Student Clubs and Organizations

Format for an Organizational Constitution

Note: To create your constitution electronically from this page, copy the text from this page into a word processing program such as Microsoft Word.

CONSTITUTION OF THE ______________ CLUB OR ORGANIZATION

Article I.  Name
Section 1.  The name of this organization shall be ____________________.

Article II:  Purpose
State specifically the purpose of your club, for example:  "to promote . . .,"  "to encourage . . . ," etc.

Article III:  Membership
Section 1:  General Membership
Membership in the _______ club is open to any student at Lorain County Community College.

Section 2:  Voting Members
a. To vote at a meeting, individuals must place their names on the club  membership roster at or prior to the last previous club meeting.
b. A roster of voting members must be maintained by the club secretary  (or other appropriate officer).

Additional sections may be added if desired, such as:  members in good standing, honor members, charter members, nonvoting members, loss of voting privilege, etc.

Article ___:  Meetings
State how often meetings are to be held, who specifically can call a meeting, and any other pertinent information.

Article ___:  Activities
If your club plans to have activities, projects, etc., specifically state the nature of them and any other pertinent information.

Article ___:  Advisor(s)
Every club must have at least one faculty advisor whose signature must appear on any purchase requisitions written by the treasurer.  It is recommended that you state a method in which an advisor is to be selected and removed.  Advisors should serve in a nonvoting capacity.

Article ___:  Officers
State here specific officers you intend to incorporate into your club and the specific duties and responsibilities for each.  Here also should be mentioned the processes by which an officer can be removed from office and, also, the process by which the offices will be filled in the case of a vacancy.

Article ___:  Elections
Here should be mentioned when elections will be held, qualifications for nomination (if any), length of term, when the elected persons take office, election procedures, and any other pertinent information.  In your constitution it should be mentioned that elections will be held at a well-publicized meeting.

Article ___:  Amendments
Provisions must be made for amendments.  Amendments are required to be approved by a 2/3 vote by the general membership of your club.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONSITUTION

All campus organizations must register with the Student Life Office in the fall.  Forms will be sent to the advisors of continuing organizations and  are to be returned to the Student Senate Office when officers are chosen.  Registration forms are due by the last class day of the fourth week of fall semester.  Any new club which has not received a registration form may pick one up in the Student Senate Office.

Provisional Registration 
Newly created organizations will be provisionally registered upon receipt of name and statement of purpose, name of advisor, and at least one temporary student officer.  New groups will then have 30 days in which to meet, prepare a constitution, and elect officers. Once all chartering and registration materials are complete and approval by Student Senate is received, the organization will be officially chartered and registered.  A copy of the charter form will be sent to the organization when complete.

Termination of Registration

 Registration of campus groups will be terminated upon:

1. Discontinuance of the student organization
2. Failure to re-register in the fall of the year
3. Proof of disregard for campus, state, or federal laws or policies
4. Request of a sponsoring off-campus organization

A student group may appeal termination of registration by contacting the Student Life Program Coordinator.