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Clubs

Starting A Club

 

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO STARTING A NEW 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. Submit an Initial Proposal
  3. Respond to Follow-Up Questions from the SOC
  4. Write a By-Laws document for your Club
  5. Begin Conditional Status
  6. Complete Conditional Status
  7. Receive Recognition from Student Government Association

 

OVERVIEW OF CLUB RECOGNITION PROCESS

Potential new clubs begin with expressing interest to the Office of Student Involvement by registering a new club in EngageXU. Upon review by the Senior Associate Director for Student Involvement, the Student Government Association Student Organizations Committee will initiate the activation process by communicating any concerns or requesting additional information related to the proposal. Potential new clubs will be asked to then develop By-Laws with assistance from the SGA Student Organizations Committee. The SOC will then review all of the submitted information and decide whether the organization should be granted conditional club status. The organization must continue to operate as a conditional club for a minimum of 9 weeks before being voted upon in the Student Senate to be granted full club privileges. During the 9 week conditional period, the organization must complete a series of milestones to show progress and growth as an organization. The group will also be limited as to the types of activities they can host during that time. The process culminates with a final approval from the Vice President for Student Affairs.
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CLUB ACTIVATION WINDOW

Potential new clubs are eligible to apply for activation only within the Club Activation Window each fall. This 6-week window opens on the first day of classes in the fall. The purpose of the Club Activation Window is to encourage students to plan ahead with developing ideas for new organizations and to also spend time fully developing their ideas before proposing the organization for recognition. The focus of the SGA Student Organizations Committee each spring turns from Club Activation to Club Allocations - assessing funding requests for the following fiscal year. Outside of this window, potential new clubs are able to express their interest in forming but are not eligible to begin the process.

The 2022-2023 New Organization Activation Window will be from 8/21/23 - 10/2/23.

Please note - clubs in the process of forming are not eligible to participate in the fall Club Day.

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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: Submit an Initial Proposal

Students interested in forming a club should register the new club on EngageXU.  To do so, log onto EngageXU. At the top bar, you can click on Groups > +All Groups > Register new Clubs.  In order to fill out the proposal to register a new club, you should be prepared with the following information:

  • Potential Club Name
  • Contact information for new organization's president, vice president, treasurer and advisor (Xavier faculty/staff member) 
  • A total of 8 interested students in order to start the club (which can include the three student officers above)
  • Purpose of the group (mission statement) and a statement on how your group's mission supports the Jesuit mission of Xavier University
  • Statement indicating how this group would be unique and/or different from other, similar, existing organizations or opportunities on campus (this statement should clearly demonstrate what needs this new organization would meet that are not currently being met by existing organizations, programs or university services)
  • General membership description and/or criteria for membership as well as steps needed to join the organization
  • If the organization is affiliated with a national organization, there must be proof provided that the national organization is permitting a local affiliated colony or chapter to form at Xavier

After an initial review, the Senior Associate Director will forward the proposal along with any comments or suggestions to the committee for discussion.
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Step Three: Respond to Follow-Up Questions from the SOC

Using the rubric (Initial Proposal Checklist), the Student Organizations Committee will evaluate the organization's proposal along with comments or suggestions from the Senior Associate Director for Student Involvement. The SOC will then communicate with the organization any additional questions or concerns related to the organization's proposal. When questions are posed, potential clubs are asked to respond promptly to allow the SOC to finalize their decision. If the potential new club fits with the university mission and provides a substantially different level of programming or opportunities to the student body, the committee will begin working with the organization to craft By-Laws to govern the organization.

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 the Student Organizations Committee to receive further explanation and details about why the group does not meet the requirements of a new club.

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Step Four: Write By-Laws for the Club

The SOC will ask the potential new club to initiate writing by-laws for the organization. Groups are encouraged to not begin working on this document until the SOC has approved the group to move to step four. Here is a template for By-Laws for student organizations.

By-Laws should be submitted to the chair of the Student Organizations Committee. By-Laws should include the following components:

  • Official name of the proposed club
  • Date of document creation and any revision dates for the document
  • Mission Statement
  • Explanation of Membership Requirements as well as expectations for members. Only student members of the Xavier University community are eligible to participate. Officers must be currently enrolled XU students. There must be a minimum of 8 members at any given time to maintain club status.
  • Officer roles and associated duties/responsibilities
  • Decision-making or voting procedures for the group
  • Meetings (including types of meetings [committees, Exec board], frequency of meetings, who runs the meetings and requirements for attending the meetings)
  • Finances (how funds are collected, maintained and disbursed)
  • Amendments (process to amend or change the By-Laws for the group)
  • Faculty/Staff Advisor (process for selecting or replacing, expectations for relationship between club and advisor)

Questions related to developing your By-Laws can be directed to the chair of the Student Organizations Committee (Jordyn Horne - hornej2@xavier.edu) or the Senior Associate Director for Student Involvement (Dustin Lewis - lewisd6@xavier.edu).

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Step Five: Begin Conditional Status

Once the first four steps have been satisfactorily met, the organization can be granted Conditional status by a majority vote of the SGA Student Organizations Committee. When an organization has reached conditional status, the group is eligible for some of the rights and privileges granted to a student organization. Student Organizations must serve on a conditional status for 9 weeks from the time they have been approved by the SOC. This time period is to allow the organization to focus on recruiting members, developing their goals and to create a plan of action for how the organization will remain active and successful for future classes. Due to the number of organizations that are established and quickly dissolve, this 9-week time period is to ensure that there is a committed group of students that are going to successfully push the organization to meet its goals.

With a conditional status, the group is eligible for the following:

Under conditional status, the group is NOT eligible for the following:

  • Access to a Xavier email account for your organization
  • Access to a University-assigned Fund
  • Requesting an annual allocation from Student Government Association
  • Applying for SORF (Student Organization Resource Fund) Funding
  • Requesting storage space in the Student Organization Storage Room
  • Mailbox in the Student Organization Resource Room
  • Fundraising or any raising of funds and financial expenditures
  • Participation in Club Day

Conditional status clubs are ineligible for conducting any business on behalf of Xavier and may not travel, host activities off campus, fundraise, or acquire a university fund and email address. The group will become eligible for all of these resources once they are passed and approved with full club status.

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Step Six: Complete Conditional Status

Throughout the conditional status, the Student Organizations Committee will check-in with the organization and also attend a general meeting to ensure progress in developing the organization and recruiting membership. At the conclusion of the 9-week conditional status, the SOC can propose for the SGA to approve the organization for full club status. If during the conditional status period, the organization does not work to continue its development and to grow and expand the group, SOC may establish a list of requirements for the organization to complete to be eligible for club status or may recommend that the conditional club be disbanded.

Because club recognition is granted by the SGA, student senators have the opportunity to review each proposed organization and pose questions or offer concerns related to the group through the SOC. Senators will receive the club's submitted documentation via email and will be expected to offer opinions and suggestions related to the conditional club. The purpose of this is to ensure that the Senate is making an informed decision in passing or approving any new clubs on campus. The SOC will gather questions and comments from the senators and meet with the conditional club's leadership to address these topics.

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Step Seven: Receive Recognition from Student Government Association

If the club is found to have completed all of the conditional requirements within nine weeks of starting their conditional status and the group has been approved by the SGA for full club status, the proposal and additional documentation will be submitted to the Vice President 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 Senior Associate Director for Student Involvement, Dustin Lewis, at lewisd6@xavier.edu.

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RELATED FORMS

For a complete list of Student Organization Policies, visit our Forms tab.