RECOGNITION OF STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

The following is important information for all student organizations regarding recognition, both for new and continuing groups.

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 representative to the Legion of Student Organizations (LSO).

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. Obtain a Student Organization Guide, either in hard copy format from the Office of Student Activities or a downloadable version from www.jcu.edu/organizations.
2. Complete the Notification of Student Organization Petition form and submit to the Office of Student Activities. Submission of this form offers the organization several privileges as outlined in the next section.
3. Hold organizational meetings with interested students prior to becoming fully recognized.
4. Select an advisor. Advisors must be full-time members of the JCU faculty, staff, or administration. Graduate assistants and resident ministers are not eligible.
5. Meet with the Student Organization Review Board's Coordinator of Organization Development and Communication to form a constitution, mission statement, and help begin the Application for Organization Recognition. Policies and procedures governing student organizations will also be discussed at this time.
6. Complete and submit the Application for Organization Recognition to the Student Union Vice President for Student Organizations. This includes a mission statement, list of possible services/activities, membership list, and constitution.
7. The application will be considered and should take no longer than a period of one (1) month to be processed. At the discretion of the Vice President for Student Organizations, exceptions may be made based on the level of student interest, number of active members, etc. An organization is registered and recognized upon the signatures of the Student Union Vice President for Student Organizations, Student Union President, and Director of Student Activities.

Privileges of a Petitioning Student Organization

Once an organization has submitted its Notification of Student Organization Petition form to 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.

Privileges of a Registered and Recognized Student Organization

Once an organization has become registered and recognized by the Student Union and Office of Student Activities, and renews its recognition status annually, it has the following privileges:

• Guidance and advising with organizational operations by the Vice President for Student Organizations, Student Organization Review Board, and the Office of Student Activities.
• Access to a number of leadership resources, including participation in the annual Officer Transition Weekend sponsored by the Office of Student Activities.
• Financial accounts. One is a savings account, where dues/fundraising money would be deposited, while the other is a LSO account, used to house any funding awarded through the LSO allocation process.
• Opportunity to request funding through the LSO.
• Representation and voting privileges at monthly LSO meetings.
• Reservation and use of campus facilities (including off-site retreat facilities) and services.
• Reservation and use of the university van fleet (certified drivers only).
• Posting privileges, including the ability to submit items for the daily all-student e-mail.
• An organization mailbox in the Student Union office.
• A one-page listing on the University's student organizations website (www.jcu.edu/organizations).
• Ability for a student organization website to be housed on the University's web server.
• Opportunity for an organization e-mail account on the JCU domain.

Maintaining Registered and Recognized Status

Once an organization is registered and recognized, it must complete and submit annually the necessary transition paperwork, which doubles as the obligatory renewal for recognition. This is due by the last day of finals in the fall semester to the Office of Student Activities. Failure to submit the paperwork by this date will result in the expiration of privileges and an organization status of "inactive." If officers do not transition on a calendar year basis, this paperwork is still required to be submitted to allow for the updating of records and renewal of the organization's recognition status.

The Graduate Assistant in the Office of Student Activities, Vice President for Student Organizations, and Vice President-Elect for Student Organizations will make transition paperwork available to all organizations each November prior to Thanksgiving break. This paperwork includes:

• Officer Transition Form – lists the advisor and all officers, as well as their contact information, for the coming year, even if officers are remaining the same and transition at a later time
• Website Questionnaire – gives organizations the opportunity to update for accuracy their web page on the University's student organizations website
• FERPA Website Consent Form – gives JCU permission to list the name and e-mail address of an officer on the University's student organizations website; a student needs only to submit one form for the duration of his/her tenure as a student

The status of student organizations that fail to submit the necessary paperwork by the required deadline will turn to "inactive." This means that all privileges of registered and recognized student organizations are no longer available, including facility reservations, posting privileges, and LSO funding. To return as a registered and recognized student organization, the organization must submit its transition paperwork as referenced above, an updated organization constitution, and a letter to the Office of Student Activities requesting reinstatement signed by both the organization's president and advisor. The privileges of a registered and recognized student organization should resume within one (1) week of receipt of this information; however, there will be an automatic waiting period of two (2) months before LSO funding can be requested.