University of Miami’s undergraduate philosophy club is still in its early stages of official recognition. We’re highlighting our process here, which may be helpful to other groups considering formalization. I asked some students studying philosophy if there was an interest in starting a philosophy club. After meeting informally for a semester, we saw that there seemed to be interest in the topics covered, so we looked into becoming an official club that can access more resources for more opportunities for our members. We met on zoom a few times to talk about what an official club would look like and what the next steps should be to get it done.
Getting official recognition as a university club involves a fair amount of paperwork. For example, we had to list what we would be doing and how our club was different than other, clubs already established. We then had to get 25 signatures of people who expressed an interest in officially joining the club.
After that initial paperwork was approved, we had to present our club to COSO (Committee on Student Organizations). We made a power point, and then answered questions from the committee. A few days later we were approved and then we went through the process of making our online club page, required training for all UM clubs, and several other steps.
Our organization is pretty standard for a club: We have a club President, Vice-President, and treasurer. In addition to our club website, we maintain an Instagram page.
Perhaps the best part of becoming an official club was that everyone was passionate about the project and wanted to be involved. Each did their part. For example, the faculty advisor helped by reading over documents before submitting them and being available to support the process as much as possible. Other faculty members who loved the idea of what we were trying to do and helped us whenever they could. Student e-board members also helped by brainstorming and writing different parts of the club’s constitution.
During the process of becoming an official club, we met informally for two semesters – Fall 2021-Spring 2022. Depending on the academic calendar, we met once every two or three weeks to discuss topics such as the ethics of cancel culture, and religion in modern society. Some of our meeting time involved brainstorming ideas to implement once we were granted official club status. For example, we decided to host events such as professor talks and graduate student forums so our members can gain as much information as they would like about specific topics. We also began working with a graduate student to develop a program called Philosophy for Kids. The plan includes going to elementary and middle schools around the south Miami area to talk to students about philosophy.
Additional plans include creating writing workshops, where students can come in to work on, and get help with, philosophy papers. Students, the department, and the institution will form a space for philosophy students to “do” philosophy in a friendly, low-pressure environment. One of our hopes is that these writing workshops will produce work for publication in undergraduate journals, such as Dialogue, the official journal of international honor society, Phi Sigma Tau.
Joining the philosophy club puts people passionate about philosophy in connection with like-minded individuals. Discussions and debates are not limited to strictly philosophical topics, but include practical ones, as well, such as how to get into graduate school. Such topics expose members to new ideas and engages faculty and grad students in discussion about how they got to philosophy.
Starting the club took a lot of work, but it was worth the effort. Students and faculty alike stepped up to make it happen! Students wanted to be included on the email list to start coming to meetings, and philosophy faculty actively supported the process.
Elijah Chudnoff
Elijah Chudnoff (Ph.D., Harvard University) is Professor of Philosophy at University of Miami. He works primarily on topics at the intersection of theory of knowledge and philosophy of mind. He has published papers on intuition, perception, rationality, consciousness, expertise, knowledge, and thinking. His books include Intuition (Oxford University Press, 2013), Cognitive Phenomenology (Routledge, 2015), and Forming Impressions: Expertise in Perception and Intuition (Oxford University Press, 2021).
