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Start a Student Organization

How to become a new student organization at the University of Michigan-Flint?

  1. You need to figure out what kind of organization you want to start. 
  2. You need to have at least four members: a president, a treasurer, and two members. Next, you will need an advisor. Your advisor can be any faculty or staff member on campus. It is recommended that you find an advisor related to your organization or club. For example, if you want to start an organization for pre-law, you should find your advisor in College or Art, Sciences & Education, especially in the political science area! But that’s up to you.
    • Board Composition
      • Director for Student Organizations and Partnership.
      • No less than two Student Government members. 
      • No less than one At-Large Members. 
  3. Create a constitution, to become a new student organization you need a constitution that contains the fundamental principles that outline the purpose, structure, and limits of an organization. Essentially, the constitution provides a foundation upon which an organization operates. The following are some standard articles that commonly appear in organization bylaws: 
    • Membership Sections under this article should discuss and detail the various aspects of membership that may be applicable: membership selection process, types of membership, and procedures for disciplining and/or removing members. 
    • The Officers Sections under this article should discuss the officer selection process, each officer’s duties, powers, and responsibilities, and procedures for removal from office and filling vacant officer positions. 
    • Committee Sections under this article should discuss and detail standing and special committees (formation, selection, powers, and duties), the executive committee (membership, powers, and duties), and the roles and responsibilities of committee chairs. 
    • Meetings Sections under this article should discuss types of meetings, how and when they occur, requirements for notice, attendance, quorum (number of members needed present to transact business), meeting format, and parliamentary rules of order (usually Robert’s Rules of Order). 
    • The University of Michigan-Flint Student Government provides a template of the Constitution for Student Organizations to use for help and ideas for their constitution. Here is a template you can use as a model Constitution Template Updates. For more information check out the Student Organization Resource Guide.
  4. Put in your application! Once you have your Organization, members/advisor, and constitution done, you will need to submit an application for a new student organization.
    Once you have your application in, it may take up to a week to go through.
  5. The SOPB Chair (the Director of Student Organization and Partnership) will contact you to set up a meeting, where you will introduce yourself and the organization you are trying to start. Then the committee will disseminate whether to Approve or Deny your organization.

If you have any questions, contact Avery Hambleton, the Director of Student Organization and Partnership, at averyham@umich.edu.