How to Start a St. Norbert College Student Organization

“The college supports the right of individuals to organize and participate in student organizations whose purpose is in line with the mission of St. Norbert College. These organizations will be eligible for recognition…” Student Life Committee

Organizations seeking recognition must have:

At least five active St. Norbert College student members
A full time St. Norbert College Faculty/Staff adviser(s)
An executive report
A membership list
A purpose statement, including mission and goals
A constitution
Any organization with a national affiliation must submit a letter from its national organization stating that the organization has permission to use the national name and attach national constitution if available. All Greek letter organizations seeking recognition must be first introduced to Student Government Association's Student Organization Affairs Committee by the Panhellenic or Interfraternity Council.

Organizations with recognition enjoy the following benefits:

Use of the St. Norbert College name and logo
Access to Student Organization Resource Room supplies, materials, mailbox, etc.
Participation in Taste of SNC (involvement fair)
Reservation of space in the Campus Center for meetings and events
Opportunity to apply for and receive Student Activity Fee funding
Access to Leadership, Service and Involvement Graphic Design/web site assistance
Reservation of SNC vehicle fleet
Financial resources: purchase orders, tax exemption, Banner accounts, consulting assistance
Registration of off-campus events, resulting in support with disputes of off-campus vendors
Liability coverage by St. Norbert College insurance policies

The process of obtaining recognition is as follows:

Review the information here and complete the forms indicated at the end of this site.
Paperwork is turned into LSI and reviewed. A meeting is scheduled with the contact person seeking recognition and the appropriate LSI staff member for further information and clarification of the recognition process.
Once the aforementioned meeting takes place, LSI forwards a copy of the paperwork to the Student Government Association vice president for review and introduction to Student Organization Affairs committee.
The organization seeking recognition is contacted by the Student Government Association Vice President to schedule hearing with the Student Organization Affairs committee (two dates offered each semester to conduct hearings for organizations requesting recognition). Organization adviser(s) must be present during hearing.
Greek letter organizations must be introduced by the Panhellenic or Intrafraternity Council. The introduction should include the benefits and challenges that the proposed Greek letter organization offers to the SNC and Greek communities.
The recommendation of the Student Organization Affairs committee (to grant or reject recognition) is forwarded to the Student Life Committee through the vice president of student life.
The vice president of student life and the vice president of SGA facilitate discussion with the Student Life Committee regarding the recommendation forwarded by the Student Organization Affairs Committee.
The vice president of the student life sends a letter to inform organization of the decision.

If the organization is approved for recognition it will receive a copy of the Campus Center Reservation and Policy Contract to be signed and returned to LSI. At that time an official statement/card/certificate of recognition is given to the organization president and is filed with LSI. In addition, once recognized, the organization and contact information will be placed on the Student Organization web site.

Organizations are only required to go through the recognition process once, but are required to renew their recognition each fall. All organizations are also required to submit an Annual Report in March. Additional requirements include:

Executive board members (president, vice president, secretary and treasurer – or like positions) must maintain a 2.25 GPA requirement. Executive Officer GPA checks will take place every fall following the completion of the Executive Report. Executive board members who do not meet the 2.25 requirement will receive a letter from LSI asking them to step down from their position. A copy will be sent to the organization president and adviser.
Social/service organizations are required to participate in two service project requirements and two educational programs per semester.

The organization recognition process is approved by the Student Life Committee. The Department of Leadership, Service and Involvement is responsible for maintaining the recognition structure for the college. For clarification on any of the points listed herein, contact LSI.

Paperwork Required to Start a New Student Organization
Download the forms addressed here and the handouts designed to help you complete your submissions, complete the paperwork and submit them as a whole to LSI, Campus Center, Suite 330.