IT'S TIME!!! Welcome back to ANOTHER EXCITING SCHOOL YEAR and of course another exciting year for the Chinese Student's Association!! With USC Clubs Week all wrapped up, this will be your 101 guide to figuring out what exactly CSA is!
If you’re interested in joining our team, we know that some of the questions you’ll have for us include, “What do each of the departments do?” and “What position should I apply for?” While we can’t answer the second one for you, we can definitely help you out with the first! So, if you’re curious to learn more about what specific things each department does and how you’ll fit into that, look no further!
Marketing
Directors: Carol Guo & Tamara Kwan
CSA’s Marketing Department is responsible for all of CSA’s public-facing aspects; these are the friendly faces behind our Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Youtube, and this very blog! Marketing does all the brainstorming and execution of social media campaigns to engage our community and bring awareness to a variety of issues. The content creation you can expect from Marketing includes fun listicles, sentimental letters, promoting education on certain topics, and whatever else your heart desires!
If you enjoy: contributing to social media platforms (a TikTok addiction could be an asset!), writing blog content, and connecting with our general members, apply to become a Marketing executive!
Events
Directors: Rachel Chan & Owen Ning
The Events Department has traditionally headed CSA’s flagship event, Western Voice; they're involved every step of the way, from choosing the artists to showtime. Despite the strict health and safety regulations in place throughout the past year, Events has still been able to make the most of unexpected circumstances, producing our first-ever fully virtual Western Voice event. This year however, Western Voice plans on being a fully in-person event with a live performance, live audience and guest star! Past Western Voice guest stars have included Suriel Hess, D-Trix, The Fung Bros and Simu Liu! We can't wait to see what they have planned for this year; maybe you'll get to be a part of it!
If you enjoy: facilitating large-scale events, organizing charitable initiatives, and developing your leadership skills, Events is the department for you!
Member Relations
Directors: Naveed Pirouzmand & Alec Yang
Member Relations connects and builds the relationship amongst the CSA members, ensuring that both the internal executive team and general members have a good time throughout the school year. They are in charge of planning events such as our Annual General Meetings, bar nights, and giveaways for all CSA members, as well as overnight retreats and other bonding activities for the internal team. To kick off the school year, MR's first event will be Ignition, on Thursday, September 29th, 6:00 - 9:00 PM in room 56 at the University Community Centre! Join us for a night of fun activities as well as a casual and open opportunity to meet the executive team and ask any questions you might have!
If you enjoy: fostering our community, organizing fun events, and meeting new people, apply to our member relations team!
Corporate Relations
Directors: GW Henderson & John Liu
Corporate Relations is CSA’s financial heart. The team is responsible for securing discounts that CSA members enjoy, by contacting various businesses to discuss partnerships so that all our members can save some money and enjoy some extra perks!
If you enjoy: working with sponsors and numbers, improving your communication skills, and taking initiative, CR is the department for you!
Graphics
Directors: Rose Li & Avina Li
The Graphics Department is the creative heart and soul of CSA. These individuals are responsible for designing promotional assets for CSA and our events, as well as overseeing our overall branding. They come up with the cool graphics that you see on our social media, including our Facebook event covers, cover photos, and Instagram stories. However, having experience in graphic design isn’t necessary for this role; the various directors on CSA are more than happy to help you out so that you can learn and grow!
If you enjoy: designing merch, creating promotional content, and or just want to be more creative, apply to Graphics!
Productions
Directors: Joy Ma & Timothy Ma
CSA's Productions Department is the team that works with Graphics to capture all of CSA’s memories; they take and edit footage of CSA events, whether photos or videos, and work with Graphics to turn it into beautiful final products that we love to show off! Just like for Graphics, prior experience with photography or videography isn’t necessary. Instead, we're just looking for individuals who are passionate and willing to learn, so if you're looking up to pick up a hobby or learn a new skill, Productions might just be the place for you!
If you enjoy: learning first-hand how to take cool photos and film videos, have passion for photography/videography - we highly encourage you to apply to become a part of our team!
Conclusion
With that said, each department of CSA and everyone on our team is so excited to meet you, whether that’s at our first event of the year, Ignition, or just sometime during the year at one of our events! If you’re interested in being a general member, all you have to do is pay the club membership here and sign up for our mailing list! If you are interested in applying for an executive position on our team, unfortunately we are all booked up this year, but we will be hiring during the fall in the 2023-24 school year! All executive interviews this year will take place from Friday, September 30th - Sunday October 2nd, at the Physics & Astronomy Building, Room 150!
As for what to expect for your interview, here's a little FAQ:
Q: Do I need to dress up for my interview?
A: Not at all! Throw on your everyday jeans and a nice tee – you do not need to dress business casual, we just want to see you as you are!
Q: Will interviews be in-person or virtual?
A: Interviews will be conducted in-person at the Physics & Astronomy Building, Room 150!
More details will come in an email a few days before the interview!
Q: How much should I prepare for my interview?
A: No need for any intense interview prep; we want you to be yourself, be relaxed, and most importantly, be ready to have some fun. We want to take the opportunity to get to know you as an individual and your personality. Be ready to show us what makes you well … you!
Q: What if I don't have any experience?
A: That is A-OK! No experience is necessary for our roles, however, if you're interested in our Productions or Graphics departments, some background in graphics or photography/videography would be helpful!
Q: What if I already signed up for my interview but changed my mind about the order of my departments?
A: Don't stress! We will ask you again before your interview time and you can let us know there!
That's all for now, we can't wait to meet you soon!
Love,
CSA <3