Ashley Walter

April 2013

Final Leadership Project

Revitalizing Martial Arts Club:Putting the Kick back into our Campus’s Karate

Class

Overview

Before I began my college career at Arcadia, I had been training at Corsello’s Kenpo

Karate School for about a decade. Since I was in elementary school, I developed a passion for

learning self-defense. I had worked my way up through the kid’s system and into the adult class

where I often helped lower-ranking belts, and I enjoyed contemplating principles of motion,

executing new techniques, training with weapons, punching bags, breaking boards, mastering

arm locks, and sparring. When I saw that Martial Arts Club was on the list of Arcadia’s clubs

and activities, it was yet another attractive aspect of the university during my college selection

process.

After I arrived at Arcadia for the first semester of my freshman year, I could not find

Martial Arts Club at the activities fair. When I began e-mailing Student Engagement for

information about when and where meetings were being held, I discovered that almost all of the

club officers had graduated or were studying abroad. I eventually came into contact with Isaac

Israel, who was holding informal karate classes on Saturday mornings in the Kuch Center

aerobic room. Unfortunately, very few people ever showed up, so it was usually just the two of

us. He mentioned to me that he would not be holding classes next year because he wanted to

focus on his senior thesis. If I wanted to, I could become the leader of next semester’s meetings

and continue the classes myself. In addition, I could try to find enough people who were

interested in martial arts to actually have the gatherings recognized as an official club by the

Student Government Organization.

With the end of the semester approaching, I decided to dedicate my Final Leadership

Project to my goal of revitalizing Martial Arts Club. By gathering information about re-starting

a pre-existing origination, I have taken the initiative and created new contacts to expand my

network. When I made plans of how I would get the club off the ground, I decided to design an

eye-catching flyer to get the word out, and I hope to have some sort of sign at the activities fair

in the fall. I hope to employ my knowledge of motivation and communication to not only recruit

club members, but to make classes enjoyable. I hope to be empathetic to individuals so that I

may have a fuller understanding of their learning styles and, as a result, be a better self-defense

teacher. To run Martial Arts Club would be a wonderful leadership experience and an

accomplishment, since I would be able to leave a legacy at Arcadia. My mission would be to

enhance the college experience of myself and others through the practice of martial arts.

Interview of William Breeman, President of PEERS Club

William is a friend of mine who has experienced the process that I intend to undergo in

revitalizing Martial Arts Club. He successfully re-started PEERS club and is currently the

president. On one Monday night prior to the start of a PEERS meeting, he offered me some

guidance in my club revitalizing endeavors. He was my first resource who gave me a good idea

of what I would be getting myself into.

I took some notes from the interview so I would be able to use them like a checklist. The

first thing he noted was that I should find Heather Weaver in her office on the first floor of the

Commons so I could get the proper paperwork. There were specific forms I needed to re-start a

“dormant” club as opposed to creating an entirely new one, so I should note the difference.

William also discussed some other aspects of the process that I should be aware of, such

as club membership and rules. I would need at least six people to be interested and eight people

if I wanted funding from the Student Government Organization (for PEERS, William asked for

an $800 budget to run events). I would also need to find a president and a treasurer if I were to

receive funding from SGO. An additional club consideration was the rules, or the bylaws. These

referred to officer duties and objectives, and if I wanted to edit any of the pre-existing laws, they

would have to be approved my SGO. Lastly, William expressed that finding a club advisor can

be a pain, but they need to be there to sign forms, give advice, and approve the bylaws.

I also asked William about the time commitment. He remarked that as a club officer, he

needed to set up executive meetings and plan out lessons. If I were to teach classes in Martial

Arts Club, I undoubtedly would need a considerable time to prepare what material to cover and

how to teach it in a fun way, not to mention planning out general exercises and special events.

* In the same way, I hope to get the word out about Martial Arts Club by designing eye-catching flyers

* This is a flyer that I designed for PEERS Club so we could make ourselves known across campus

Contact 1

Strus, Alexa 1:18 pm (1 day ago)

to me

Hi Ashley, 

First and foremost you should contact Julie DiTrapano from Student Engagement. You can bounce your idea off of her and she can give you the specific feedback and the paperwork needed.

You'll want to look into whether or not the club you plan to start has already existed at Arcadia. Once a club is created at Arcadia it is on the books forever - whether or not they are active is a different story. To find out you can email sgo@arcadia.edu or contact Julie DiTrapano. I'm only mentioning this because re-starting an inactive club is a much easier process than creating a new one.

In order to form a club you need a Faculty Advisor, appointed President, and Vice President. You will also need the signatures of 6 members of the club. You're greatest obstacle will be finding a faculty advisor. 

I hope this helps give you a start! I'm attaching the paperwork for re-starting an inactive club - I don't have the paperwork needed to start a club on hand. 

Good luck! 

- Alexa

  How to Re-Start a Pre-existing Club (2).docx -- Alexa StrusPresident of Student Government OrganizationVice President of ASIA Club2nd West Kistler Resident AssistantArcadia University Class of 2015

Contact 2

Weaver, Heather

3:51 PM (9 minutes ago)

to me

Hi Ashley,

Take a look at the packet.  If you have 6-8 names of people who would like to help re-start the club, get their signatures on the signature part of the packet.  You will also need to identify a faculty or staff member to be the advisor. It should be a full time staff member or faculty member so that they are here regularly on campus for you to meet with them and get their signature. 

Let me know some times you have available and I can check my schedule this week and next week to try to meet.

We can also communicate over the summer and once back in the Fall if you have the 8 people and the advisor you can get started right away.

Sincerely,Heather

Heather L. Weaver Assistant Director of Student EngagementArcadia University450 S. Easton RoadGlenside, PA 19038215-572-2798215-881-8781 FAXweaverh@arcadia.edu

*** I intend on meeting with Heather Weaver sometime next week

Contact 3

Farley, Patricia <pfarley@arcadia.edu> 9/11/12

to me

Hello Ashley,

It's nice to hear from you!  Did you net see martial arts club at a table at the activities fair?  I am a recent graduate and not on campus anymore.  Please contact "John McGowan" <jmcgowan@arcadia.edu> or  "Lauren Ellenberg" <lellenberg@arcadia.edu> if there will be amartial arts club anymore.

Or, if you are driven, you may be able to bring the club to fruition yourself.

Good luck!

If things do not work out and you are considering taking it upon yourself to bring Martial Arts Club to a full standing club position again, I am more than happy to help through e-mail to explain processes.

-- Patricia FarleyArcadia University 2012Psychology (major)Japanese (minor)

*** It was through Patricia that I met Isaac

(networking)

Contact List

People that could help me in the process of getting a club off the ground:

- William Breeman WBreeman@arcadia.edu

o President of PEERS who went through the process of starting the club

- Alexa Strus astrus@arcadia.edu

o Student Government Organization President; classmate and friend

- Heather Weaver weaverh@arcadia.edu

o Assistant Director of Student Engagement

- Julie DiTrapano ditrapaj@arcadia.edu

o Director of Student Engagement

People that could advise me as to how to go about running club meetings:

- Isaac Israel iisrael@arcadia.edu

o Organizer of our informal “karate meetings” on Saturdays

- Patricia Farley pfarley@arcadia.edu

o Recent graduate of Arcadia who once attended Martial Arts Club when it was still

up and running

People that can further my martial arts knowledge and answer any kenpo-related questions:

- Stephanie Hammond sifustephanie@gmail.com

o Martial Arts Instructor from my karate school

- Denny Wan [friend on Facebook]

o Fellow martial artist, assistant instructor, and friend from my karate school

“How to Re-Start a Pre-existing Club or Organization 2012”

Minimum Requirements

v You will need a minimum of 6 interested people (8 if you want to receive funding from SGO).

v Club/Organization officers, a minimum of a President and Treasurer.

o These people can be counted in your total number of interested persons.

v You will need to approve, edit, or redraft a set of Bylaws for your club or organization.

o When it comes to bylaws and restarting a club/organization on campus you have

three options

§ 1. Review the existing bylaws and approve them as they are

§ 2. Make a few minor changes to the bylaws

§ Or 3. Make major changes to the bylaws/redo them

o If you make minor or major changes to the bylaws, you will most likely have to

present them to SGO for approval.

o On page 4 of this packet are Bylaw Guidelines if choose to redo them.

v You will need a faculty or staff member that agrees to be your advisor.

Responsibilities

General Responsibilities for a Club/Organization include:

v Must have a representative at each SGO meeting

v One community service activity must be completed by 75% of the club each semester

v Attendance of 50% of the club at one Leadership Seminar each semester

v Participation in the Fall & Spring Activities Fairs, Family Weekend, and Blitz (during

Spring Fling)

v If funded by SGO, an Expenditure form must be submitted by the end of the month for

* Paperwork given to me by both Alexa and Heather

the previous month’s expenditures.

v If funded by SGO, a representative of the club/organization must attend the Club

Budgetary Meetings

Flyer Idea:

Information to include:

- Learn self-defense in a fun and informal environment!

- No previous training necessary!

- A great way to get exercise!

- Interested? Contact Ashley Walter at awalter@arcadia.edu

* Follow William’s advice to get approval from R.A.s so I can display flyers in residence halls as well as in stairwells

o Ashley is a jr. black belt trained in Kenpo Karate, but other styles are

welcomed!

*Meetings will be held on Tuesdays from 4:00 – 6:00 in the Kuch Center Aerobic Room

Summer Plans

- Return to Corsello’s Kenpo Karate School to continue training

http://www.corselloskarate.com/mission.html

o Brush up on my knowledge so I am better equipped to teach it if I get students

to come to martial arts club

o Gain ideas for lesson plans to keep the club interesting and appealing for

students at a variety of levels

- Get tips from my instructors as to how to effectively teach martial arts

o Kinesthetic, Visual, and Auditory ways of learning

o Creating analogies to help students retain what they have learned

o Teach material as a system that interconnects, where concepts and moves link

to one another and so reinforce one another in the memory

Identify the similarities, opposites, and reverses in the system

o Learn to assess the progress of each individual student

- Advertise Martial Arts Club upon returning to campus in the fall

o Put up the flyers that I designed with information about the club

o Create a sign to display at the activities fair (or get a table)

Display my boxing gloves and handbags

Positive Outcomes of This Experience:

- Learn organizational skills to start up a club

o Paperwork and process

o Attracting members and urging them to attend meetings (motivation)

o Taking the initiative and showing dedication

- Learning and applying leadership and teaching skills

o Familiarizing myself with club members

so I can teach them more effectively

so I can bond with them (empathy)

o Remain open to suggestions to improve the club (communication)

- Enhance the college experiences of myself and others through the practice of martial

arts (mission)

o Build confidence as a leader

o Build my resume

o Practice the sport I love and be able to pass it on to other students

Leave a legacy at Arcadia

Feedback

Any suggestions on my planning process?

Does anyone know any resources that I could use? Or someone willing to become an advisor?

What would make you want to come out to Martial Arts Club?