PRIORITIZE MEMBER RETENTION
Because next semester won’t coincide with a major election cycle or a legislative session, it will be more important than ever to keep our members engaged and grow our base of support on campus through continuous recruitment.
While the responsibilities of recruitment and engagement typically fall to the Campus Director, Membership Director, and Member-at-Large, I believe there’s more we can do. As Parliamentarian and a voting member of UDLC, I’ll bring forward these proposals focused on strengthening member retention:
Establish a Permanent New Members Caucus
Upon taking office, I will propose to UDLC the establishment of a New Members Caucus as a permanent identity caucus within UDems. This caucus will include all members in their first year with the organization and will be co-chaired by the Membership Director and the Member-at-Large.
The goal is to create a welcoming space where new members - many of whom are first-year students living away from home for the first time - can connect with one another in a smaller, more comfortable setting. With the two UDLC members most closely connected to the general membership serving as co-chairs, this caucus will also provide new members with a clear pathway to get involved and help them feel recognized and valued by the club’s leadership.
New Member Social
Just recently, I helped pass my constitutional amendment requiring that the Membership Director for the fall semester schedule a new member social event no later than the end of September.
It’s essential to keep our newest members engaged early on - especially freshmen who are navigating their first few weeks of college. They’ll be meeting new people, exploring different opportunities, and deciding where to invest their time. In many ways, we’ll be competing for their attention, and we need them to choose UDems. Hosting a fun, welcoming social event early in the semester sends a clear message: UDems isn’t just a club for policy wonks or future political professionals - it’s a place for building community and forming friendships that can last a lifetime.
What I've already done this year to aid member retainment:
Helped Prevent Members from "Falling Out of the Loop"
At the beginning of this semester, I was instrumental in pushing UDLC to make sure the UDems calendar could be easily accessible to all members as a Google Calendar link. Because of my efforts, UDems members no longer have to go to the website to find the calendar. They can simply download it to their personal Google Calendar.
