Student Organizations

For a complete list of all student organizations and their contacts, please click here.

For the Student Affairs website, please click here.

If you are head of an organizing seeking recognition, please fill out this Application for Recognition and read the Executive Committee's Policy on Recognizing Student Organizations below.

Executive Committee's Policy on Recognizing Student Organizations

Article I

All student organizations must be recognized by the Executive Committee of the Student Body (EC) in order to receive recognition and/or funding by the Washington and Lee University student body.

Article II

A new organization may apply for recognition at any time during the academic year. However, there will be a deadline, determined by the current EC President, for all Student Body Recognition (SBR) applicants wishing to be considered for fall budget allocations.

Effective the 2004-2005 academic year, the process for recognizing student organizations shall include the following steps:

• The group must pick up a SBR Application from the Director of Student Activities Office or from the EC’s website, http://ec.wlu.edu.
• Then, the officers of the organization must formulate a Constitution based on the interests of its members. Issues that must be addressed in the Constitution:

a. History of Organization (if known)

i. Include how and when the constitution was drafted and approved.

b. Mission statement, including the purpose/focus of the organization

c. Requirements for membership

d. Organization of Leadership/Officers (not including specific names)

i. Describe the duties associated with each position

ii. Describe the election process

e. How will your organization be bebeficial to Washington and Lee University and/or the surrounding community?

• The group must turn in two copies of both the SBR Application and the Constitution to the EC Vice President.
• If the organization is a part of the School of Law, it may be recognized in accordance with the Student Bar Association’s student organization recognition policy.

a. Upon recognition of a new law organization, the SBA shall appoint a representative to meet with the EC. This representative will describe the newly recognized organization to the Committee and present a copy of the organization’s file for the EC records.

• If the organization is a club sport, the SBR Application must be pre-approved by the Director of Campus Recreation before presenting it to the EC along with the group’s Constitution. If the sport is denied “University Club Sport” status, it may seek to become a general club or organization.
• The EC will review the SBR Application and Constitution and may recognize the organization by majority vote. Interviews will follow if deemed necessary.
• Upon recognition of a student organization, the EC Vice President will inform the Director of Student Activities and give him/her a copy of the SBR Application and the Constitution. Then, the EC Vice President will file a copy of the organization’s SBR Application and Constitution in the Committee’s records and inform the applicants that the organization has been recognized.
• Only if officially recognized by the EC will a student organization be eligible for funding in accordance with the Committee’s Student Budget Policy.
• After recognition, the organization’s Constitution will serve as a reference for future members of the Washington and Lee student body. If a particular organization dissolves whether from lack or participation or from revocation by the EC, the Constitution can help future generations revive the organization. The Constitution should, therefore, provide a thorough description of the organization.
• The SBR Application will serve as an annual update of the organization’s officers and contact information. It must be turned in every year by the close of spring term so that the website and the University directory may be updated for the following academic year. In addition, when the EC Vice President receives the renewed Application, the organization is considered active. When SBR Applications are not turned in by the close of spring term, the organization may be considered inactive and may face revocation by the Executive Committee.

Article III

The EC reserves the power to revoke the recognition of a student organization at any time by a two-thirds vote of the Committee members.

Causes for revocation may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. inactivity of an organization
2. misuse of Student Activity fees
3. conduct unbecoming of a representative body of Washington and Lee University.

Once an organization’s recognition is revoked, all of that group’s funding will roll back into the Student Body Working Reserve.

Article IV

In the event that a campus organization is denied recognition by the Executive Committee, or if it is dissatisfied with EC revocation, it may appeal to the Student Affairs Committee (SAC).

SAC, which meets on a weekly basis, will be given a written report summarizing the EC’s decision. Then, the campus organization’s officers will have the chance to defend their application for Student Body Recognition.

Once SAC deliberates, a campus organization may be considered active again by a two-thirds vote of SAC’s members. The Dean of Students will inform the EC Vice President of SAC’s decision.