The University of Rhode Island student senate will not be recognizing any new clubs after Oct. 17.
At the student-organization angle of the senate, this fall semester will function in two halves, according to Student Organizations Chair Jacob Milner. The first six weeks – which wrap up on Oct. 17 – are for recognition. The second half will focus on advising.
Students who plan to form new clubs have until that Friday, Oct. 17, to complete the initial steps of club development, according to Milner. After Oct. 17, proposed clubs will be processed in the spring.
To start their own student-run organization, students must gather a minimum of 10 interested undergraduate students; meet and hold elections for officers; fill out the recognition application and model constitution; schedule a meeting with Milner; and attend a general student senate meeting to be recognized, according to the URI student senate’s club section of its website. The senate meets every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Memorial Union Room 300.
This rule for club creation is to benefit students and the senate, according to Milner. It functions to give newly senate-recognized clubs enough time to develop ideas, create a workflow, finalize their budget and create an executive branch.
The change also allows clubs to use their allotted funds in an appropriate amount of time, according to Milner. In the past, the senate would recognize clubs in the last two weeks of the semester, and students would not have time to use their funding. Alternatively, clubs would also miss opportunities but receive the full year’s financial package.
Clubs need time to gather interest and involvement from undergraduate students, according to Milner. Capping club registration halfway through the fall semester allows senate-recognized clubs to devote time to recruitment.
“We got your back,” Milner said. “We are here for you to make this [process with the student senate] super enjoyable.”
There are over 120 senate-recognized clubs on campus, according to Milner. There are over 300 clubs on campus, including club sports teams and those who are recognized by academic colleges.
The student senate Student Organization Committee works as an advisory group and support for the campus’ senate-recognized clubs, according to SOC member Andrew D’Aiello.
SOC’s goal is twofold, according to D’Aiello. They manage clubs and act as an “invisible hand” on campus – overseeing recognition and involvement.
The committee also has a lot of administrative tasks, like helping clubs with their registration, budgets and booking spaces, according to Milner.
“[Not allowing new clubs after Oct. 17] is not with intention of barring interest, but focused around the idea of making things more uniform, and making workflow easier for [the SOC],” Milner said.
SOC hopes to be more interactive with the clubs themselves, Milner said. Milner and D’Aiello plan to amend this change around club recognition into the student senate bylaws.
