Suggestions for encouraging new CS students to get involved with ACM student chapter

[jernst]

Hey everyone, for the last couple of semesters at Guelph I have been organizing the start of a local student ACM chapter. In a couple of weeks I am supposed to set up a table at our start of year BBQ to try to encourage new CS students to get involved with the chapter since we mostly have interest from the grad student level and we need undergrads. I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions on what to include at the table.

So far my idea is a poster-board type of display with some things about the ACM, why it is beneficial for students to join / become involved etc (mostly pulling alot of info from here: http://www.acm.org/chapters/students) along with a signup sheet for people who are interested. Anyone have any suggestions on how I can capture students' attention and try to get them interested?

[Dan]

Lakehead has an ACM student chaptor however i never joiined it for a few reasons:

1. They only relay did contests and nothing else.
2. It was more about the ACM then Computer Science at Lakehead.
3. I had no intresest in becoming a ACM student member, Lakehead allready gives students access to most journels.


So my advice would be to plan lots of diffrent activilites that are accessable to students with verying intrestes. Not just contests and not just speakers but a mix of activlites that would be of intreset to every one from first years to graduate students.

Also i would try to aim it more as a club for topics realting to computer science, computing and information technogoly witch happens to be a ACM chaptor rather then promoting it as just another ACM club.

[jernst]

Those sound like some good ideas, thanks! I also did not join any ACM or IEEE groups when I was an undergrad probably for similar reasons as you. I recently joined as a grad student last year because of the discounts at some conferences it was fairly worthwhile (although my school doesnt even have a chapter of ACM yet, and the IEEE chapter is mostly all the engineers :S)