Question 1

Do I need to apply to join, or can anyone show up?

Accepted Answer

General membership is open to all UC Berkeley students any time of the year with no application required. Just fill out the interest form. Committee membership, which involves more responsibility and specific committee work, goes through a separate application process each fall semester.

Question 2

What are the six committees, and how do I pick one?

Accepted Answer

The committees are Patient Support, Discovery/Research, Marketing, Fundraising, Advocacy, and the Events Leadership Team (ELT). Each focuses on a different aspect of the ACS mission. The ELT is an ad-hoc committee open to all members and centers on planning the two major annual events: Lights of Hope in the fall and Relay for Life in the spring.

Question 3

What does a typical general meeting actually look like?

Accepted Answer

Each biweekly general meeting is hosted by a different committee and has a distinct theme. Past meetings have included a research-finding workshop, poster and card-making for cancer patients, button-making with Halloween activities, a 'Shark Tank'-style fundraising pitch session, and a case studies workshop on cancer advocacy.

Question 4

Is there a mentorship or community-building component beyond meetings?

Accepted Answer

Yes. ACSofB runs a Big-Little Program each fall semester that matches newer members (Littles) with more experienced members (Bigs). Participants must be active general or committee members and attend the Big-Little Reveal Social.

Question 5

What does the club's constitution say about tracking member participation?

Accepted Answer

All hours are tracked on the ACS of Berkeley Master Log. Members are recognized at Gold (100% event attendance), Silver (75%), or Bronze (50%) membership levels. Committee members are allowed up to two absences each from general meetings and committee meetings per semester.

American Cancer Society of Berkeley