Student Organization Eligibility & Registration

Benefits of Registered Student Organizations (RSOs)
Responsibilities of Registered Student Organizations (RSOs)
RSO’s Eligibility Requirements
Nondiscrimination in Membership and Programming
Compliance Agreement
The Registration Process
Release of Student Contact Information
Personal vs. Organizational Contact Information
Affiliation with Community, State, National, or International Groups
Financial Regulations of Registered Student Organizations (RSOs)

Student organization registration processes, eligibility requirements, and financial regulations are established by the Director of the Student Organization Office in conjunction with the Committee on Student Organizations (CSO).

Annually, over 750 student groups and clubs on the UW-Madison campus complete registration with the Student Organization Office (SOO) to become Registered Student Organizations (RSOs). Student organizations enrich the lives if individuals and the campus in many ways. They provide an outlet for learning outside the classroom, for meeting other people, for sharing interests, for broadening one’s horizons, for developing life, work & leadership skills, for gaining experience, and for engaging students as citizens of the campus community.

RSOs enjoy benefits as well as carry responsibilities. Listed below are the benefits of registering your organization and multiple sections describing the responsibilities of student organizations and their members.

Benefits of Registered Student Organizations (RSOs)

Registered Student Organizations benefit by receiving access to university facilities and services not available to non-registered student groups or to the general public. As an RSO, your group:

* May reserve and use non-instructional university facilities in the Wisconsin Union, and elsewhere on campus.

* May take advantage of services, events and programs developed for RSOs by SOO and other university offices, programs and departments.

* Are eligible to apply for grants from the student government, Associated Students of Madison (ASM), the Multicultural Council (MCC), and other sources of funding specifically available to RSOs.

*May receive free publicity by being placed on SOO's official list of RSOs on the web and in print.

*Are eligible to participate in all membership recruitment opportunities offered through the SOO, including but not limited to, the Student Organization Fair, Get Connected SOAR Interest Inventory, and Kick Off Meetings Promotion. In addition, SOO promotes student organizations in a variety of ways including attendance at the many campus resource fairs, on the Fall Fair Poster and in Category Specific Promotional Brochures, and other campus involvement/recruitment activities.

*May use the name of the University of Wisconsin-Madison to identify the group's affiliation. Note: Any form of the UW’s name may not be placed as the beginning words in the name of the organization, but must follow at the end of the name, i.e., Checkers Club, UW-Madison.

Responsibilities of Registered Student Organizations (RSOs)

RSO’s Eligibility Requirements

When the primary contact person submits the registration application form, it means that they have read eligibility and registration statements carefully and that their organization is in compliance. If at any time the organization no longer meets eligibility, the organization is no longer entitled to the privileges granted to Registered Student Organizations and at that time the primary contact person is obligated to inform the Student Organization Office of the change. Student groups at UW-Madison must be registered as a student organization in order to use university facilities or the name of the university. (Refer to Name Guidelines for further information.) To be eligible for registration, the student group must:

*Be a not-for-profit, formalized group
*Be composed primarily of UW-Madison students
*Be controlled and directed by UW-Madison students
*Be related to student life on campus
*Abide by Federal, State, City, & University nondiscrimination laws & policies
*Identify a student as a primary contact person for the organization; the primary contact must provide the Student Organization Office with information required on the application form, including two other student contacts and their addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses
*Identify a student contact person who is authorized to represent the RSO in their financial matters
*Abide by financial and all other regulations specified in the Student Organization Handbook. (Financial Regulations of Registered Student Organizations are listed below.)

Nondiscrimination in Membership and Programming

University policy, as well as federal and state laws, prohibits discrimination by Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) against students at the university.

Student Organizations that select their members or officers on the basis of commitment to a set of beliefs (e.g., religious or political beliefs) may limit membership, officer positions, or participation in the organization to students who affirm that they support the organization’s goals and agree with its beliefs, so long as no student is excluded from membership, officer positions, or participation on the basis of his or her race, color, creed other than commitment to the beliefs of the organization, religion, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status or parental status, or, unless exempt under Title IX, sex [gender].

RSOs can hold closed meetings for the purpose of peer counseling sessions or for other purposes if attendance is limited to a pre-established list of members. If such a meeting is publicized, it must be clearly labeled as a membership meeting.

Compliance Agreement

The primary contact person for each organization agrees to inform others in their organization about university policies affecting them and agrees to comply with these policies, including the Policy on the Conduct and Discipline of Registered Student Organizations and other policies and procedures as found in the Student Organization Handbook. The primary contact person further agrees that their organization complies with university rules prohibiting unlawful discrimination and will maintain all other eligibility requirements for registration. And, lastly, the primary contact person attests that they have read their organization's completed registration form, and, to the best of their knowledge, the information on the registration form is complete and accurate.

The Registration Process

Student organizations must apply ANNUALLY for registration with the Student Organization Office (SOO). The 2007-2008 registration is effective from September 2007 through August 2008. The application is submitted online and must be completed by the primary contact person for the organization, and a SOO Orientation Session must be completed each year. While the application may be submitted and an orientation session may be taken anytime throughout the year, we encourage completion early in the year to maximize your choices of funding availability, facility/room location for meetings, events, and activities, and to ensure you're reaching new students, since many begin looking to get involved as soon as they arrive on campus.

The 2007-2008 student organization registration process requires completion of the following steps:

1. Submit the 2007-2008 online application form, as found on the SOO home page http://soo.studentorg.wisc.edu at the "Apply to Register Your Student Organization" button. The primary contact person for the organization must fill out and submit the application. Approval of the application must be granted by the SOO, including the verification of UW-Madison student status of the three student contacts for the organization.

2. Complete a SOO Orientation Session, which provides valuable information on resources that develop and strengthen your student organization. Student organizations that were registered last year in 2006-2007, will be authorized to complete the Orientation Session online through My UW. The primary contact will be given authorization to take the online orientation. New student organizations in 2007-2008 and for other student organizations not registered last year in 2006-2007 must attend a face to face Orientation Session. The first Orientation Session will be held on August 29, 2007. Dates and locations are listed at .SOO Orientation Session . Orientation Sessions are offered readily throughout the year. Please send a student representative from the group (not necessarily the primary contact person), who will share the information with the rest of the organizational members.

3. Chapter presidents of social fraternities and sororities, at the beginning of each semester, must complete the Greek Contact Inventory Form, indicating any changes in officers. Submit a printed copy to the Greek advisor, Student Organization Office, Room 239 Red Gym.

4. The Student Organization Office staff will review your online registration form for accuracy, compliance with eligibility criteria, and completion of all steps of the registration process. In most cases, this process will take up to 1-2 weeks from the date of completion of both Steps 1 & 2 above. In the early fall semester, the process usually takes
3-4 weeks due to the heavy demand of hundreds of student organizations applying to register. After approval from the SOO, the primary contact person will receive an email notification verifying your organization’s status as an approved, registered student organization. The organization’s information will then be uploaded to the Directory of Registered Student Organizations posted on the SOO homepage.

5. Additional changes needing to be made to the organization’s form, after you've submitted your online application, must be made by filling out the Changes/Updates to Your Org form located on the SOO homepage, to be filled out by the organization’s primary contact person.

6. The approved registration will remain in effect until the first class day of the following academic year on the condition that the organization maintains eligibility, follows the financial regulations outlined in this chapter, and is not under suspension by the Committee on Student Organizations. If at any point the organization no longer meets the outlined criteria, it is the organization's responsibility to notify SOO, who may terminate the registration due to change in status or any misrepresentation by the organization.

Release of Student Contact Information

To register, each student organization must provide the full names, local addresses, local home or cell phone number, and email addresses of three currently registered UW-Madison students. At least one of the students must be listed as a person authorized to represent the organization in financial matters. It is the responsibility of the primary contact person to check with student contacts to be sure that they have given permission to be listed on the registration form,including their name, address, phone number and email address.

The mailing and email addresses and phone numbers of primary contacts are public information as a way for students to get in contact with your organization. Primary contact information is available on the Student Organization Office web pages and on hard copy lists produced by the office. Note that on rare occasion, there may be a request to view your complete registration form. In that event all information on the registration form is available for public view.

Personal vs. Organizational Contact Information

1. If you have an organizational mailing address, an organizational email address, or an office phone, be sure to list this on the registration form. Our database will automatically default to using these organizational contacts before posting a primary contact’s local address, email address, or local home phone or cell number.

2. However, student contacts are still required to list their personal local address, local home or cell phone number, and email address in the student contact section of the form.

3. If a student has safety or security issues around the release of personally identifying information, speak with the Director of the Student Organization Office, 265-2407, to request any special accommodation.

4. If you wish to obtain an organizational mailing address, the primary contact person for the organization may apply for a mailbox at the Student Organization Office by emailing soo@odos.wisc.edu or calling 263-0365. If you wish to obtain an organizational email address, apply online at [doit.studentorg.wisc.edu/nf_forwarding.html].

Affiliation with Community, State, National, or International Groups

You are required to disclose any community, state, national, or international affiliations of your student organization by listing them on the registration application form. Note that the name of your student organization cannot be the same name as the affiliated group. For example, if your group is affiliated with United Way and you wish to use the words United Way as part of your name, then you may name your student organization, e.g., United Way, UW Student Chapter; Friends of United Way; United Way, UW; United Way Student Programming Board.

While an affiliated student organization may adopt the goals of the broader organization, the student organization itself must also relate to student life on the Madison campus, be composed primarily of UW-Madison students, and must be controlled and directed by students. For example, the United Way, UW Student Chapter’s purpose might be to support the work of United Way, to inform students about working in the non-profit sector, and for student members to encourage other students to volunteer in United Way agencies.

Financial Regulations of Registered Student Organizations (RSOs)

Every RSO at UW-Madison is governed by standards and regulations developed by the Student Organization Office (SOO). These regulations are designed to protect the best interests of the student members of the RSOs. As a condition of registration, each student group is required to:

1. Provide SOO with a student contact person who is authorized to represent the RSO in their financial matters.

2. Maintain accurate and complete financial records of all receipts and expenditures and make these records available to any member of the organization upon request.

3. Make all financial records available for examination no later than 15 days after receiving a written request from the chair of the Committee on Student Organizations (CSO) or the director of SOO. Such requests shall be made only in order to: (a) ensure public access to information regarding the generation of revenue using university facilities or (b) investigate allegations that RSO funds have been misappropriated or misused.

4. Should the director of SOO or the chair of the Committee on Student Organizations (CSO) learn that a student organization is not abiding by these regulations, and should the student organization not contest that fact, the director of SOO, in consultation with the chair of the CSO, can determine appropriate sanctions. If a group contests the allegation, the chair of the CSO or the director of SOO will file a complaint requesting discipline through the CSO.