From Watu Weusi, a club dedicated to empowering students of African descent, to Mock Trial, where students participate in competitive, simulated court cases all over the state, to Babes and Blankets, where students knit blankets for a local children’s shelter, Scripps students are taking on leadership roles and positively impacting communities through their involvement in campus clubs and organizations (CLORGs). These CLORGs thrive thanks to contributions and mentorship from members of the College community, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to explore their interests, make a difference, and build community at Scripps.
CLORGs are supported through annual funding allocations from student fees and augmented with generous gifts from alums, families, and friends. “We’ve had Scripps alums choose to give money after graduating, because they cared deeply about a specific organization when they were students,” says Irene Yi ’19, Scripps Associated Students (SAS) president.
Beyond donating, alums also act as mentors for students in CLORGS. One such example is The Scripps Code, a club for computer science majors and enthusiasts alike. Alums volunteer as mentors to help students discover post-graduate opportunities by making connections within their career fields. Recently, club leadership has been actively making connections with alums outside of the College in order to supplement the club experience. “Alums have met with students at conferences, providing them with valuable insights into the computer science field and even connecting them with exciting job opportunities,” says Yi.
Another CLORG with a strong community of alums is Café con Leche, the Latinx identity-based campus organization. “We have a very close relationship with the Alumnae/Student Diversity Committee,” says Estrella Gonzalez Saldana ’22, Café con Leche treasurer. “They host networking dinners, help our students expand their perspectives through excursions, and generally provide support in any way they can.” Alums have also given to provide funding for Café con Leche’s student programming. With this support, the organization has hosted open mic nights, weekly meetings, annual retreats, and a Quinceañera. These events promote cultural appreciation and help the CLORG create a strong, sustainable community and support system for Latinx students at the College. “Through this programming, we hope to expand professional, academic, personal, leadership development in our community members,” says Gonzalez Saldana.
In addition to enhancing community on campus, Yi says that CLORGs have made a difference on the local and national level. In Challah for Hunger—an organization that started at Scripps in 2004 and has since expanded to include over 80 chapters spanning four continents—students come together to bake Challah (a traditional, Jewish braided bread), discuss humanitarian issues, and develop business and leadership skills while practicing tikkun olam, the Jewish concept of repairing the world through kindness. Club members sell the Challah in Seal Court on Fridays and donate the proceeds to charity. Scripps’ chapter is the highest grossing per capita chapter in the country! Contributions from student fees and gifts from donors help to subsidize the cost of baking and selling the Challah, ensuring that this chapter can continue to support local charity with their proceeds.
Scripps is at the vanguard of encouraging student leadership and involvement in CLORGs by providing student leaders with compensation for their time. Leadership grants, a new program at Scripps, provide a stipend to student organization leaders who spend a substantial amount of time running and planning their CLORGs activities.
“The theory is that student leaders could be spending that time making money,” says Yi. “Instead, they’re spending that time contributing to their organization. Money shouldn’t be a barrier for taking on leadership roles in CLORGs.”
When members of the Scripps community make gifts to CLORGs, their gifts not only support student programming, they also support the student leaders who work passionately to provide their peers with educational and career-focused opportunities, promote inclusivity and belonging on campus, and improve their communities on a local and national level.
From fostering leadership to forming connections in the workforce, your gifts to Scripps’ CLORGs create opportunities for every student to get involved in ways that are meaningful to them, and beneficial to the community. “CLORGs are absolutely part of what makes the student experience at Scripps so special,” Yi says. “Scripps wouldn’t be Scripps without them.”
Your support of student clubs and organizations creates opportunities for students, ensuring they make a difference on Scripps’ campus and beyond. To learn more about the College’s CLORGs, visit our website.