Creating a New Club: Johnson On Tap
Victoria Barbadoro, MBA '06
Issue date: 4/13/05 Section: Johnson News
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The inception of the newest club on campus, Johnson on Tap, is proof that a great idea, coupled with garnered support and great organizational skills, is achievable by anyone within the Johnson School community.
The idea came to me during the early weeks of first semester. I made the club rounds and finalized the list of those I thought would enrich my two-year experience here. However, I quickly noticed that while we had a Wine Club (of which I am a proud member), there was no representation for the beer lovers in the community. By beer lovers, I am referring to those of us who savor the taste of a nice Belgian, as well as appreciate the historic American flavors of brews such as PBR. While I thought such a club would be welcomed by my peers, I wasn't sure what the process of bringing it to the Johnson School would entail.
Following the awesome "Sushi, Sake, and Sparkling Wine" event put on by the Wine Club, I shared my thoughts over a few brews with fellow classmate Ovi Vitas, MBA '06. Ovi agreed that a beer club would be a welcome addition and, after a few more beers at the Nines, we came up with a great name, "Johnson on Tap," and the enthusiasm necessary to get the club off of the ground. We quickly recruited the rest of our board - fellow first years, Katie Law, Rohit Verma, and Nate Wolff. With the help of Rhonda Velasquez, the five of us identified the key steps to getting the club started and we were on our way.
The process required us to complete the university paperwork to register the club on campus. The foundation of the paperwork was the club's mission and bylaws, framework of events, and dues structure for the upcoming year. Completing this paperwork was a great exercise for us, as it helped us figure out what we intended JoT to be. We soon developed our mission statement - "Johnson on Tap provides students the opportunity to understand and appreciate the nuances of domestic and international beers, while providing social activities to sample the culture and flavor of these diverse brews." We were also required to secure a faculty sponsor and open a bank account. Nate Wolff successfully got Professor Stayman on board as the sponsor and collected the executive board dues, thus creating our official financial existence. Our goal was to have the club formally registered by the end of first semester so that we could host 3 key events in the Spring.
The idea came to me during the early weeks of first semester. I made the club rounds and finalized the list of those I thought would enrich my two-year experience here. However, I quickly noticed that while we had a Wine Club (of which I am a proud member), there was no representation for the beer lovers in the community. By beer lovers, I am referring to those of us who savor the taste of a nice Belgian, as well as appreciate the historic American flavors of brews such as PBR. While I thought such a club would be welcomed by my peers, I wasn't sure what the process of bringing it to the Johnson School would entail.
Following the awesome "Sushi, Sake, and Sparkling Wine" event put on by the Wine Club, I shared my thoughts over a few brews with fellow classmate Ovi Vitas, MBA '06. Ovi agreed that a beer club would be a welcome addition and, after a few more beers at the Nines, we came up with a great name, "Johnson on Tap," and the enthusiasm necessary to get the club off of the ground. We quickly recruited the rest of our board - fellow first years, Katie Law, Rohit Verma, and Nate Wolff. With the help of Rhonda Velasquez, the five of us identified the key steps to getting the club started and we were on our way.
The process required us to complete the university paperwork to register the club on campus. The foundation of the paperwork was the club's mission and bylaws, framework of events, and dues structure for the upcoming year. Completing this paperwork was a great exercise for us, as it helped us figure out what we intended JoT to be. We soon developed our mission statement - "Johnson on Tap provides students the opportunity to understand and appreciate the nuances of domestic and international beers, while providing social activities to sample the culture and flavor of these diverse brews." We were also required to secure a faculty sponsor and open a bank account. Nate Wolff successfully got Professor Stayman on board as the sponsor and collected the executive board dues, thus creating our official financial existence. Our goal was to have the club formally registered by the end of first semester so that we could host 3 key events in the Spring.