So there is a Skeptics Club at my university and I am trying to get it active and visible. The problem is that, although we have a very active and interested advisor, only a few people are willing to put in the time necessary to even come to the meetings. Also, I am the only member who is not in the engineering department.

Any tips on increasing membership?

make it arts and skeptics club and get a few hot girls to join up first and then just invite a couple of nerds and then boom!. New movements depend on popularity of initial recruits! Also timings matter!. People dont just join up to be skeptical, they need to feel good about themselves, so make it also about arts. You never know whats going to work. Just keep tinkering. What is it with people which is keeping them away?. timings?, skeptics are low in number to begin with?. Too much work to do?. Just do a random survey and ask people why?

cavarka9 wrote:make it arts and skeptics club and get a few hot girls to join up first and then just invite a couple of nerds and then boom!. New movements depend on popularity of initial recruits! Also timings matter!. People dont just join up to be skeptical, they need to feel good about themselves, so make it also about arts. You never know whats going to work. Just keep tinkering. What is it with people which is keeping them away?. timings?, skeptics are low in number to begin with?. Too much work to do?. Just do a random survey and ask people why?

A lot of them just talk about time commitment. They say they are too busy with their studies.

Also, due to how insulated our engineering department is, most people don't even know that the club exists much less what we're about.

Time to slap some fliers up. Maybe you could copy the Sceptics in the Pub model, and book a space in the Uni bar once in a while, plotting the evenings with the less busy Uni schedule. Take charge?

IanRaugh wrote:Any tips on increasing membership?

Get some creationists in.

You got engineers? Bill the bible guys as geologists.

It's like here. It wouldn't be half as much fun, or (and I shit you not) as educational, without the Climate Change Denier, the Shroud Apologist, and The Guys That Think Evolution Is A Religion.

Mentioning no names

This video may help...

IanRaugh wrote:

cavarka9 wrote:make it arts and skeptics club and get a few hot girls to join up first and then just invite a couple of nerds and then boom!. New movements depend on popularity of initial recruits! Also timings matter!. People dont just join up to be skeptical, they need to feel good about themselves, so make it also about arts. You never know whats going to work. Just keep tinkering. What is it with people which is keeping them away?. timings?, skeptics are low in number to begin with?. Too much work to do?. Just do a random survey and ask people why?

A lot of them just talk about time commitment. They say they are too busy with their studies.

Also, due to how insulated our engineering department is, most people don't even know that the club exists much less what we're about.

I guessed so, in my opinion, science students dont have as much time as arts students or humanities dept. Whether they have time or not, they do want independence in how they wish to spend it. so, not going to be easy!

As always: apply booze.

No one is joining your club then maybe you could theirs
and so why not check out your local Skeptics In The Pub