Student Organization Recognition Process

If you have been involved with a student organization previously, you might be familiar with the term "charter" or "chartering." This was the annual process in which your organization filled out Authorized Signer paperwork, updated your constitution, completed the online chartering module, and resubmitted your online portal on SonomaSync. However, in an effort to update our Student Involvement practices to make sure they are inclusive, student-focused, user friendly, and in line with all CSU and SSU policies, we are now going to refer to the process in which your student organization becomes a "recognized" student organization at SSU as the "Recognition Process" instead of the "Chartering Process". It makes more sense to us and we hope that it makes more sense to you as well. Please keep in mind the following minimum requirements for Recognition Before Continuing with the rest of the process.

Step One: CLUB ELIGIBILITY – Gathering leadership and members
GPA and Enrolled Units

• Students in the organization as an entire group should have at least a minimum GPA of 2.0 combined. 
• Presidents and Treasurers must have a GPA of at least 2.0 or greater individually in order to be president and treasurer of their organization. The Club and Programming Advisor will be checking grades at the beginning of each semester once people charter or re-charter their Org. If one of their GPAS fall below the 2.0, they will need to step down and re-elect or appoint (which ever your constitution says) a new officer who meets the criteria.
• Student Organization Officers should be enrolled in a minimum of six units (undergraduate students) or three units (graduate students) during each term of office
• All student organizations new and current must have a minimum of 5 members (including their president and treasurer)
• All student organizations must have an advisor that works at Sonoma State (Please see below for what an advisor is) that is not in an auxiliary unit (Associated Students, Sonoma State Enterprises)
• At least 80% of members in the club/organization must be currently enrolled Sonoma State students. You are allowed to have up to 20% of your organization to be non-SSU students. EXCEPTION: 100% of the membership in Sports Clubs, Fraternities, and Sororities are required to be currently enrolled SSU Students.
   

• Once a club has an elected president, treasurer, advisor and 3 more members (for a total of 5) and meets all other eligibility requirements, the club president, treasurer and advisor need to complete an online training (Canvas). 
• To get access to the trainings please go to this CANVAS TRAINING REQUEST form to let us know your officer/advisor names and emails. Canvas will send you an invite to the course.
• Note that if you are a club officer/advisor for more than one club, you only need to do one training, but in that training when it asks for your club, you need to list all of the Clubs/Orgs you are an officer/advisor for so we can check you off. 

Club presidents need to submit their 24-25 constitution when they complete their club training. You can do this by emailing the updated constitution to: 

• Sport & Recreational Clubs | dominguezm@sonoma.edu
• General Clubs | mo.phillips@sonoma.edu

Use the Constitution Template and Guide to help you get started. Pay close attention to those details that must stay in your document

TIP: The constitution is the backbone of your club and while you can just put basic things down just to get it turned in, you may want to spend some time and effort creating it. If there are any issues with elections, removing members, etc. we are always going to defer to the constitution so it’s in your best interest to spend time on it.

• Each club will need to have an up to date trust form on file before the club is officially chartered. 
• This trust form is a “contract” with AS stating that the students that sign the document are the ONLY authorized signatories that can do business on behalf of the club. Advisors may be added if the club wants, but it is not mandatory. Also, in a new piece this year, the Director of Student Involvement will automatically be a signer on all club accounts to ensure quick processing of checks especially over the summer months.
• Once you complete your online trainings and turn in your updated constitution, the AS Business Office will forward you the trust form to complete. Once that is done, they will let us know and we will email you. 
   

We’ve created a tracker to monitor the progress of the club's recognition process as there are multiple parts they need to complete before becoming recognized. 

Recognition Tracker tracks the following: 

• President Training (completed on Canvas) 
• Treasurer Training (completed on Canvas) 
• Advisor Training (completed on Canvas) 
• Constitution (submitted via email) 
• Trust Form (Will be sent to officers via Adobe Sign) 
• Confirmation email - we will email when you are formally recognized 

IMPORTANT NOTE – Club leadership for 23-24 will be the official signers and club leadership through the end of the spring 24 semester (May 17, 2024).