How to Start a Club

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Contents

How To Be Recognized...
Benefits of Recognition
Requesting Recognition
What it Means to be a Class VI Organization
The Financial Board Process for Class VI Organizations
SGA Reclassification
Obtaining a Budget
Additional Information
Questions?

How To Be Recognized...

Students wishing to start a club at WPI must go through the recognition process as outlined by the Student Activities Office (SAO), The Student Organizational Council (SOC), and the Student Government Association (SGA). In order to go through the recognition process, organizations must obtain an advisor as well as abide by all federal, state, and local laws, as well as policies of the university.

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Benefits of Recognition

  • Schedule and use WPI facilities.
  • Apply for funds from SGA and/or other campus sources.
  • Associate WPI's name with that of the organization.
  • Be included in WPI publications when appropriate.
  • Have a campus mailbox in the SAO office.
  • Have a WPI account with the Business Office.
  • Sponsor campus programs and activities.
  • Apply for a copier code for the copy machine in the Student Organizations Suite on the third floor of the Campus Center.
  • Apply for a student organization file cabinet or locker in the Student Organizations Suite.
  • Obtain assistance from the Student Activities Office in matters of finance, programming, liability, etc.
  • Have posters and flyers placed in the Campus Center bulletin boards to help publicize their events.
  • When sponsoring fund-raisers or recruitment programs, the Campus Center Administrative Office provides tables for use in public areas.
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Requesting Recognition

All forms necessary for requesting recognition can be found at http://www.wpi.edu/Admin/SAO/Orgs/forms.html.

  1. Submit a letter of intent to organize a club or organization. This letter must be signed by a student contact and by the intended faculty advisor.
  2. Fill out the recognition application. This can be found under "Application for Recognition Form".
  3. Obtain 50 signatures of WPI students who endorse the establishment of your club on campus. The petition form can be found under "Student Organization Recognition Signature Page".
  4. Members of the club wishing to be recognized must complete the Anti-Hazing Policy Form.
  5. Write a constitution for your club. A sample constitution can be found online at the above website.
  6. Write a paragraph-long description of your organization.
  7. Submit all of these completed materials to the Student Activities Office who will forward them to the Student Organizational Council (SOC).
  8. The SOC will review the request at the next recognition meeting and make the final decision regarding recognition status.
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What it Means to be a Class VI Organization

Class VI Organizations are seen as Provisional clubs by SGA. Any club that has been recognized by the SOC but has not been classified is defined as Class VI. Clubs may remain in this provisional period for a minimum of 12 months but no longer than 18 months.

Class VI Organizations Can:

  • Submit Special Funding Requests (SFRs) to fund programming that is open to the entire undergraduate student body providing that no other funding sources exist.
  • Fundraise money for their club.
  • Utilize the assistance of SGA's PR Committee to advertise their programs.
  • Have an account number through the SAO.

Class VI Organizations Cannot:

  • Request money for events open to only members of the organizations.
  • Request money for club t-shirts.
  • Have a yearly budget.
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The Financial Board Process for Class VI Organizations

Class VI Organizations are eligible to submit SFRs to request money for campus-wide programming.

  1. Obtain a General Request Form from the Treasurer's Corner of the SGA Website.
  2. Fill out all applicable sections of the form.
  3. Be sure to include a detailed breakdown of what is being requested.
    4. Characteristics of a good breakdown are:
    • Lists of each item to be purchased.
    • Unit price, quantity, and total price for each item (remember to think about sales tax and shipping).
    • Any other additional information (contracts, price quotes, etc.).
  4. Requests are granted based on the NABCC criteria - Need for the event/program, Approach, Benefits per cost, and Competition and Collaboration with other organizations. Try to address these points when making a presentaion to the Financial Board.
  5. Once a decision is made by the Financial Board, all amounts approved or denied must also be approved by the Senate.

    6. Important Facts About Requesting Funds

    • Reimbursements can never be funded. Do not pay for anything until the request is passed.
    • Denied requests cannot be resubmitted by the club, another club, or as a Senate Sponsorship Fund request (SSF).
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SGA Reclassification

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  • Once recognized by the SOC, the club is seen as a Class VI organization by SGA.
  • You will then be allowed to submit Special Funding Requests (SFRs) to request for funding for your club/organization as outlined in the SGA Bylaws.
  • After a period of 12-18 months, the club can request to be reclassified into one of the other five classes of organizations by filling out the reclassification section of the General Request Form (GRF). The classes of organizations are as follows:
    • Class I - Special Interest
    • Class II - Club Sport
    • Class III - Campus Wide Programming
    • Class IV - Restricted Membership
    • Class V - Social Greek
  • The club is then eligible to go through the Organizational Class Finance Committee (OCFC) process to obtain a budget for the next fiscal year and to request funds as a classified organization.
  • Note that reclassification must occur in the 12-18 month period or the entire process must be repeated.

Obtaining a Budget

The budgeting process for classified clubs is known as the OCFC process, Organizational Class Finance Committee. Once a club is recognized by the SOC and is granted reclassification after 12-18 months to Class I, II, or III, they are eligible to go through this process.

Budget packets are available starting the second week of B Term and are due to SGA by the final day of B Term. Included in the completed budget packet should be a budget proposal for the next fiscal year (running from July 1-June 30) as well as other required information.

Budget hearings will occur in C Term. Clubs will be asked to present their proposed budgets to the Organizational Class Finance Committee for Class I, II or III. The OCFC will give a recommendation to SGA¢s Committee on Appropriations. All budgets will reach final approval by the Senate by the second week of D Term, and the decisions will be reported to the clubs/organizations.

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Additional Information

Additional information can be found at http://www.wpi.edu/Admin/SAO/Orgs/ and http://sga.wpi.edu.

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Questions?

If you have any questions contact your SGA Representative or email SGATreasure@wpi.edu.

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