We’ve all thought of it before, what would it be like to run my own club? How great would it be to host a massive event to get friends old and new to enjoy and become the talk of the town? Unfortunately, this may be easier said than done. We’re here with the de facto President of UON’s most famous Social Club to discuss the pain of running a club and also a chance for them to explain their absence from UNSA’s recent club expos. 

Milos took the mantle as de facto president after many of the social club executives had graduated last year, which put a large responsibility on to his shoulders. “We’ve put out a call for new members, but we’re still missing some key roles.” Milos mentioned. 

Even as one of the largest clubs at UON, they still have trouble receiving funding both internally and externally. UNSA naturally has a firm policy towards reimbursing clubs to make sure that their money goes towards club efforts, however, there is a blurred line towards reimbursing for purely social events. “A lot of other clubs that have a specific focus get more funding. But since being social is our main focus, we get less funding for on-campus events, and even less for off-campus ones.”

Additionally, securing a sponsor can be a near herculean task. The Social Club had plans of getting sponsored by the Wyong Race Club but unfortunately plans went south when an accident happened with one of the horses. “We were in talks with Wyong Racecourse to get UON students involved in some of their events, but the initial project failed.” This has caused further issues within the club as this meant the social club had to refund around $200 to each guest who purchased tickets which caused chaos towards them and Rubric. “We once had to mass refund an event, and QPay’s [Rubric] system thought it was a fraud attack. It froze all of our funds.” Milos added

This leads to the Social Club’s current situation; due to their funds being frozen, they are limited in their ability to plan events and are at risk of being archived. “It’s difficult to run a club with one or two people. In its prime, this club was thriving. But now, archiving is one of our only options.” Until further notice, this may cause the club to sadly shut down without further support from UNSA. Whilst Milos is actively communicating with UNSA to settle the issue with QPay, the overall centralisation of UNSA’s hierarchy has led to some communication issues towards overcoming this problem. “Our biggest issue is trying to go through the endless email chains. We’ve tried to book rooms for events, only to find out another club or UNSA itself has already taken it,” Milos added.

Despite the risk of archiving, Milos is still optimistic towards the future of the social club. “Archiving may sound scary, but it just means UNSA will hold the club until there’s enough interest to restart it.”

Fortunately, they have plans to host an “archival party” in hopes of reviving the club, with the idea of it being a giant formal dinner party. The idea is for the club to ‘go out with a bang’.

Whilst the future of the club seems uncertain, it’s clear that Milos is not ready to give up just yet. Despite the financial struggles, communication issues, and lack of support, the Social Club still holds one thing that can’t be taken away – its spirit. “At the end of the day, this club was never about making money or building a name for ourselves. It’s about giving students a place to belong – a community where people can connect and make memories.” Milos says.

Whether this party marks the end of an era or the start of a comeback, the Social Club’s story reflects the harsh reality of running a student club at UON. It’s not just about having a great idea, but the commitment and perseverance necessary to keep pushing through all the chaos.

One last piece of advice Milos gave before parting was that “you may not like some of the other members on your executive team, but you have to remember, this is kind of like a job. People can get strung up in administrative issues and petty politics, but you have to push through and remember why you started this in the first place.”

Whether this event marks the end of an era or sparks a new beginning, the Social Club’s impact at UON won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

[Cover image:UoN Social Club @ O-Week 2023. Photo: UoN Social Club FB]