It’s easy to form a new group at Student Association if you have 5 interested people (including yourself). Just follow the steps listed below.  

1. Draw up a constitution.  

You can get a sample constitution from the Student Association Student Group Affairs page under documents 

• The name of your organization 

• Its purpose 

• Membership requirements (open membership) 

• Its form of government 

• Provision for meetings- provided that the group will meet at least once per semester 

• The definition of quorum (must be 2/3 of the group's general membership) 

• Provision for dues, if desired 

• Provisions for impeachment of officers (generally impeachment is for  neglect of duties, removal is determined by a 2/3 vote of the members) 

• Provisions for amendments 

• Provisions for ratification 

• Provisions for elections 

• Provision for funds 

  2. The club E-board members, 5 Interested members and Faculty Advisor must Sign and date the certification statement which states:- 

• "The group has voted to observe the rules established by the Student Association for the coordination of organizations" 

• "The group has voted to observe the rules provided for in the Student Guidelines, with regard to reservation and use of university facilities (rooms, equipment, etc.) can be found on the Student Involvement website" 

• “The group is composed largely or entirely of full time, student activity fee paying students" 

• “The group’s E-board has been certified by the Student Association’s Elections Commission”

3. Submit files to SA Student Affairs Director via MyInvolvement 

Once steps 1-3 are completed, one of your group officers must fill out the New Student Group Registration Form on the SA Student Group Affairs MyInvolvement page. Upon receiving these documents the Student Group Affairs Director will review them and issue an approval, denial or resubmission. The director will then submit your constitution for approval to the Student Association Chief Justice. 

4. Temporary recognition 

Upon approval of your constitution, you will need to meet with the Student Group Affairs director for a brief overview meeting of your group’s e-board upon which ⅔’s of the e-board is required to attend.  

It is then up to the SA President and the Student Group Affairs director  to grant you temporary recognition. If the SA President does not approve your group's operations, you can appeal to the Student Association Senate, which observes the right to grant operational recognition on final appeal. 

5. Register with SORC If your group receives temporary recognition the next step will be to create a “my involvement” page via  Student Organization Resource Center. The Student Group Affairs Director will forward all  documents to the SORC Office. Having a “my involvement” page is required of all organizations in order to reserve space/rooms for meetings and events, post fliers on the Podium, and utilize other University services. 

6. Permanent recognition: Once you have temporary recognition, you may apply for permanent  recognition. To do this, you must hold up to 3 meetings and keep minutes and attendance lists from those meetings. A Student Association Senator must be present at one of the three meetings in order for your organization to be considered for permanent recognition. You should  arrange this in advance with the Office of the Senate located within the Student Association by emailing the Senate Chair, going into his/her  office hours or attending a Senate meeting on Wednesday at 8:30pm in the  Assembly Hall and asking/inviting a Senator directly. The minutes, attendance list, and Senator attendance form should be  submitted to the Student Group Affairs Director (via myinvolvement), who will work with the SA President to consider your group for permanent recognition. When you  hand in your paperwork you must also schedule an appointment with the Student Group Affairs Director. 

7. SA funding Once permanent recognition has been granted you are eligible to submit a  request for a "New and Unfunded" budget to the SA Senate Appropriations  Committee, which decides on funding. The first two semesters of  being permanently recognized a student group may receive only up to $400  per semester (As of the 2022-23 year). The following spring semester, the club will be eligible to submit a budget to the Student Association Senate for consideration. The budget can be any reasonable amount.  

8. Signatory Power  

 If you do receive funding, the last step is to gain signatory  powers for your President and Treasurer (can be another two e-board members also) by taking the Financial Literacy Exam, administered by the Office of the Comptroller. To register for this exam, contact their office at saoc@albany.edu