CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS

Starting A Club

Interested in starting a new club?  This section will provide you with a step-by-step guide to developing a new club for our campus community. Click on the steps below for more information.

1. Evaluate Existing Clubs
2. Email Your Interest to the Senate Club Relations Committee
3. Complete the Club Activation Packet
4. Receive Conditional Approval from the Student Senate
5. Document Completion of Conditional Requirements
6. Receive Final Approval and Activation
    

Club Activation Window

Potential new clubs are eligible to apply for activation within the Club Activation Window.  This 6-week window opens on Labor Day in the fall and on the first day of classes in the spring.  Outside of this window, potential new clubs are able to express their interest in forming but are not eligible to begin the process. 

Fall 2012 Activation Window is 9/3/12 - 10/15/12.
Spring 2013 Activation Window is 1/7/13 - 2/18/13.

Potential new clubs who are approved by the Senate Club Relations Committee to start the activation process will be given an activation packet with instructions forms for forming.  Potential new clubs will be asked to complete this packet and meet with the Senate Club Relations Committee.  Upon receiving approval from the committee and the Student Senate, the club will be granted a conditional status and will be given additional requirements to complete during the window.  The process culminates in final approval from the Associate Provost for Student Affairs.

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Getting Started

Step One: Evaluate Existing Clubs

Before beginning the process, one of the first things that should be considered is whether or not the idea for a new club is significantly different from other clubs already existing at Xavier.  The potential new club should begin by searching through the database of existing clubs (List of Clubs and Organizations) sorting by potential categories for the organization and searching for keywords in the database to compare existing groups to the potential new group. 

If you feel that your organization is not significantly different, you should contact the existing club's officer team to find out how you can participate in accomplishing the mission of the organization.

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Steps to Club Activation

Step Two: Email Your Interest to the Senate Club Relations Committee

Students interested in forming a club should email the 2012-2013 Senate Club Relations Committee chairperson, Meghan Savercool (savercoolm@xavier.edu) with the following information:

• Potential Club Name
• Potential Club Mission Statement
• Brief Description of the potential club

The Club Relations Committee chairperson will forward the email to the committee for discussion.  If the potential new club fits into the university mission and its mission does not overlap with an existing club, the chair will email a Club Activation Packet to the group.

If the committee does not endorse the potential club, it will contact the group with an explanation as to why it does not meet SGA's requirements.  The committee may recommend a similar club to work with or give tips on redeveloping the proposal for the potential club to better meet SGA's requirements.  The potential club may request to meet with Club Relations to receive further explanation and details about why the group does not meet the requirements of a new club.

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Step Three: Complete the Club Activation Packet

Upon receiving the Club Activation Packet, the potential club should complete the packet within the Activation Window and schedule to meet with Club Relations to review their responses and seek additional information to present to the Student Senate.

Club Relations Committee will deliberate and vote to determine if the potential club should be reviewed for conditional status in the Senate.  The following requirements will be considered in this decision:

• The mission of the organization is consistent with the mission of our Jesuit, Catholic university
• The organization meets a need of the student body
• The organization and its mission are considered significantly different from existing organizations

If your potential new club is a chapter or branch of a national organization, you are required to provide official documentation from the national organization granting permission for a campus chapter or branch to exist.  Please contact the Office of Student Involvement if you have any questions about documentation from a national organization or governing body.

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Step Four: Receive Conditional Approval from the Senate

If one or more Club Relations member votes in favor of the club, the committee will propose the club to the Senate.  If the club is approved for conditional status by the Senate, the group will have five weeks to complete the next step or their status will automatically be revoked.

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Step Five: Document Completion of Conditional Requirements

The following steps should be documented and completed during a club's conditional status:

1. Hold at least two club meetings (one of which is attended by a Club Relations committee member)
2. Demonstrate an effort to expand or retain membership
3. Map out a plan to maintain the club's active status for the next three years
4. Create a first year budget, including the standard $350 allocation given to new clubs, fundraising and any additional funding
5. Create an OrgSync Portal for the club

Student Working Groups that are attempting to reclassify their organization as a club are only required to complete the following steps in their conditional status:

1. Hold at least one club meeting
2. Map out a plan to maintain the club's active status for the next three years
3. Create a first year budget, including the standard $350 allocation given to new clubs, fundraising and any additional funding
   

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Step Six: Receive Final Approval and Activation

If the club is found to have completed all of the conditional requirements within five weeks of their Senate-approved conditional status, their Club Activation Packet and documentation will be submitted to the Associate Provost for Student Affairs for final approval. 

Once approved, the Club is eligible for all of the privileges and responsibilities of a student organization at Xavier.

Questions can be directed to the 2012-2013 Senate Club Relations Committee chairperson, Meghan Savercool (savercoolm@xavier.edu). 

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