2025-2026 ASWCC CLUB HANDBOOK

ASWCC Vision Statement

ASWCC Student Leadership aims to achieve a dynamic campus environment in which all students are represented and have an opportunity to participate.

ASWCC Mission Statement

To serve students by providing diverse opportunities for involvement to build campus community and represent student concerns in college decision-making.

Definitions

Office of Student Life and Development (OSLD) – The Office of Student Life and Development team located in Syre Student Center 208 houses all ASWCC Club Team staff and processes.

Associated Students of Whatcom Community College (ASWCC) – The representative student body organization for Whatcom Community College. Its membership consist of only currently enrolled WCC students and is governed by the ASWCC Executive Board and Student Senate.

ASWCC Club Team – The student leaders and professional staff who support and oversee ASWCC Clubs and Associations.

Association Action Form – The main form associations use to make requests, such as requesting to make a purchase with Association quarterly allocations, reserve a room on campus, get materials printed, initiate travel, etc.

S&A Funds – In addition to tuition fees, the S&A Fee is a student-imposed, student-distributed fee to support student activities, programs, and projects that enhance the co-curricular and extracurricular experience for students at Whatcom Community College. S&A Fees provide ongoing operational and capital funding for programs and services which enrich students' sense of belonging, engagement, and development. The ASWCC S&A Fee Budget Committee proposes an annual budget to the Board of Trustees to identify how these funds are allocated each year.

Welcome

Organizing and Joining a Club

Whatcom Community College (WCC) Board of Trustees grants authority to the Associated Students of Whatcom Community College (ASWCC) to charter and fund student clubs. Students are free to organize and join clubs to promote their common interests, provided such clubs are not in conflict with the educational goals of the college, relevant laws and college regulations. ASWCC chartered clubs shall be open to all students on a non-discriminatory basis and will make every effort to make the club visible and accessible to all members of the ASWCC.

ASWCC Bylaws Definition of a Club

“A group of Whatcom Community College students collectively organized based on a mutual interest, hobby, or instructional program, whereby the primary outcome of club functions and activities relates to benefiting the common interest of club members or provides general welfare for the entire student body.”

Learning and Growing

The Office of Student Life & Development (OSLD) views participation in clubs at WCC as voluntary and as a privilege. It is an opportunity for students to join together to:

• Learn and practice leadership skills

• Grow in artistic, technical and social skills

• Develop friendships

• Contribute to the student life experience on campus

Clubs are granted resources and rights that individual students do not have. Club leaders are encouraged to use these resources and opportunities to better the lives of themselves as well as the ASWCC community as a whole.

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Learn and incorporate the qualities and skills of a confident, inspiring, inclusive and empowering leader

• Build an environment that inspires and empowers students

• Reflect on club experiences to enhance your growth

Your Club Responsibility

It is important for club officers and advisors to be familiar with the State, College, and OSLD policies and procedures. OSLD provides training which covers rules and regulations all clubs are required to follow. More importantly, the training provides a built-in network for club officers to make connections with other clubs.

As a club leader, you are responsible for respecting, following and educating your fellow club members on the policies and procedures by which your club accesses the resources granted to you by the ASWCC. Planning for deadlines, submitting important details and communicating responsibly with the staff members who support you are all necessary functions of being a student leader.

ASWCC Club and Association Contact Information

The ASWCC Club Team supports both students and advisors in the administrative processes related to clubs, programming, maintenance and more.

The Office of Student Life & Development (OSLD)

Syre Student Center 208

Call: (360)-383-3007

Email: Clubs@Whatcom.edu

ASWCC Clubs & Associations webpage: whatcom.edu/clubs

ASWCC VP for Clubs & Unions

Alexander Baker ABaker@whatcom.edu

Chairs ASWCC Association Council
Oversees Association Chartering
Advocates for Clubs, Associations, Unions and Student Publications
Reports to the ASWCC Executive Board on Clubs and Associations status

Director for Student Life and Development

Heidi Farani, ASWCC Association Council Advisor & Budget Manager

Hfarani@whatcom.edu

Non-Discrimination Statement

For Title IX compliance: Title IX Coordinator, by phone: 360.383.3400 or email: titleIX@whatcom.edu , 237 W. Kellogg Road, Bellingham, WA 98226.

Rights and Responsibilities of Associations

ASWCC Association Rights:

ASWCC grants the following rights to all chartered Associations:

A quarterly allocation for events and activities
The ability to work with OSLD to reserve a campus space for meetings, activities or events

ASWCC Association Responsibilities:

How to maintain active status and be responsible as an Association:

Ensure that a minimum of two current Association members have attended ASWCC Association Training.
Have at least 1 representative member attend each ASWCC Association Council meeting (Meeting dates on ASWCC Clubs & Organizations webpage.)
Participate in Orca Day June 2026
Submit a Quarterly Report by the 10th week of the quarter to include the following information:
- Quarterly activities and meetings held by your Association. Associations must have a minimum of one meeting per month
- Sign in sheets from each meeting
- If the Association ended up hosting an event, the sign-in sheets must be added to the quarterly report

Officers

Officers are WCC students who help lead the Association and are the main contacts for the OSLD and VP for Clubs & Unions. This role can be divided amongst multiple students.

Officer Responsibilities:

Participate in ASWCC Association Training
Attend all Association meetings and events
Plan, advertise, and host a minimum of one meeting every month
Have knowledge of the Association’s purpose and objectives
Be knowledgeable on OSLD policies, such as the rights and responsibilities of ASWCC Associations, the ASWCC Financial Guidelines, and the utilization of Association Action Forms.
Inform the Association’s advisor and the ASWCC Clubs & Organizations team of all meetings and events through an ASWCC Associations Action Form
Track the Association’s financial records
Submit ASWCC Association Quarterly Reports to the ASWCC VP for Clubs and Unions by the deadline set each quarter.

Important notes for Officers:

Associations must handle cash with advisor oversight during fundraising, but deposits must be made to Business Office by the Director for Student Life & Development.
Officers are only able to serve in a leadership role in no more than two Associations at the same time.

Advisors

Association Advisors are full-time WCC faculty or staff who ensure that student involvement within the Association is meaningful and productive. The role of an advisor is to support, inspire, and empower the Association’s leaders and members.

Advisor responsibilities:

Participate annually in ASWCC Association Training.
Be knowledgeable on OSLD policies, such as the rights and responsibilities of ASWCC Associations, the ASWCC Financial Guidelines, and the utilization of Association Action Forms. Advisors are required to sign Action Forms.
Attend all Association meetings, events, and activities, including weekend and holiday events (this responsibility can be broken up between multiple advisors.)
Encourage participation in activities and services, and encourage opportunities that will contribute to student development or engagement.
Have a thorough knowledge of the purpose and objectives of the Association.
Assist the Association with decision making related to expenditure of the Associations funds, as well as overall professionalism within the Association.

Funding & Fundraising

Funding

ASWCC Association Funding Overview

As an Association, it is required for Officers as well as Advisors to understand how the funding and spending of the Association works. The OSLD has primary budget authority for Association expenditures and has the responsibility of ensuring that Association funds are expended and deposited in accordance with the ASWCC Financial Guidelines, WCC policy, and Washington State law and auditing practices. The Association’s Financial Officer must work with the ASWCC Clubs & Organizations team to maintain accurate records and process financial transactions in a timely manner. If discrepancies occur between the Association’s records and the OSLD’s accounting, they need to be resolved as soon as possible.

Financial Guidelines:

Associations that don't have at least five active members will have their Association’s account frozen until they regain at least 5 active members. For accounting purposes, before requesting additional funds or spending fundraised or donated money, an Association must utilize their Associations quarterly allocation ($150). An Association may not have an off-campus bank account.

When ASWCC Association fundraised money is deposited into the same account, it is considered “co-mingled” and falls under all state funding guidelines. All non-perishable Association supplies are considered state property. All property purchased by Associations must be mailed to the college address and remain on campus.

When an Association is no longer active, and at the end of an academic year (after spring quarter), all supplies purchased with Association money must be returned to the Office of Student Life and Development.

Associations must use the student programs logo to recognize the use of the student funds on all marketing materials and acknowledge ASWCC at events and use it in connection with the Association name to increase awareness of when and where student funds are used.

Associations will not be reimbursed for expenditures incurred prior to officially chartering. Associations are responsible for tracking their financial expenditures. Consult with the ASWCC Clubs and Organizations team if you have fiscal questions.

Quarterly Allocations:

A chartered Association will be eligible for a quarterly allocation of $150. Depending on the Association’s status the Association will be given an allocation of $150 quarterly. The Association may expend quarterly allocated funds for general operating costs. An Association that does not turn in a quarterly report by the deadline will not have access to an allocation for next quarter until they turn in a report and five class schedules demonstrating student interest, to regain active status.

Remaining Quarterly Allocations at the end of each quarter will revert back to the ASWCC Associations Fund Balance, except when an Association meets all requirements to maintain active status in Fall or Winter by the designated date.

If done by the date, the Association’s remaining allocation may be rolled over to the next quarter, on top of the new quarter’s allocation ($150).

Funds cannot be used to:

Buy tobacco or alcohol
Purchase firearms
Give away as a scholarship/ donation/gift
Influence political campaigns
Buy religious materials

Fundraising

Fundraised Money:

OSLD supports and encourages Associations to raise funds or secure sponsorships for programs that support the Association. It is important that fundraising guidelines are followed because the laws and policies that guide fund-raising activities are governed by the State of Washington. Association’s financial records will be available to the OSLD staff as well as the Washington State Auditor’s Office upon request.

An ASWCC Associations Action Form is required prior to conducting fundraising. This form should include the purpose and intent of the fundraiser prior to approval. Also, when doing any fundraising activity, the name of the sponsoring organization and the intended use of the funds must be clearly stated or visible to those contributing. All fund- raised money must be used solely for the specific stated purpose(s). Disposition of remaining fundraised funds at the end of the academic year will be carried over into the Association’s account and can be used the next fiscal year as long as the Association charters again the following year. If the account remains inactive for the next academic year, all funds will return to the ASWCC Student Programs Account.

Ideas for Fundraising:

Selling Items: This type of fund raising shall be advertised to on-campus students and staff only. Example: bake sale
Event Admissions: Associations may charge admission to their event through ticket sales.
Cash Donations: Associations may ask for cash donations, only if they are promptly deposited.
Non-Cash Donations: Associations may ask for noncash donations. These would then be used as either prizes or giveaways for an Association’s sponsored event.
In-Kind Services: An Association may provide a service free of charge to another group in exchange for a service they are willing to provide the Association.

Fundraising must be approved by ASWCC Clubs & Organizations team in advance by submitting an action form.

Payment Overview

All funding and payment requests will be process through an Associations Action Form. An Association’s member and Association’s advisor must sign all action forms. If you are turning in an Associations Action Form that coincides with a previously submitted form, please note that on the form.

Cashboxes

A cash box may be checked out by the Association’s advisor for up to $50.00 from the Cashier’s Office to make change for an Association’s event. Please have the advisor return the cash box to the Cashier’s office the same day.

Reimbursement

All purchases must be approved in advance. Reimbursements can only be issued to Association members and advisors that provide the original receipts with an itemized list of purchases. The receipt should also clearly show the name and address of the business in English. All reimbursement occurs in check form. Use of food stamps is prohibited.

P-Card (Purchasing Card)

Only full-time WCC faculty or staff may check out the OSLD P-Card. After a transaction is made, the advisor must return the P-Card the same day and submit all associated receipts to the OSLD. These purchases must coincide with a previously submitted ASWCC Associations Action Form that bears the signature of an Association’s officer and their Advisor.

Payment in Advance

Associations can request payment in advance by providing an invoice from a business or agency (checks are issued through the Business Office by mail or pick-up). Associations can also hire performer(s) who are contracted for services. Make an appointment with the ASWCC Clubs and Organizations Team to discuss this further. Any revenue generated by the sale of tickets in advance cannot be used until the event has occurred.

Event Planning

Normal College Operating Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

When planning an event you'll need to talk with the VP for Clubs & Unions as well as the Director for Student Life and Development as soon as possible in order to get everything organized on time.

An active chartered Association has the ability to work with OSLD to reserve a Campus Space through an Association Action Form.
The Association’s Advisor is responsible for the room anytime an Association is using a Campus Space.
The Association’s members are responsible for set-up, tear-down and clean-up. All reserved spaces need to be reset to their original configuration.

Personal Services Contract

Associations may want to contract with a speaker or performer for their events or activities. Vendors are required to have a business license and tax ID number.

Contracts are used to pay for services rendered. OSLD has contracts to use, or a performer may send their own contract. An Association’s officer, member, or advisor may never sign any contract, as it will need to be routed to the WCC President’s Office. A contract is a legal and binding obligation for the College. All contracts must be reviewed and signed by the President of the college or designee.

Important Notes for Events:

Requested campus space is in no way guaranteed until approval is confirmed. A member of the ASWCC Clubs & Organizations team will forward the confirmation to the Associations.
Anytime food will be served, an Association will need to work with OSLD in advance to adhere to food handling guidelines by submitting an Associations Action Form with a food request.
Associations are encouraged to participate in sustainable practices when planning events and activities. Please ask if you have questions regarding planning sustainably, or if you need guidance on sorting landfill, recyclables, and compostables.

After-Hours and Large Events

Campus after-hours are after 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday, or any time on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays.

The purpose for these guidelines is to ensure the safety of students, campus facilities, and property through professional supervision and advising at all Associations events outside of normal college operating hours.

An Association’s Advisor or designee approved by OSLD is required to attend all events held after 5:00 p.m.

Security and Supervision for Associations Events

Additional supervision/security will be required if an Association is expecting attendance of 50+ people or if the general community is invited. If you anticipate hosting a program of this size, this must be discussed with OSLD 4 weeks in advance.
Additional security may be required depending on the event. Extra security costs may be the responsibility of the Association depending on what is required.
If an advisor is not available or present, the event will not be able to begin or continue until an advisor is present.
Security requirements will be determined by Raquel Vernola, Director for Safety and Security

Food Guidelines

Associations can order food catering from either:

Sodexo Catering (in the LRN)
Catered foods from outside vendors/restaurants

The college and Associations are responsible for adhering to health requirements indicated by the Department of Health to ensure public safety in the handling of all foods. All foods consumed by ASWCC Chartered Associations require prior submission of the ASWCC Associations Action Form.

ASWCC Policy for Purchase of Food Using S&A Funds

Approved by ASWCC Council of Representatives May 15, 2008

Purpose: Washington State Office of Financial Management Policy 70.10 states that agencies “may not provide coffee or light refreshments at meetings and formal training sessions unless the agency has formally adopted written internal policies and procedures that describe the approval process for these items.” To ensure effective stewardship and use of S&A funds, the ASWCC Council of Representatives adopts the following guidelines:

Light refreshments purchased with S&A funds are authorized only when an Association or organization is holding a special event, special meeting, or training session and refreshments are an integral part of the event. Special events or meetings include activities such as an open house, new member orientation, induction ceremony, guest speaker, or graduation ceremony. Special training sessions include activities that require a lengthy time of attendance, include an outside speaker, or similar special event.

Use of S&A funds to purchase refreshments for routine, recurring normal Association meetings is not authorized. Associations and organizations do have the option to conduct fundraising to purchase light refreshments for normal meetings. If an Association desires to use this option, the advisor should meet with the Student Programs Coordinator prior to the fundraising to ensure understanding of the criteria for fund-raising and using these funds.

“Light refreshments” are defined as coffee, tea, juice, and food items normally served between meals such as pastries, fruit, and cheese and crackers.

Meals or substantial foods which could be considered as meals (i.e., pizza, sandwich meats, etc) are not authorized to be purchased with S&A funds without the written approval of the Director of Student Programs. Approval may be made for major training events or programs where meals are necessary for students. The meal must be an integral part of the event when, in the interest of time, the session stays in progress while participants are eating, or if breaking for an un -sponsored meal would make it impossible to complete the meeting or training event on time. Requests for approval must be submitted two weeks in advance of the requirement.

References: RCW 43.03.050(4) and OFM 70.10

Publicity & Posting

To request marketing, the Association needs to complete an ASWCC Associations Action Form. Communicate on the Action Form if the organization would like the OSLD graphic designer to create the marketing, or if they would like to use a graphic designed by their own member. When using an Association designed graphic, submit an editable PDF of the graphic to the ASWCC Vice President for Clubs and Unions via email. Please allow 4 weeks for processing your request. All marketing must be approved by the Director for Student Life and Development. Charges for printing will be taken out of the Association Quarterly Allocation.

Options for Publicity and Posting:

Paper Postings

On campus there are three bulletin boards dedicated to Organizations. OSLD will print pull tabs once the Association is chartered and post them up around campus. An Association may request posters, handbills or business cards to be paid with their Quarterly Allocation.

FIN (Find Information Now) Screen Slides

FIN, Whatcom's digital signage system, promotes campus news, events, classes and programs in most building TVs and computer screensavers. The system requires an image file sized to at least 1600x900.

Social Media Accounts

As a chartered ASWCC Association, you are encouraged to have a social media account to publicize and promote your Association. If planning to have an account, you must share the login information with the OSLD since the account will be seen as an official WCC partnered account.

Online WCC Campus Calendar and OSLD Calendar

The Association must submit all events and meetings using an ASWCC Association Action form so that OSLD staff can publicize them on the ASWCC Associations Webpage, online WCC Campus Calendar, as well as the calendar outside the OSLD at Syre 208.

Travel

If the Association wants to travel, they must talk to the Director for Student Life and Development, Heidi Farani, as soon as possible. This meeting can be scheduled through the VP for Clubs & Unions.

Associations Travel

For attendance and travel purposes, students eligible to be funded for travel are those who are currently enrolled and who have completed at least 6 WCC credits. If travel occurs between quarters, eligibility is determined by the student’s registration status the previous quarter. Participating students must comply with all expectations of student conduct while traveling.

Funding may not be used for travel for staff or faculty, except for one advisor traveling with the Association to the designated activity. After said travel, a written report must be submitted to the ASWCC VP for Clubs and Unions within 30 days. Failure to submit a report may negatively impact any future travel funding requests.

Travel Travel Policies and Regulations

College travel policies and regulations shall apply to all ASWCC travel, including the receipt and approval of travel authorization forms and authorization for vehicle operation. Only travel by members and advisors of registered student organizations shall be considered for travel and only when officially representing the College.

Funding for Travel

Funding allocation for travel will take place during the year and requests will be made to the ASWCC Executive Board. An approved Funding Request Form must be received in order to allocate funds for travel.

Glossary of Terms

Organization Fair

The Organizations Fair is held quarterly and is a wonderful way for Organizations to promote their activities. The ASWCC Vice President for Clubs & Unions will notify Associations and Unions as to when the Fair is scheduled. This fair typically falls on a Wednesday in the 3rd or 4th week of the quarter.

All Organizations are strongly encouraged to participate in the Organizations Fair. Not yet chartered Associations are also encouraged to participate.

ASWCC Forms and Packets

ASWCC Associations Chartering Packet

This packet is the first step in the process of forming a new Association. It asks for general information about the Association being formed— the Association’s name, the purpose, student members and contact information. An Association must be chartered in order to be considered active and gain access to rights of ASWCC Associations.

ASWCC Associations Action Form

This form is used to propose Association meetings and Association activities, request marketing, inform OSLD of intent to make a purchase, request a space reservation, table, cash box, etc.

ASWCC Risk Waiver

This is a waiver used when traveling or at activities where students may incur injury when participating.

S&A Funds

Part of tuition and fees goes towards the Services and Activities Fee (S&A). The ASWCC S&A Fee Budget Committee creates an annual budget recommending how these funds should be allocated each year.