Forming a New Student Organization
Congratulations! You've decided to begin a new student organization. Students at the University of North Carolina Wilmington are encouraged to organize and join associations to promote their common interests. Most students who become involved with student organizations find that they may get the following benefits:
- They are happier and have more fun at UNCW
- Make better grades
- Make friends that they keep for a lifetime
- Experience personal growth
- Develop leadership skills that make them stand out in the job market
Click on the links to retrieve the forms indicated.
If you have trouble opening any of the documents, please
stop by the Campus Activities & Involvement Center (CAIC)
for a hard copy of the forms.
1. Do some research. Are there other organizations on campus very similar to the group you are interested in? Define what role your organization will fulfill that is not already met by the organizations currently registered. Also look into if there’s an inactive group like yours that you’d like to reactivate (often an easier process) rather than starting a new group.
2. Pick up the "Step by Step " packet in the CAIC and turn in the "Intent to Register" form. Include the name of the organization and the name, UNCW email address, and telephone number of the primary contact and two additional potential members. (UNCW requires that three currently registered students support an organization at the time the Intent to Register form is turned in.) You are also asked to submit a purpose statement for the organization letting us know what your purpose and objectives are, as well as what need the organization will be fulfilling here at UNCW. This form qualifies the organization for provisional status for 30 days.
What is provisional status? With provisional status a student organization has 30 days to reserve meeting space for basic organizational meetings and post flyers for recruitment purposes. However, they are not allowed to conduct fundraising activities or hold major events until they are granted full registration status with the University.
Review the Constitution Template. Make sure to include the three required University clauses VERBATIM, (they are noted on the constitution template).
3. Schedule a meeting with a member of the Campus Activities staff for help with writing your constitution or to better define your organization’s purpose.
4. Turn in a constitution within 30 days of submitting the “Intent to Register” form. Failure to submit a constitution will result in the loss of provisional status and, thus, suspension of the organization's use of university facilities.
5. The revision stage... Wait until a staff member has time to review the constitution and contacts you. Then be available to come in to discuss general revisions or changes necessary to comply with the Student Organization Committee (SOC) guidelines. (The revision process may take time, but be patient. After all, you’re writing the first important document for an organization you hope will be around for many years to come!) If changes are needed, a revised copy must be submitted to the CAIC before the document can go before the SOC for review. Note: The SOC meets during the fall and spring semesters, but not over the summer.
6. Hear back from the SOC. You should be notified of this decision within five working days of the date of the meeting. The SOC may approve your constitution, approve the constitution with revisions, request that the organization revise the constitution and resubmit for further review, or not approve a new organization. If your organization is approved with revisions then you must come in for another meeting to discuss changes to the constitution and submit a revised version. When the revisions meet the SOC’s standards, the organization may then register with the university.
7. Register your new organization. A new organization has one month to register after being notified of the SOC decision. Registration includes completing an Officer Update Form and meeting with a Campus Activities staff member to review UNCW policies which affect student organizations. All organizations must re-register every fall semester. The officer update form and a signed copy of the constitution will be kept on file in the Involvement Center and must be updated annually or whenever a change occurs.
Contact the Campus Activities & Involvement Center for further information. We are located in the Fisher Student Center room 2029 and can also be reached by phone at 910.962.3553 or via email at activities@uncw.edu.
