Requirements
A group of 10 or more full-time students wishing to form an organization and seek official status from the university by obtaining a charter may do so, provided the following requirements are met:
1. The group does not duplicate an existing organization. Please look at the current organizational offerings before sending in a new organization request.
2. The group's purpose ensures continuity and stability of the organization.
3. The group does not organize under the sponsorship of an existing organization (i.e., this could include external organizations or other campus organizations. The group should be stable and independent).
4. If nonstudents are affiliated with the organization in a capacity other than an advisory role, they may only be associate members. Associate members may not hold office or vote.
5. The organization must have an advisor who is a full-time faculty or staff member at the university.
Steps to Follow
1. Submit the application: application forms for newly chartered or re-chartered student organizations are vetted by the New Student Organization Committee.
2. If the request is for a new or rechartered organization located at any of the Gulf Coast campuses (i.e., Gulf Park, GCRL, or Stennis) please fill out the following application to complete that process.
Items to include with the application:
A. Organization Constitution (Sample constitution for reference here)
B. Letter from a full-time faculty or staff member that agrees to serve as the advisor of the proposed organization.
C. Letter from a department which proposed organization will affiliate (this is only required if you are directly associated with a department).
After submitting the application, you will receive communication on the next steps through the form's workflow process.
While waiting for final approval, student organizations in the chartering/re-chartering process can:
1. Conduct up to three interest meetings for the proposed organization.
2. Market for the proposed organization. There are bulletin boards inside the Hub and the Union that are available to student groups to use for advertising your form organization. Additionally, the Union provides the big screen in the Thad for a cost. Their form is available here. Need more help? Fill out the Get Connected form to request assistance from LSI!
The Committee for New Student Organizations
The Committee on New Student Organizations (CNSO) consists of campus partners (including faculty, staff, and students) that vet new and resubmitted constitutions for student organizations. Once this process is complete, the newly formed or re-formed student organization will meet with LSI for a Student Organization Orientation (SOO) as a final step in the registration process.
Are you a student, faculty, or staff who enjoys working with governing documents and/or is excited to be a part of chartering processes for student organizations? Email us at lsi@usm.edu to express your interest in this Committee.
Registration approval process for new and re-chartering organizations
The Committee on New Student Organizations (CNSO) consists of campus partners (including faculty, staff, and students) that vet new and resubmitted constitutions for student organizations. Once this process is complete, the newly formed or re-formed student organization will meet with LSI for a Student Organization Orientation (SOO) as a final step in the registration process.
1. Students seeking to form a group will fill out the registration form.
2. The Committee for New Organizations (CNSO) will receive the request and check for any redundancies with other organizations already formed on campus.
**Please note that if the mission of the proposed group parallels an existing organization, we reserve the right to deny the request to establish the newly proposed organization, Instead, we would encourage and help you to connect with the existing organization.**
3. If the organization is unique, the CNSO will review the constitution and provide any necessary changes and/or comments for the proposed group to make.
4. Once the final documents have been received, the student group will receive a prompt through the workflow system to schedule a Student Organization Orientation (SOO) with LSI.
**This meeting will include going over the SOO PowerPoint that includes information on campus policies and procedures, campus partners, and resources to help you be a successful organization. Additionally, your Eagle Hub group will be set up and a short tutorial on its use will be given.**
5. Once this meeting is complete, the group will be fully registered here at Southern Miss!
Registration/Re-charter Timeline
Timeline for registration: the timeline will be rolling throughout the semester and will begin with the receipt of the form. From start to finish, the process should take about 4 weeks at the longest. However, that can vary depending on the receipt of requested information from the student group seeking to charter.
Below is an example of a potential timeline (this is only an example. The timeline itself is ongoing. It could take less time if the NSO Committee and the students seeking to establish a group take less time between each step of approval).
Week 1. The form is received and the CNSO will have 1 week to review for any redundancies with existing organizations and then will begin the review of the constitution.
Week 2. Upon approval of no redundancies and review the constitution, the CNSO will provide any updates and/or changes to the submitter of the form.
Week 3. The submitter of the form would then have 1 week to reply with a final document, including any necessary changes. However, this step can vary depending on when the submitter replies to the request for a final document.
Week 4. The last step would be for the President and Advisor of the proposed student group to schedule an SOO with LSI. This is where the timeline can additionally vary as it is up to the group to complete this step. Once the meeting is held, the group will officially be chartered!
