By Sarah Carlson, Copy Editor

The five-star rating system for social clubs has been updated so that club officers can assess their clubs’ involvement and activities.

The rating system is now “not quite as arbitrary and more collaborative,” said Dr. Wayne Barnard, dean of Campus Life.

Last year, only Campus Life officials made the rating decisions for the clubs, Barnard said.

The self-assessments that comprise the rating system are in the areas of service and leadership, organizational goals, academic excellence, organizational management and campus involvement.

Several items are included under each area, such as member service hours, involvement with other ACU organizations and overall club average of 3.0 or higher. Officers can rate their club in each area on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest.

Three groups will have input into the rating of clubs, with Campus Life officials making up 40 percent of the decision, social club advisers 40 percent and officer self-assessments 20 percent. Barnard said the five-star model will then be based on those assessments.

Mike Spell is the new adviser of social clubs and said having seen his wife, Amanda Spell, in the role for three years helped smooth the transition into his job.

“I know I’ve got big shoes to fill,” Spell said.

He told club officers at their meeting Monday night the reason he took the position was for the chance to work and build relationships with students and continue to make God a part of the social club and pledging process.

“I hope you get to know my heart and that you know my heart is about individuals and is about how God impacts you through social clubs,” Spell said.

Mark Lewis, director of Student Life, opened the meeting with a scripture and prayer, and he said both he and Spell will meet with the club presidents and other club representatives in order to get to know them. Lewis said they want to begin the year communicating with the club officers and “entering into a trusting relationship.”

Another change in the social club process is analyzing risk-assessment issues and conducting budgeting seminars for clubs to prevent overspending or not collecting club dues, Barnard said.

This weekend, club officers will attend a retreat called “Higher Ground,” which is intended for leadership development among and within the social clubs.

Spell is also the adviser for judicial affairs, putting him in “two different camps,” Barnard said. He said many in Campus Life are doing various jobs now that they were not doing before because of budget cuts and restructuring, and the pressure is on Spell to keep the two areas separate.

If someone had told him a year and a half ago that he would be the social club adviser, Spell said he would have thought they were crazy.

“I’d have said you couldn’t pay me to do this job,” Spell said. Now “I feel like God has led me into this. I definitely see this job as a ministry position.”

However, the added tasks and pressures aren’t daunting.

“I realize I’m still learning about the social club culture,” Spell said. But, “I’m planning on being here for the long haul.”