I founded the chess club and a newspaper at my college, and I also had to collect 10 signatures for each. Don't let that stop you, as both the chess club and the newspaper club are now at their peak (the newspaper is even in color now) 3 years later. In other words, just because you are asked 10 signatures, it doesn't mean they don't believe in you. It's just a simple requirement. When I ran for Student Body President, I needed 50 signatures to be able to appear on the ballot. If you can make a case for yourself, it's easier to be a good Student Body President than to get into the Academy.
For both the chess club and the newspaper club, you will have twice as many people show up to the first meeting as who would actually be interested in participating regularly. So, reserve a room and pick a meeting for 2 weeks from now for [name of club] and publicize it very well. Advertise the meeting in all the places that are possible.
But, start collecting names write now. Even if you already get ten or 20 names before the actual meeting, it's okay! It will actually be easier to get support if you show that you have already set up a meeting time, etc. You can ask people to 1) sign the paper, and 2) attend the meeting on X date. The people will definitely sign the paper if you give them the 2 options, since it's easier to sign a paper on the spot, than to remember to attend the meeting 2 weeks from now
Then, have everybody who shows up at the meeting, sign the paper as they come in (not leave.) You will end up with a lot of signatures.
BTW, before you do any of this: Ask the Activities Director of the college for the 'last date new clubs can get approved' and be eligible for funding for the Fall semester. (If you wait too long to submit your paper, you might not receive funding until the Spring of 2006, but what you want is funding starting with the Fall of 2005, correct!)
So, if you still have a lot of time, you might want to schedule a second meeting, and ask members to bring their friends and ideas to the second meeting, just to get more names on the paper. THEN hand it in. You might even have 50 names by then. Student Activities will be able to see that you didn't just get the minimum 10, but a lot, and that you had already setup meetings. You might get more funding with that, than if you had given them a list with only 10 names.
Finally, to KEEP the members, you NEED the funding from Student Activities. It's weird, but by giving them a list of 50 names of people, some of whom might never show up again, you will get funding, and THAT will cause you to have fun activities, and THAT will cause those 50 people to actually show up! So, that's why you want people who are unsure to sign the paper as well. (If they are a little bit interested with NO funding yet, that's a good sign because they might want to participate or be an officer (a club officer) or help out, once you actually have funding! Maybe they are patriotic, etc.
Oh, and since elections for next year are probably over, and student body president decided for the next year, try to catch that guy while he's still 'green', and tell him all about your new club and how much it would mean, etc. For example, one of the reasons I started a newspaper as Student Body President was because a librarian told me in the summer before my term was to start, about how there used to be a newspaper ten years prior, etc. I also knew that nearly all the other comparable colleges had a newspaper, and I liked to write and lead, and thought it could happen. So, give the President a cause. It is quite possible that they are not really sure what to do with their presidency next year. They are just out of the gate, so start talking to them now, before they become busy and arrogant with their own plans
Use your own judgement. Give preference to people who want help out with the club (be a student officer), by what their experience is in those positions, NOT by how much 'they want it' or how 'enthusiastic' they are or if they hit on you. Three people came up to me and told me they wanted to be an Editor, of those who showed up at the meeting for the newspaper club. I had actually thought that in the worst case scenario, I planned to be a fine editor and get the newspaper up to first issue, with the process figured out--that way, somebody could take over. But, here were 3 people who wanted to be editor, which surprised me (since I was told that by the rest of the student government that nobody would want a newspaper, etc.)
Two were unnacceptable because they freaked me out. The third was a guy, though, who had experience in the newspaper club in his high school for four years, which was very important. He communicated very well with me, which is something you want out of an officer. In fact, the whole year we communicated very well, his wishes and dreams for the paper. So, I 'appointed him' the editor by giving him the list of people who signed up, and asking him every week how it was going, and what did the people say, and it turned out that he was actually calling those people and finding the graphics guy to do the layouts, etc. So, I started saying that he was the editor, in front of the student government, because he was able to handle it, and that's how he became the editor. I didn't 'give him' the title of Editor in Chief; I just let him do the tasks that an editor would normally do, since he really wanted to do those tasks, and he succeeded and, if you smell like an editor, and bounce like an editor, and talk like an editor, he became an editor. It was a great thing for both of us.
So, don't give anybody titles, let people 'do' what they want to do, (since people might be busy with school and a job), and then make up a title for them afterwards, two months later, for what they seem to actually be doing. Then, they don't feel guilty, since the title will fit perfectly, and they enjoy what they're doing.
I think you would be the President, but everybody else should have a title that fits their role of how they were contributing to the college. If one of them does a web site as well as publicity, or secretary, then they might get two titles several months down the line -- Webmaster and Secretary. But, the next year, you might not have anybody who wants to do the site, or those positions might be two separate people. In other words, don't force people to fill the shoes or titles of those who came before. Just adapt the club to what the members actually do every semester.
Also, if your officers get too busy, let them still come; tell them they don't have to do what they've been doing. Just say to everybody, "this semester, person X cannot do what he/she did before, so, who wants to order the uniforms this year?" And delegate the issues/tasks (not departments) that need to be addressed to whoever feels they can help. And then if two months later, you find that one or two of the people are solving those issues for you, then guess what.. they can be called Secretaries, etc, or whatever title is appropriate.
So, I guess my point is not to assign "areas" like "uniforms, speakers, food, etc." to single individuals for the rest of the semester. Instead, assign "tasks" that whoever wants to do it, can finish, clearly, and you can judge them on it. For example, "Who wants to call the number XXX-XXXX to order the uniforms this year?" "Who will go here to pick up the food there for this date?" And if a person keeps taking a similar task, and keeps doing it well for a period of time, then guess what.. they become in charge of "Uniforms" by virtue of being a dedicated expert in that field, and to shorten "call stacy" to "call the Secretary [or Uniformant, or whichever title]" for the rest of the semester, because you know the uniform person has shown that's the stuff they want to deal with and that they can report to you what's going on. But don't ask people to "who wants to be in charge of uniforms?" because nobody, not even you, would know what that means. Instead, ask for help with specific tasks until a person shows they are capable of doing them, and they become your resident expert/advisor.
This way, people grow into their own title of how they and everybody else sees themselves after helping out a few times, and everybody respects them for what they have done since they SAW them earn that spot that they have, and nobody feels they had to do a task they didn't want to do, and most importantly, the person gets to solve a piece of the puzzle in running a club, and they get to feel ownership of solving that issue and being able to attribute it to themselves. Good job X on the uniforms. Good job Z on the food. Good job Mr Pres on the club. (Whenever anybody complements them, they are automatically complementing you.)
I don't know what else to write, I gotta go
But this will be a great experience for you. Everybody should found a club in college. It was a more valuable experience in leadership than being a JV and Varsity Captain of a sport in high school was for me. I'm sure I motivated the team and I was respected the most, but I was more of a figurehead as a captain, than a leader in college. You are just older and more wiser in college, and can really be a leader, and make a difference.
Oh, and let me speak at the college. I have not really anything to contribute about military knowledge, but you are located in Florida, and that sounds so good
See, you already have a possible speaker. Good luck!
