The process of becoming a recognized student organization is as follows:
STEP 1—Submit a New Student Organization Interest Form on Triton Connect. Once you have submitted the interest form, you must also send an email to the Student Programs Manager for Student Organizations (studentorganizations@umsl.edu) to schedule a consultation regarding your proposed student organization.
STEP 2—Schedule and attend your consultation meeting with the Office of Student Involvement. At this consultation, you will discuss your proposed student organization with the Student Involvement staff who will provide guidance on the rest of the process. If the staff member decides you are ready to proceed, your proposed organization will be moved to pending status
STEP 3— Begin Recruiting Members. You will have limited access to certain campus resources to assist you with recruiting student members. This limited access is known as the 3x3x3 Rule of Pending Organizations
- 3 room reservations in the MSC (rooms only, no costs can be associated with reservations).
- 3 entries on the Campus Calendar via Triton Connect.
STEP 4—Complete a New Student Organization Application on Triton Connect. After all materials are submitted, you will be contacted by a staff member in Student Involvement to review your constitution and by-laws. (Please note that you may need to revise the constitution and bylaws after it has been submitted the first time. You should be prepared to revise the constitution several times before moving forward in the process).
STEP 5— Once your application is complete, the Office of Student Involvement will take it for review by the Student Affairs Committee of the University Assembly on your behalf. Student organizations may be Approved, Provisionally Approved, or Denied.
STEP 6— Following review by the Student Affairs Committee, the Office of Student Involvement will notify you of the results. If your application is approved you will be asked to schedule an appointment to complete New Student Organization Training.
Recognized Student Organizations have the following privileges and responsibilities:
- Use of University’s name for identification purposes.
- Participation in University sponsored events.
- Use of campus facilities and services as provided by university regulations, 1-3 posters per event (from our graphic designer), reservation of meeting and conference rooms, and the opportunity to promote and flyer on campus for events.
- Ability to receive mail & packages at the Office of Student Involvement.
- Must have a faculty or staff advisor that is currently 0.75 FTE (30 hrs/week or greater employment at the university).
- Must complete the RSO renewal process on an annual basis.
- Must update Triton Connect page anytime a change of officers occurs.
- Must maintain a membership roster of a minimum of ten (10) current students.
- Must submit an update of the organization constitution and bylaws annually through the renewal process.
- Student organization must attend the Office of Student Involvement's annual Student Organization Leadership Education (SOLE) training session each Fall.
- Eligibility to apply for partial financial support from the Student Activities Budget Committee (SABC).
- Eligibility to receive Student Leadership Awards.
- Must comply with Office of Student Involvement, Student Government Association, and University of Missouri policies.
- Must be responsible for the whereabouts of capital expense items purchased with Student Activity Budget Committee funds.
Holding the status of a Recognized Student Organization does not mean that the University supports the views held by an organization. All RSOs are expected to comply with policies, procedures, and regulations of the University. Responsibility for violations of any laws (federal, state, or local) or University regulations must be assumed by the organization and (or) individual officers and members. An organization’s inability to adhere to these responsibilities may result in suspension of the RSO and/or the forfeiture of RSO privileges.
- New Student Organization Interest forms and New Student Organization Applications will only be accepted during the Fall and Spring semesters. This gives the Office of Student Involvement time to update necessary documents and policies for student organizations. No interest forms or applications will be accepted during the summer.
- The Student Affairs Committee only meets 2-3 times per semester and does not meet between May and August. Being prompt with submitting the Application and changes to the constitution and bylaws will move the process along faster and help ensure your organization is recognized within the same year that the process is started.
- Be patient and plan on having at least 2-3 rounds of changes for your constitution and bylaws after your initial submission with the New Student Organization Application. These documents govern your organization so it is important that they are accurate and consistent.
- Student groups looking to become a Recognized Student Organization through the Office of Student Involvement must fill out the New Student Organization Interest form and have a consultation meeting before submitting the New Student Organization Application.
- The Office of Student Involvement will not begin the review process for your organization before all requirements have been satisfied:
- Roster of at least 10 currently enrolled student members
- Faculty/Staff Advisor
- Constitution and Bylaws
- Deadlines:
- New Student Organization Interest forms will not be accepted after March 1st each year
- New Student Organization Applications will not be accepted after April 1st each year
- All applications and forms will be available no later than September 1st of each year
