Student Organization & Advisor Handbook

STARTING A STUDENT ORGANIZATION

Content: Registration Procedures | Recognition Priviledges | Organization Officer Info.

Any student(s) wishing to form a new student organization should stop by the Student Activities Office and pick up the Student Organization Registration Form, a sample constitution to use as a guideline when writing the constitution for the new student organization, and a Private Account Authorization form. Once the students(s) has completed the Student Organization Registration Form and written the Constitution, s/he must find a member of the UW-Parkside faculty or academic staff to serve as an advisor. The advisor must then sign the Student Organization Registration Form confirming their commitment to serve as the organization’s advisor.

At this point the organizing student(s) need to make an appointment with a member of the Student Activities staff to review the forms, constitution, and discuss the organization’s plans and intentions.
Any recognized student organization must have a minimum of four currently enrolled UW-Parkside students as members. If the new organization is to be affiliated with a national organization, a copy of the national constitution and local by-laws must also be submitted. Upon receipt of these documents, the Student Activities staff member will confirm University Recognition of the group based on organization’s purpose and compliance with established criteria. If approved, the group will immediately become a University Recognized Student Organization with all the privileges thereof, as long as the members adhere to regulations governing student clubs and organizations. The Student Activities staff member will send written notification of University Recognition status and the date of the next scheduled Student Organizations Council meeting.

The organization should have a simple majority of student members and the student officers must be students who are in compliance with the Student Life Eligibility Criteria. The criteria states: To hold office in Student Government or any other campus student organization, a student must carry a minimum of six non-audit credits at UW-Parkside. A student officer must also have and maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average during his/her term of office. Students who have enrolled again may have their grade point eligibility computed from the date at which they return to school. UW-Parkside alumni, faculty and staff, along with members of the community may be members of student organizations, but cannot hold an officer position.

A student organization can require members to purchase membership in a National organization, but doing so will forfeit the organization’s ability to receive student group monies. Political organizations may not receive funding. All student organizations must be open to all UW-Parkside students. Organizations may not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, or any other such factors. Academic achievement requirements are not regarded as restrictive since all students have an equal opportunity to achieve any given grade point average. For specific information on funding refer to SUFAC guidelines or contact the Student Activities Office.
An organization that previously operated at UW-Parkside but is now inactive must reapply at the Student Activities Office to reactivate the group and obtain UW-Parkside Recognition Status. Many student organizations at UW-Parkside are affiliated with local, regional, state, and national organizations. These off-campus affiliates frequently have guidelines or regulations with which the affiliated organizations must comply in order to remain in good standing and to continue their affiliation. Such guidelines are considered important operating documents and must be on file in the Student Activities Office.

Registration Procedures return to top
Every year student organizations are required to update their organization’s information by completing the Student Organization Registration Form and Private Account Signature Authorization Form. The organization must complete these forms and submit them along with a copy of their constitution to the Student Activities office by October 1st. Upon receipt and review of the documents the organization will be given University Recognition and be eligible for student organization privileges.

For spring semester, the organization will be asked to confirm that their information is still current by February 1st.

Should any information change during the year, the organization must update their file by completing new forms and submitting them to the Student Activities office.

Recognition Privileges return to top
University recognized status for student organizations gives the organization certain privileges to assist them with their mission on campus and provide support. These privileges include, but are not limited to:
• Being able to post information about the organization on campus.
• Participation in the Student Organization Recruitment Fair, and similar events and contests for student organizations.
• Receiving a mailbox and being able to use a phone for student organization business.
• Fundraising and raffle opportunities.
• Use of fleet vehicles.
• Duplicating and media series.
• Technical and setup services.
• Space reservation priorities and special rates
• Contracting and travel assistance.
• University risk and liability coverage for organization business.
• Use of UW-Parkside logo.
• Financial management assistance and services.

Organization Officer Information return to top
A full list of UW-Parkside student organizations is available from the Student Activities Office, however the office will not give out the names of officers or members without approval from the organization.

Registration Procedures | Recognition Priviledges | Organization Officer Info.