Creating a New Student Organization

An organization seeking College recognition should:

1. Contact the Director of Student Activities and obtain the proper materials for applying for official recognition.

2. Submit a completed Student Organization Record along with an electronic copy of your constitution and roster list with R numbers and proposed by-laws to the Director of Student Involvement.  The constitution must meet the minimum stipulations provided by the Director of Student Involvement, who will then submit the complete application to the Rhodes Student Government (RSG) for consideration.

When a student organization seeks recognition, the Rhodes Student Government will vote to recommend to the Dean of Students whether the group should be a Recognized Student Organization. With the exception of nationally-affiliated fraternities and sororities that have received official approval from the Dean of Students office, official recognition by the college will be granted to organizations who meet with the following requirements: (1) the organization’s purpose is not in conflict with the mission of the college and (2) the membership of the organization is not exclusive (i.e., the organization must be open to all Rhodes students who are interested in membership. Furthermore, the organization must not act in a way that violates the College’s policy on Discrimination and Harassment or disallows members the same privileges or opportunities in regards to membership, leadership, etc.

The Office of Student Involvement will notify the organization in writing within four (4) weeks of the RSG senate’s decision on whether or not the proposal has been approved. If denied, a written explanation of the denial must be included. If approved, RSG will forward the organization’s application for approval by the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students will review the recommendation of RSG, approve or deny the organization’s request for recognition and inform the RSG treasurer of the decision within fourteen (14) days. The Office of Student Involvement will then notify the organization of the status of its petition for recognition. The decision of the Rhodes Student Government may be appealed to the Dean of Students. The decision of the Dean of Students regarding the recognition of the organization may be appealed to the President of the College.

The officers of recognized student organizations are responsible for the actions of their respective organizations. The Director of Student Involvement, Dean of Students and the Rhodes Student Government do not control nor are responsible for actions taken by student organizations.

Guidelines for Constitution Writing

The following outline and questions are designed to help you write a constitution for your organization. The constitution should contain statements concerning enduring aspects of the organization. The articles contain the essential information needed for a comprehensive organization constitution.

Items that are subject to frequent revision should be included in bylaws or standing rules, rather than a constitution. Such frequently revised items might include specific meeting schedules, attendance policies, meeting procedure, committee specificities, as applicable, and/or supplementary reference information as appendices. NOTE: If you need any help with writing your constitution or any other governing document, please contact the Director of Student Involvement, 843.3970.