There are numerous clubs at New Trier that require an application for membership, such as Girls Club, Tri-Ship, Student Alliance, and Trevia.

Students may find the process unnecessarily rigorous and exclusive, but there is good cause to search out the potential members who have certain qualifications.

The success of these extracurriculars depend on who is in the club.

The main reason for more time-consuming clubs to have an application process is to gauge the level of commitment students are willing to dedicate.

In Girls Club at the Winnetka campus, officers Sarah Bundra, Caroline Corley, Maddy Karnes, and Nicole Salerno work with their club sponsors to interview sophomore candidates and choose applicants who demonstrate passion for the cause, which is raising money for girls’ scholarships. Questions may be about the past projects the student worked on or fund-raising ideas they can contribute.

According to club president Bundra and treasurer Karnes, they also talk to the Northfield sponsors to determine a candidate’s previous participation, dedication, and leadership qualities. President of Tri-Ship Jamey Minturn said, “[We ask applicants] how much time they have available [or] if they have partaken in service organizations prior to the interview.”

Trevia, the club that compiles the New Trier yearbook every year, has a similar process. The application asks about experience levels that potential members have in photography or writing, and the interview allows them to show what they can contribute to Trevia. Senior member Julia Rotunno explained, “It doesn’t matter how many times a person has held a camera or seen a yearbook…We are concerned about whether applicants are willing to put in their time and energy into something they are genuinely passionate about.”

Not every applicant makes it past the interview stage, but it is important to pick members who are able to represent all perspectives of New Trier’s student body and can be dedicated through the entire year.

Student Alliance has a distinguishing factor that is taken into account when choosing members for the club: New Trier students’ votes elect some of its board members.

Freshman club participants are voted onto the board at the Winnetka campus. Those who do not get enough votes can interview for a number of additional spots, which are allotted by the officers.
They also hold elections to choose juniors who will take over the presidency, vice presidency, and treasury for their senior year. According to senior member of the board Jack Levin, the candidates who run should be strong leaders and hard workers who are passionate about a problem within the school that they want to resolve.

Candidates running must be chosen by their fellow Student Alliance members.

However, the elections for Girls Club, Tri-Ship, and Student Alliance positions are open to the school’s junior class, who cast three-quarters of the votes for president, vice-president, and treasurer. This can be problematic if the student voters are not sufficiently informed about each candidate’s demonstrated strengths and leadership qualities.

Senior Daniel Wilensky said, “Since students don’t see how the candidates running for election act…who gets the work done and who’s doing it for the college application, [it] can turn into a popularity contest.”

To help solve this issue, Student Alliance board votes count for one-quarter of a candidate’s total votes. Levin said, “This allows the club to have a larger say in the decision.”

Still, the student body should be more informed about who they are electing. Junior Natalie Mardoian said, “I think it’s great we are all involved, but maybe they should spread the word about what [these clubs] do, besides just Election Day.”

It is easier for those within a club to choose the most dedicated leaders. Karnes said, “We had all seen [Bundra] work hard, so we knew she would make a good president.”

The candidates’ speeches are critical in expressing to the students who they are. In the election, Bundra tried to reflect her commitment to her listeners.

“I remember writing my speech. I wanted to convey to my audience how passionate and dedicated I was to the mission…and to make [Girl’s Club] more involved in the New Trier community.”