Point/Counterpoint: The reality of ‘fake’ student groups

‘Fake’ student clubs ride off the coattails of more successful groups

Time and again, lecturers instil the value of being active in student clubs and volunteering for what you’re passionate about, for the benefit of boosting your resume and gaining valuable experience.

One of the great parts of being a university student, is if a club for something you’re passionate about doesn’t exist, then you can make one in a few simple steps. And if you want to beef up your resume even more, then what could help out your resume but making your own club? Employers won’t exactly be doing deep background on another entry-level graduate, but those extra notes about your on-campus activity could make the difference. If you want to have a stronger resume, then you can start a fake club.

But what are fake clubs? Fake clubs are sanctioned groups that meet the minimum requirements of forming a student club. The purpose of a club like this is for the founders to bolster their resumes with impressive sounding titles and then follow up by doing nothing except meet the minimum requirements of membership.

The reality is that there’s no method of enforcement and there probably never will be one, and there’s no real way to gauge whether a student club has done enough to merit being a “real” club. There are few ways to keep tabs on the active clubs on campus. Also, these clubs are still run by human beings, fellow undergraduates who have all the same failings and faults, not machines. But a well-meaning club will be hard to differentiate from a fake club.

Pragmatically speaking, it’s hard to put down fake clubs. If they aren’t hurting anyone, then why make hay? There’s no doubt about it, building your own club is a sly move. It’s smart and it’s crafty, and there’s no doubt that some people (Gordon Gecko) will be impressed with moves like this.

But it makes me uncomfortable. Probably for the same reason that I get uncomfortable when an able-bodied person uses the handicap parking stall. It’s convenient and at times the more expedient way to get from point A to point B, but it misses the point of having a handicap parking stall just as the same way that it misses the goal of a club founded with altruistic
appearances.

It’s the ethics of the matter, and I think that it’s okay to be uncomfortable with the idea of fake clubs. Maybe it’s wrong for me to be squeamish with something that doesn’t hurt other people, but I just can’t quite get over the feeling that maybe, just maybe, there’s something wrong with standing on the shoulders of better people and waving your own flag.

At the end of the day, fake clubs don’t hurt people. But, they don’t help people either. In fact, I can’t be alone in feeling that clubs established for the purpose of building a resume make me uncomfortable. It makes me uncomfortable when others decide to ride on the coattails of better people and better initiatives. It builds off the legacy of those better people who have poured their hearts and souls into activism and have dedicated their valuable time to causes they’re passionate about. – Zach Popowich

Crafty group leaders should be able to get away with doing nothing

Fake clubs don’t bother me.

How is a club determined to be real or fake in the first place? Volunteer hours? Money raised? Clubs are so diverse, standardization to determine which are “real” or “fake” would be extremely difficult. A club’s intent is difficult to prove. Suppose one group goes to great lengths to look like a club (website, mandate, T-shirts), but does very little volunteer work. Consider another well-meaning group that truly wants to outreach and volunteer, but they become swamped by school work and end up not doing what they set out to do. I don’t think the latter should be jeopardized or penalized.

Also, the real impact of putting club membership on a resume is not to be overestimated. A resume-booster like this is supplement. The overall substantial impact of stating that one is a club executive on a resume is minimal. It’s highly unlikely the employer will even look into the club anyway. Even if they did, how would they determine which are real and fake? If anything, we should attack fake clubs that look and act fake because they could potentially harm the university’s reputation. But since employers would hardly care, this possibility is unrealistic.

The fake clubs that look good are obviously disingenuous, but they’re not dishonest — the club is squeezing as much advantage as it can from the given rules. It’s craftiness. It’s the kind of talent actually required by certain types of employers.

When applying for a job, ethics are secondary to getting the job itself. All that matters when trying to get a job is the short presentation and the resume in the employer’s hands. While not having substantial power, “Club President” is stronger than “honest,” because all resumes say “honest.” As long as a club exudes integrity, actual integrity can be sacrificed in order to achieve actual opportunities. So fake clubs, carry on.

By the way, the Gateway Heavy Petting Club is looking for a new president. – Josh Greschner