Clubs & Organizations

Review the requirements and paperwork, and ask how the Student Activities Office can assist you. We are located in H122 in the Student Kaplan Center aka Student Union. Alternate Location: Student Activities Office.

REQUIRED PAPERWORK:

Club Charter Form  |  Membership List  |  Constitution (checklist, sample)  |  Club Advisor Agreement

A club must have at least 5 active members in order to be recognized. Active members attend meetings regularly and participate in group events and planning. All members must be currently enrolled, credit students at SUNY Sullivan. The Student Activities Office can also help you in your recruitment efforts by reserving rooms for meetings and reproducing fliers, posters and other advertisements. Word of mouth can also be a very effective recruitment tool. Talk to students in your classes and in the Dining Hall and Kaplan Student Center.

All clubs are required to have a Faculty or Staff Advisor, but finding the right one can sometimes be difficult. A good advisor is extremely important to a club’s success. They must be an active and involved part of your club, and not just a name on paper. They can help you avoid potential problems and to best use available College resources to accomplish your club goals. The advisor does not run your club---student clubs are always student. However, their experience and knowledge is extremely important and their suggestions and feedback should always be seriously considered. The best way to find a good is to talk with faculty and staff members that you know well. While they may not be best suited to be your club advisor, they may be able to recommend a colleague that could help. Before deciding on an advisor, your club should meet with that person and review the expectations outlined in the Club Advisor Agreement. The Club-Advisor relationship should be viewed as a partnership with expectations on both sides and in which frequent and open communication is the key to success.

Every club is required to have a constitution. This is a very important document because it lays out how your club is going to operate and the rules that you will follow. Important elements might include job descriptions for officers, how and when elections are held, and, for those “worst-case scenario” situations, how and under what circumstances members and/or officers may be removed. Writing the constitution should be taken very seriously and all members should be involved, especially in approving the final draft. A sample constitution as well as copies of the other required forms (Club Charter Form, Membership List, Constitution, and Club Advisor Agreement) are available in the SAO Office. Once all of the forms are completed, they should be returned to the SAO office.

Club Charter Form  |  Membership List  |  Constitution (checklist, sample)  |  Club Advisor Agreement

The final step in the recognition process is to obtain the approval of the Student Government Association. When you return your completed forms to the SGA office, you can schedule a time to meet with the Treasurer or email them: SGAtreasurer@sunyullivan.edu. Don’t forget to request a copy of the Student Government bylaws, policies, and procedures. The SGA’s job is to review the applications of all new clubs and vote on them, paying particular attention to purpose, goals and the constitution. Once the SGA has approved the application, it is forwarded to the Dean of Student Affairs and Student Activities.

Club Charter Form  |  Membership List  |  Constitution (checklist, sample)  |  Club Advisor Agreement