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From: rang@cs.wisc.edu (Anton Rang)
Newsgroups: comp.org.acm
Subject: Ideas for student groups (was Re: Here is a quickie!!)
Summary: Speakers, newsletter, social activities....
Message-ID: <RANG.91Apr27133542@nexus.cs.wisc.edu>
Date: 27 Apr 91 17:35:42 GMT
References: <91115.153241TAINT021@ysub.ysu.edu>
	<91115.161332DSB100@psuvm.psu.edu>
Sender: news@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu
Organization: UW-Madison CS department
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In-Reply-To: DSB100@psuvm.psu.edu's message of 25 Apr 91 20:13:32 GMT

In article <91115.161332DSB100@psuvm.psu.edu> DSB100@psuvm.psu.edu (David Barr) writes:
>Whee.  The student ACM here at PSU is rather dull.  Give us tips for
>livening up the club.  Just as long as it doesn't include more pizza. =)

  Here's a few suggestions that ACM student chapters I've been
involved with in the past have had good luck with.  Some of them might
work well for you.  (Think creative!  :)

  * Get outside speakers in.  There's the ACM lectureship series; this
    is a reasonable place to start, or to get "keynote" sorts of
    speakers from.  Talk with local companies involved with computers;
    often they'll be willing to send somebody to talk to the group.
    Find out who's using computers in new and interesting ways at your
    university, and ask them if they'd be willing to give a short talk.

  * Go on field trips.  Again, call up the computer-related companies
    in your area (or even general high-tech places, if you think they
    would be interesting to visit).  Some of the places that groups
    I've been involved with have visited included:
      - The Minnesota science museum (we did this every few months)
      - NWA's simulator facility, where they train pilots
      - Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant's simulation/training center
      - A manufacturing center of Sperry's (where they built core
        memory and other neat stuff)
      - The computerized address processing center at the Lansing, MI
        post office
    There's surely a lot of neat places around PSU.

  * If you've got enough people who would be interested, think about
    starting a newsletter.  Maybe just one for your members, to keep
    them all in touch; if you can find the funding, perhaps you can
    distribute it to CS majors, or to users of the computer center's
    facilities.  You can get exposure that way as well as contributing
    to the university.

  * Think about regular social events.  For a while, out at MSU, we
    had a TGIF going--we'd go out Friday afternoons to a place where
    we could play foosball, pool, etc. and sit around and talk.  If
    there are other organizations at your university (like IEEE),
    maybe you can organize joint events.

  Lots of possibilities.  Good luck with them!

	Anton
   
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| Anton Rang (grad student) | rang@cs.wisc.edu | UW--Madison | "VMS Forever!" |
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