, I suggest doing this after you have identified a chapter advisor and have the appropriate number of students.
How long does the process of starting an AISES chapter typically take?
The length ultimately depends more on your college than on AISES, mainly because the student organization has to be recognized by your college before you can receive approval from AISES. In my experience, it took some time to get registered through my university as they have strict rules and several trainings. One thing we ran into is that to be a registered student organization, you must have at least 10 members, whereas the AISES requirement to start a chapter is just three members. If your college also requires a larger number, remember that AISES is open to anyone who supports the AISES mission so don’t get discouraged. If you ever have trouble navigating things with your university, do not hesitate to reach out to AISES National or your regional representative.
In what ways can a college — or chapter members — promote an AISES College Chapter?
Social media is one of the best, and cheapest, ways to promote an AISES College Chapter. Ask all your members to invite friends to “like” your social media pages. Our chapter created the networking chair, an executive board position devoted to social media and events to ensure we are consistently engaging with our members on social media. If your university has specific Facebook pages for students, such as the class of 2021 or a Reddit, you can create posts to let people know about your AISES College Chapter and any events.
Another way to promote your chapter is through regular e-newsletters sent to your members and potential members. You can also send the e-newsletter to your office of student involvement or office of diversity and ask them to forward it to their lists. Pro tip: My chapter uses Mailchimp to create these newsletters. They look beautiful every time — and we use the free version!
What are the top three ways to keep an AISES College Chapter growing?
One way to keep your AISES College Chapter growing is to collaborate and form solid partnerships with other organizations and departments on campus. There are likely many other science and engineering societies on campus, and some of them may also be part of national organizations such as SACNAS, SHPE, SASE or NSBE. Co-hosting events can help build up the AISES name on campus, help split costs, and take some of the burden of planning off your executive board.
Another way to keep your AISES College Chapter growing is by trying new things each year. While having some annual events is helpful, especially those events that have proven to be useful and successful, don’t be afraid to take risks. The needs and wants of each cohort of students are going to be different, so take some time to ask new or potential members what type of events they are interested in. Also, attend a variety of organizational fairs and other tabling events because you never know where you will find someone who is interested!
Finally, building and maintaining effective leadership are ways to keep a chapter growing. The leadership team of an AISES College Chapter includes not only the executive board but also the chapter advisor. Actively seek out training to help board members hone their skills. Always be thinking about who the next leadership team will be to ensure the chapter will keep growing even after you graduate. Pro tip: We find most of our leadership trainings through the leadership office on campus or free webinars online.
