Felix Gee
In October 2024, Aragon’s Associated Student Body re-implemented a strike system for clubs, resulting in 32 clubs receiving strikes this semester and 14 being put on probation this school year.
ASB put the strike system in place to hold clubs accountable and ensure that they follow through with their responsibilities, which includes submitting detailed minutes for each meeting.
“We [noticed] that clubs weren’t on top of things, and they would keep the agenda super short, or they would copy-paste the same agenda,” said senior and ASB Treasurer Ria Vij. “We want to make sure that all of our clubs are being productive and [the strike system is] an easy way for us to manage them.”
ASB checks the Club Minutes Archives every two weeks, and if they find that clubs have not submitted meeting minutes properly or on time for either of the two weeks, that club receives a strike. After three strikes, clubs are put on a two-week probation and are not allowed to meet for the duration of the probation.
Many clubs have been frustrated by the lack of transparency from ASB about their strikes.
“More communication [from ASB] would be great,” said Jackson Keane, sophomore and E-sports Club Vice President. “And [it would be good to get] the reason for our infractions so that we can work to improve rather than just getting more [strikes] and being put on probation.”
Additionally, some clubs were not aware of the rules they had broken to receive strikes.
Model United Nations Club received strikes for not submitting their meeting minutes while on probation, which they were not aware was required.
“I wouldn’t [have minded] doing meeting minutes on probation if they had communicated that with us,” said Melody Liu, senior and Model UN Club Secretary. “It [also] wouldn’t be a terrible thing to be more lenient with the club minutes. If so many clubs are having this issue, maybe it’s something that ASB can re-evaluate.”
ASB offers clubs a chance to appeal their probation by emailing ASB officers if they believe their strikes are unwarranted.
“If [clubs] feel that something is unfair, they should always report back to ASB, and we’ll work it out with them,” said senior and ASB President Justin Wong. “We have extensive documentation to make sure that we’re all accountable.”
During the fall semester, multiple clubs successfully appealed their probations, and in November, ASB removed all strikes and canceled all existing probations.
“We were looking at the system, and we realized that some clubs were unaware, even though we sent them multiple emails about the strike system,” Wong said. “To ensure there wasn’t any unfairness for the rest of the clubs, we just voided all probations.”
Given the confusion and backlash related to the strike system, ASB held a meeting for club officers on Feb. 26 to remind clubs of the expectations for meeting minutes. However, some clubs felt the meeting didn’t fully address the issues they had faced.
“I’m not sure [the meeting helped],” said Yael Boaz, senior and Creative Writing Club Vice President. “During the presentation they didn’t mention the [folders for the new semester] or anything along the lines of what we had experienced.”
ASB officers acknowledged that the implementation of the strike system has not been without hiccups.
“There were moments on our end where we checked [a club’s archive] and they did have their [minutes], but it was a manual error,” Vij said. “We’ve gotten a lot better about the system over time because it’s been months.”
ASB has said they are committed to making the strike system better for the 2025-26 school year.
“[There] might be a lot of pushback now,” Wong said. “But our hope is we have a smooth transition for minutes and club expectations for next year.”
Clubs can contact ASB with any questions or concerns regarding club expectations or guidelines.
