The Transfer Student Association (TSA) won “Best Club Campus Club” for the third year in a row in The State Hornet’s Best of Sac State poll.

The club focuses on getting transfer students acclimated to the university and providing more resources for them.

Faculty adviser for the club Tiffany Northern said that TSA stemmed from an online virtual space for transfer students due to of the lack of resources offered to them on campus.

What started as a Facebook group for Sac State transfer students became a recognized campus club in fall of 2016.

“We’re mostly a social club but we do try to help transfer students adjust to Sac State,” TSA president Sam Smith said. “Building a community for transfer students and making them feel welcomed here.”            

RELATED: Transfer Student Association wins Best Club at Sac State for second year in a row

Smith said that this year, the association is a lot more organized, especially with the club officers.

“We have a lot more rules and regulations,” Smith said. “More clearly defined duties, responsibilities and jobs.”

One of those jobs is a new position — community outreach coordinator. David Steward, the current community outreach coordinator, said that the position focuses on community service and branching outside of Sac State.

Steward said he originally applied to be activity coordinator but in the interview process, he mentioned wanting to do more community service in TSA.

“Hopefully this will be the start of not just TSA of Sac State but a big organization on all CSU and UC campuses,” Steward said.

Smith said that the club has continuously gained more members and the club officers are more engaged with the members.

“We have about 90 people in our group chat and about 30 to 40 active members who come to different things,” Smith said.

Kendall Minnelli, an interior design major, said that she found out about the club through Facebook.

“In all of their Facebook posts it seemed like they had a bunch of different types of people and everyone was having fun,” Minnelli said. “There is a lot of different activities and they’re really welcoming.”

According to Smith, about 66 percent of Sac State students are transfers.

“We’ve been doing a transfer mock center every year and we’re doing another one this year to push for an actual transfer center on campus,” he said.

Smith said they build a fake transfer center in the library quad with tents and sometimes they bring out a couch for students to do homework on. Northern added that a transfer center is now in the works.

Northern said that because of institutional speed, she doesn’t see the center being built for the next two or three years.

Smith said that looking toward the future, the association is currently trying to get a transfer alumni association chapter going.

“We’re just trying to increase our numbers, increase retention within our members and eventually, hopefully, there will be a transfer center within a few years,” Smith said.

Northern said that a large amount of the active students are graduating this semester.

“I’m most hopeful that our younger officers will step up to the plate,” Northern said. “Even though they are talking about a transfer center and it’s going to happen, I still want the mock centers to happen. I don’t want the focus being taken away from transfers.”

For a full list of 2019 Best of Sac State results, click here.