Business Club launches
Alex Kendall
-Sr. Staff Photographer-
Since fall semester of 2010, student Alina Key, vice president of Phi Theta Kappa and president of Business Club, has been looking into joining a business club at STLCC-Meramec. After failed attempts to communicate with the business and economics department about the club, Key decided to take it upon herself to start her own.
“I’ve heard that many students were interested in doing that before and I was waiting and waiting for a business club to emerge but it wasn’t there. I knew that I really wanted to participate in business club, and I was going to the business and economics department and asking, ‘do you have a business club?’ and they said not right now and they said they would call when they had one. There was no call. So I thought to organize it myself since there was no business club on the campus,” Key said.
Key said that she is fascinated with economics and that is what helped her push for the business club.
“It is a science, but its not science like math where you put something together. To me it is amazing; through scientific approach you can describe the events that surround us everyday and affect our life in various ways,” Key said. “Business is the bricks of economy.”
Key said that the club’s main goal is to give students a better picture of the business world, expand their knowledge of the business world through learning outside of the classroom, to help students realize the importance of degree completion, and to help students to successfully transition to the next step, whether it is a four-year university or the job market.
“It is very important for students to learn. On one hand, it is important not only to learn something in the classroom but to apply your knowledge outside of [the classroom],” Key said.
According to Key, the club is planning to pair mostly with the business and economics department for joint-sponsored internship and job fairs, as well as Business Transfer Day and other business-specific activities and events.
“[An internship] on your resume is going to look very good, whether you go to a four year university or if you go to get your associate’s degree and go into the job market. Regardless, to have an internship in your respected field is very important,” Key said. “It is one of the focuses of [business club].”
Key said that the club plans to invite speakers within the business world and teachers of Meramec.
“We are looking to start with speakers from Meramec faculty and teaching staff,” Key said. “We also would want in the future a panel of representatives from different business industries with discussion of how the job market is, what you have to know and what should you expect if you went into that field.”
Key said that the business club would host field trips to local businesses around the St. Louis area to help better understand the job market.
“We would like to on field trips to see in reality how businesses are operated,” Key said. “We would like to visit Anheuser Busch and see how they operate.”
Along with field trips, Key said there are also opportunities to attend the meetings of local chapters of the American Marketing Association and the International
Association of Business Communicators.
“[The club] will give them practical knowledge and use their theoretical knowledge from the classroom,” Key said.
Key said that Business Club would participate in the Meramec Club Days on January 25 and 26 to try and increase their membership numbers.
“We will have a table set up both days for students to stop by and see what business club is. Any student who is interested is welcome.”
To increase awareness around the campus, Key said the club plans to use fliers and the business and economics teaching staff to spread the word and recruit members.
“Teachers from business and economics will announce business clubs meetings in their class,” Key said. “We hope that it’s going to bring attention to our club and increase attendance.”
Key said she hopes the business club will continue to grow.
“We are going to start small and see where that takes us,” Key said.
