Creativity Can Go Much Further Than an Abundance of Funds
By Taylor LoPresti
With minimal funds granted to clubs at CSI, the founder of the Marine Biology Society finds creative ways to ensure the members of the club get the best experience possible.
Paul Proscia, president of the Marine Biology Society, founded the club 2 years ago when he noticed a lack of clubs that piqued his interest. Not knowing the outcome of setting out to start a club, he decided to try and collect the 10 signatures needed to present a new club idea to the Office of Student Life.
“Collecting more than the 10 signatures needed felt inspiring,” said Proscia. “It was nice to start something I knew others would want to be a part of.”
After receiving the funding allocated for his new club, in addition to the shirts the club receives every year; Proscia knew that as grateful as he was for his budget, he would have to figure out a way to keep this club informative but also interesting without any expensive outings. He enlisted the help of fellow students interested in marine biology and selected a vice president, Amanda Ehrhardt, a secretary, Ortal Twizer, and a treasurer, Angelina Fattorusso.
Along with a tight budget, members’ busy schedules also proved to be a challenge. Proscia, along with his team, found a way to work around the expensive activities and the conflicting schedules of club members: Online interviews.
With careful planning and determination, the team was able to schedule free online interviews via Google Meet with some esteemed marine biology folk. These video chats could later be uploaded to the clubs Youtube Channel (@marinebiologysociety) to save money, the ability for members unable to attend some meetings, and those who were not able to attend the video chat; to watch and learn and still stay apart of the conversation.
“Attending club meetings is sometimes hard with my busy schedule,” said Nicholas Barresi. “I am appreciative that The Marine Biology Society doesn’t let my schedule interfere with my ability to be a part of the club.”
With the money saved, club treasurer Angelina Fattorusso is able to distribute the funds elsewhere, including trips to places like the New York City Aquarium and the American Museum of Natural History. Trips like these are displayed on the club’s Instagram page. (@csi.marinebiologysociety)
She also makes sure the club contributes to marine life conservation efforts.
“Low funds are always a challenge,” said Fattorusoo. “With our conviction, we have always found a way to make exciting events happen.”
Along with Google Meet interviews, the club also plans free off campus activities and events to help learn about and study the marine ecosystem in CSI’s very own borough. They have explored many Staten Island Parks; their most recent adventure took them to Willowbrook park, just steps away from CSI. Here the club members were able to spot red eared sliders, painted turtles, different species of frogs, and other wildlife.
Although the club committee and members are very happy with the events and activities that are possible in their budget, they do have a dream trip on their bucket list, Aquashella. Aquashella is an aquarium festival that celebrates the diverse life of the aquatic world. It is held in three different states, including Daytona, Florida, Dallas, Texas, and Chicago, Illinois. The club could not raise enough money for the trip this year, but are hopeful that if they start saving up now, they will be able to pull off the trip of a college club lifetime.
“We do our best to help people learn about marine life,” said Proscia. “Even if that means going the extra mile so it’s affordable.”
