How to become an RSO

    Despite having over 100 Recognized Student Organizations, GCSU still lacks some groups that are common at other institutions.  There is no chess club, no archery club, no yearbook and no debate team. Fortunately, if the students of GCSU want these clubs, they can be easily established with some effort on the part of the students.
    Each organization at GCSU had to start somewhere, and it’s easy to form a new group.
    This is how groups such as the Anime Club, which formed only last year, were formed.  Anime Club Vice President Scott Howard can share his sentiment.
    “I decided that I liked anime and there has to be other people who like anime,” Howard said.  It was this thought that spurred the Anime Club’s first meetings last year, after being inactive.
    According to the Student Life Web site, there are several guidelines for forming a new RSO:
    • Take initiative. Find like-minded people, have an informational meeting, make a Facebook group, and get the word out.  Gather enough interest to form an organization.  The most important part of a club’s success is the people involved, according to Ryan Greene, president of SGA.
    • Do the paperwork.  Fill out the Student Organization Application, which is available online through the Campus Life Web site.
• Write it down.  Draft a constitution that states the club’s purpose.  There are sample constitutions in the Student Activities Center.  This will need to be updated every two years.  "This was the most difficult part," Howard said.
    • Turn it in.  Bring your application, constitution and a list of at least seven members to the Student Activities Center.  According to Doris Henderson, senior administrative secretary of Campus Life and Student Activities, the deadline for registering an organization is Sept. 30.   
    • Wait patiently. The paperwork will go to the SGA president.
    • Find a sponsor.  An officer from the group should contact an SGA senator who will sponsor the organization by writing a bill.  Senators will also be involved in any requests for money the club may make.  A list of senators will be on the SGA website.
    • Support SGA.  The organization’s request to form will be placed on the agenda for the next SGA meeting.  At least one member of the group should be present.
    • Wait some more.  "The whole process will take about two weeks," Greene said.  The request to form an organization moves on to be approved by the Student Affairs Council and then the group’s status will be known.  
    • Follow the rules. Once an organization is formed, there are certain responsibilities that must be fulfilled.  A group must use GCSU in their name, actively recruit members on campus, and participate in the Bobcat Marketplace.  It must also renew its RSO status yearly.
    • Reap the benefits. The organization also has privileges as an RSO.  It has access to a mailbox in The Student Activity Center, can reserve space on campus and can apply for funds from SGA for events and supplies.  Plus, organizations can fundraise on campus to supplement their budgets.  
    • Don’t give up. As a new organization, there are still challenges out there.  A new group has to publicize to gain new members and get a turnout for events. Once a solid membership is formed, there is the issue of maintaining those numbers.   Learn from the experience of other groups. 

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 14 2007. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry