STARTING A NEW STUDENT ORGANIZATION

The following is important information for all groups of students wishing to form a new student organization.

Recognition Criteria

In order to gain recognition, groups must meet the following criteria:

• The mission of the student organization must reflect the values and mission of John Carroll University.
• The services and activities offered by the organization must be directly related to the organization's mission and must comply with the policies and procedures of the Student Union, Office of Student Activities, and those in the JCU Community Standards Manual.
• The mission, services, and activities of the organization should be different from any other already-existing student organization.
• Each student organization must have an advisor who is a full-time member of the JCU faculty, staff, or administration.
• Each student organization must have active members and a solid leadership structure, including a president and a financial officer.

Recognition Process

In order to begin a new student organization and become recognized by the Student Union and Office of Student Activities, the following steps should be taken:

1. Complete the Request for Student Organization Petition form and return it to the Office of Student Activities.
2. Hold organizational meetings with interested students prior to becoming fully recognized.
3. Select an advisor. Advisors must be full-time members of the JCU faculty, staff, or administration. Graduate assistants and resident ministers are not eligible.
4. Meet with the Student Union Coordinator for Organization Development & Communication to discuss the group's mission, possible activities, and benefits as a petitioning group in comparison to a recognized organization. You will be provided with a Model Constitution and Application for Organization Recognition. Policies and procedures governing student organizations will also be discussed at this time.
5. Complete and submit the Application for Organization Recognition to the Student Union Coordinator for Organization Development & Communication for review. This includes a mission statement, list of possible services/activities, officer list, membership list, and constitution. If affiliating with a non-John Carroll entity or national/parent group, the petitioning group must submit information on that organization, including its constitution and by-laws. The group needs to develop a membership with a minimum of ten (10) students. Also, organizations need to develop officer positions, two of which must be a president and a financial officer.
6. The application will be considered and should take no longer than a period of one (1) month to be processed, depending on how quickly paperwork is complete and accurate. An organization is recognized once it is approved by the appropriate parties. The group will be informed by the Vice President for Student Organizations if and when it becomes a registered and recognized organization, along with the appropriate account numbers. Gropus should not seek out signatures on their own.
7. Groups petitioning for recognition can only have petitioning status for two (2) months when classes are in session. It is the responsibility of petitioning groups to complete all the requirements in a timely fashion. If a petitioning group loses its status or its request for recognition is denied, it must wait two weeks to reapply for recognition.

Privileges of a Petitioning Student Organization

After the Request for Student Organization Petition form has been submitted and approved by the Office of Student Activities, the group has the following privileges until the group becomes a registered and recognized student organization:

• Posting privileges, including the ability to submit items for the daily all-student e-mail.
• Opportunity to host a table at the annual Student Involvement Fair.