By Kylie M. Jacobsen | STC New Professional Member
In this article, I want to share some ways that the Texas Tech University (TTU) STC Student Chapter overcame a few challenging years and pivoted toward more sustainable professional development. I want to share some of the things that made the TTU student chapter a successful professional student chapter so that new or small student chapters facing significant challenges in membership and programming might benefit. By providing a more detailed understanding of the operation of a student chapter, I hope to highlight some of the barriers that student chapters encounter and offer suggestions to professional STC communities looking to solicit more student membership into their chapters.
I first joined STC as a student chapter member at Iowa State University, then later at TTU. At TTU, the sometimes unexpected student turnover and changes in leadership resulted in a dip in programming and membership between 2005 and 2013. However, by 2017 the student chapter was awarded the Most Improved Community Award at the STC Summit for “an impressive increase in student outreach activities and quality education programs, as well as strengthened social media presence.” The awarded certificate also stated, “STC’s Texas Tech University Student Chapter clearly demonstrates a strong dedication to the development of future technical communicators.” I am proud to say that I served as the student chapter President alongside a committed Executive Board that year.
Gaining Access to Resources: What to Do if Your Student Chapter Has a Small Membership
First, I want to recognize that the TTU student chapter was supported by faculty who mentored student members and leaders and advocated for the chapter within the English Department. Second, registering as a student organization with the university was instrumental in preserving the student chapter during some of the more challenging years due to the access to professional resources granted student organizations. Although many existing student chapters might find this information self-explanatory or even mandated by the university, some of the programming the TTU student chapter created (which was awarded an STC Pacesetter Award to recognize a successful chapter event that could be implemented by other chapters) resulted from support received from both STC and the university. A student chapter trying to start at a university should not overlook this step. Reasons a student chapter should consider becoming a university student organization follow.
Funding the Student Chapter
Funding student chapter programming and recruitment events can be difficult because STC determines the financial support for the chapter according to the number of members in it. A student chapter with more STC members will receive more money to use for programming purposes than a smaller chapter. Student chapters will experience gains and dips in membership based on student enrollment at the university and on students’ ability to pay the annual fees, but if a student chapter is also registered as a university student organization, there is potential to apply for university funding.
A registered student organization can often apply for university funding, which can be used for a variety of programmatic resources. The organization is, however, often given spending regulations. For example, student organization funding at TTU could be used toward speaker fees at an event but not toward refreshments for the attendees. The regulations for applying for university funding can be tedious and require annual or monthly training (for example, attending student government meetings), but university funding helped support TTU student chapter activities that were necessary to recruit new members when the student chapter’s budget was tight due to low membership.
The work required to secure university funding also contributed to the professional development of student chapter leadership, which was required to prepare appropriate budgets. Eventually, the TTU student chapter no longer required university support, stopped requesting the funds, and was able to create a sustainable approach with the money received from STC.
Providing Space and Other Resources
Another benefit to applying for student organization status with the university is that student organizations are often allowed to use campus spaces for free. At TTU, the student organizations could use department resources but could also request community space around campus and in academic buildings. For example, meeting rooms for the student chapter Executive Committee could be scheduled with the department’s building manager, and banquet spaces could be reserved in the university’s student center without rental fees. Additional space, such as an office, could be requested as well.
Apart from space, other resources are available to student organizations. The TTU student chapter had access to Financial Planning Services to help with budgeting, a copier and printer for promotional material, centralized electronic bulletin board spaces to advertise programming, a storage locker, and a university mailbox, among other valuable resources for operating a chapter.
Before any TTU student organization can request to use university space or resources, representative student leaders are required to attend annual risk management training. This training resembled a professional conference, including daylong sessions on financial planning, leadership styles, risk documentation, and organizational management, which ultimately provided additional professional development for student chapter leadership.
Collaborating and Recruiting Opportunities
Lastly, I want to highlight the access to potential student STC members gained through proximity to other students engaged in professional groups on campus. During my time as a student member, I recall collaborating with other groups, such as the Black Graduate Student Association, the Graduate English Society, and the Technical Communication and Rhetoric Graduate Council.
Collaborating with graduate student groups often paired undergraduate STC members with graduate students who were already involved in professional spaces. In turn, our members often learned of internships or job opportunities in the community, and our chapter was able to establish a business relationship with represented companies. Plus, our chapter was able to recruit students from outside the technical communication degree program who might be interested in technical communication.
As a university-registered student organization, the STC Student Chapter at TTU was also invited to university events, like meet-and-greet networking sessions, which allowed leaders and representatives from all over campus to meet and exchange information so future collaboration could occur. For example, I met the president of the Graphic Design Club, who wanted to join our Web Design Committee. Our chapter was also able to participate in other events, such as Diversity Week—an annual event hosted by the university—during which we promoted STC and demonstrated how technical communication can benefit various workspaces through accessible and user-centered documents.
Showcasing the Student Members
After a few years of establishing consistent finances, resources, and recruitment, one of the successful professional development opportunities the TTU Student Chapter developed was the STC Spring Showcase. Each year, the showcase highlights projects that students enrolled in technical communication courses completed during the academic year. Participants explain how they applied their technical communication problem-solving skills in a variety of professional circumstances by presenting their projects in a large conference room to collegiate and practitioner audiences.
At the STC Spring Showcase, a panel of expert judges used a rubric consisting of nine core technical communication competencies to select three students who most strongly demonstrated the competencies in their work. These students won small scholarships, which were sponsored by the university. Beyond the prizes, students were invited to network with other like-minded students in STC, engage with community professionals who attended, and learn more about spaces where they might find employment after graduation. Because the TTU student chapter is also a university-registered student organization, any student enrolled in technical communication courses was eligible to receive a monetary prize, as the funds came from the university, not STC. The TTU student chapter then recruited students from those who participated.
For this event, the chapter was awarded a Pacesetter Award for what the STC Community Achievement Award Committee described as an “engaging STC Spring Showcase initiative; and for uniting and supporting the profession, the Society, the chapter, and the students. Imaginative and well organized, the program adds audience participation to encourage engagement and generate excitement.” The STC Spring Showcase was one of the most well-attended events in recent TTU student chapter history and resulted in a handful of new student members, some of whom were recruited and employed by prominent local tech companies.
Gaining Access to Students: What to Do if Your Professional Chapter Has a Small Student Membership
Professional STC communities that strive to recruit students or newly graduated professionals to their chapters should consider supporting student chapters to overcome some of the constraints of programming unique to the collegiate environment. A reciprocal relationship with student chapters might be built by taking one of the following steps.
Encourage a New or Existing Student Chapter to Register as an Official Student Organization with Its Associated University
The university’s annual financial support can sustain a student chapter when its membership dips or is in the process of growing. Apart from financial support, the university can provide a variety of other valuable resources that can elevate the student experience (for free).
Inquire about Attending or Supporting a Student Chapter Event
The success of the STC Spring Showcase suggests that students are eager for professional feedback on their personal work, and this type of feedback makes the event rewarding for students. Added elements, like exchanging business cards, highlighting student work online, or sponsoring a small prize, increase an event’s perceived benefit for students, as well. Students at these events might be viable job candidates looking for a new professional home and might also be receptive to an invitation to join the professional chapter.
There are only nine student chapters listed on the STC website, which might make it unrealistic to build a relationship with a student chapter nearby. However, there are over 150 university programs for technical communication, as listed in the STC Academic Database, so mentoring a student chapter or recruiting new graduates might be more feasible if one of the universities listed in the database is near your professional chapter.
As for me, a recently hired Assistant Professor of Writing, I am working within the constraints of policy changes made to accommodate face-to-face instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I have connected with a network of professionals and other STC chapters I met as a student chapter member to inquire about service learning assignments that can be completed remotely. I am eager to embrace these challenges and discover creative ways to continue teaching effective professional communication practices, which would not have been possible without my STC student membership.
KYLIE M. JACOBSEN (jacokyli@gvsu.edu) has been a member of STC since 2012. She served as vice president for the TTU STC Student Chapter from 2015 to 2016, as president from 2016 to 2018, and on the Distinguished Chapter Service Award Committee in 2019. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Writing at Grand Valley State University, where she teaches courses in professional writing, business communication, writing for the web, and document design.
References
Communities. Society for Technical Communication website. https://www.stc.org/communities.
Community Pacesetter Award. Society for Technical Communication website. https://www.stc.org/community-pacesetter-awards.
Our awards. STC Texas Tech website. https://ttustc.wordpress.com/our-awards.
