04:01:00
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Please refer to Tennessee Board of Regents Policy No. 3:01:01:00
The following
policy provides minimum standards for the registration and conduct of student
organizations at
A. honors and leadership
organizations and recognition societies;
B. departmental organizations
and professional fraternities and sororities; and
C. special interest groups (political,
religious, etc.).
Registration of a
student organization by
I.
General Provisions
A. No student organization may
carry on any activity at the College unless the organization has been
officially registered. All registration
of student organizations will be through the Director of Student Life and
Recreation.
B.
C. No student organization will
deny membership to any person on the basis of age, race, color, gender,
religion, sexual orientation, disability or national origin.
D. No student organization or
individual will engage in or condone any form of hazing. Hazing will include, but is not limited to
the following: any action taken, or situation created intentionally, to produce
mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment or ridicule, any form of verbal or
physical harassment or abuse, and engaging in public stunts, morally degrading
or humiliating behavior or games, whether on or off campus. Excessive demands on a student's time so as
to interfere with academic performance are prohibited. Threatening in any manner or form for the
purpose of cajoling individuals into secrecy in regard to breaches (planned,
threatened, attempted, or perpetrated) of hazing violations also is prohibited.
E. Student organizations will
be vicariously responsible and liable for the conduct and actions of each
member of the organization while acting in the capacity of a member or while
attending or participation in any activity of the organization.
F. No person, group, or
organization may use the name of the College in any manner, provided that
registered student organizations may use the name of the College following the
name of the organization. No person,
group or organization may use the seal or any symbol of the College without the
prior written approval of the president of the College.
II.
Criteria For Registration of Organizations
A. Any proposed student
organization will be open to all students of the College who otherwise meet
membership requirements. Membership in the
organization will be limited to currently enrolled students; provided that
organizations may include faculty and staff of the College, alumni, and/or
spouses of students, faculty and staff, and provided further that professional
organizations may include members of the professional and business communities
as members.
B. A proposed organization must
represent the interests of the members, and the control of the organization
must be within the local campus group.
The organization must not have a knowing affiliation with an
organization possessing illegal aims and goals, with a specific purpose to
further those illegal aims and goals.
C. The proposed organization
must agree to comply with all policies, regulations and procedures established
by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) and the College, and with all federal
and state laws and regulations.
D. The proposed organization
must not: (a) have illegal aims and goals; (b) propose activities which would
violate regulations of the TBR or the College, or federal or state laws and
regulations, or materially and substantially disrupt the work and discipline of
the College; or (c) advocate incitement of imminent lawless action which is
likely to produce such action.
E. The proposed organization
must have the minimum number of charter members designated by the College, and
there must be a demonstration of continuous interest in the purposes of the
organization sufficient to afford registration on a long-term basis. In the event there is not sufficient interest
to warrant long-term registration, the College may grant temporary registration
to an organization for a limited period of time.
F. New organizations may be
denied registration where the purposes are within the scope of a currently
registered organization. No organization
may use the same name, or a name which is misleading and similar to the name,
of a currently registered organization.
G. The organization must
provide for the distribution of all funds and assets in the event of
dissolution.
III.
Procedure For Registration of Organizations
A. To become officially
registered as a student organization, a group must meet the criteria set forth
in the previous section, and must provide the College a minimum of the
following:
1. An application or request to
form the organization. Applications are
available in the Student Life and Recreation department .
2. The proposed constitution
and bylaws of the organization, which must clearly contain the following: The name, purpose, proposed activities, and
rules of membership of the organization, the officers, their terms and methods
of selection, the proposed nature and frequency of meetings and activities, and
the financial plans of the organization, including any proposed fees, dues and
assessments.
3. The names and signatures of
the charter members of the organization.
4. The names of the faculty
advisor(s) and/or the administrative officers of the College who will sponsor
the organization. All student
organizations will have a faculty member or administrative officer as sponsor.
5. A statement of assurance of
compliance by the organization that it will comply with all rules and
regulations, policies and procedures of the TBR and the College and with all
federal and state laws and regulations.
B. The foregoing documents must
be presented to the Director of Student Life and Recreation for review and
recommendation to the Assistant Vice President of Student Success. The Assistant Vice President of Student
Success will review the documents and, in turn, make recommendations to the
Vice President of Student Success and Enrollment Management. Registration by the Vice President of Student
Success and Enrollment Management is necessary before the organization can be
officially registered.
C. An organization may be
required to clarify any materials or information provided in the registration
process, to resubmit the application or request with non-conforming materials
or provisions deleted, or to appear at a hearing for the propose of obtaining
additional information and testimony concerning the purposes, aims, or proposed
activities of the organization.
IV. Nature and Conditions of
Registration
A. Registration of a student
organization for other than temporary period will be on an annual basis only,
effective until the beginning of the next fall term, and will be subject to
annual renewal for each ensuing year.
B. Annual renewal of
registration of an organization will be dependent upon the organization's
demonstration of compliance with the following:
1. adherence to the purposes,
aims and activities as stated in the approved constitution and bylaws;
2. it must continue to meet all
of the requirements for initial registration;
3. it must have remained in
compliance with all rules and regulations of the College and all federal and
state laws;
4. it must submit all changes
in the constitution and bylaws to the College for approval;
5. it must maintain a current
list of officers, faculty advisers, and sponsors on file with the College; and
6. it must have submitted all
required financial and other reports to the College.
V.
Probation, Suspension, and Withdrawal of Registration
A. An organization may be
placed on probation, be suspended, or registration may be withdrawn by the Vice
President of Student Success and Enrollment Management for any of the following
reasons:
1. the organization fails to
maintain compliance with the initial requirements for registration;
2. the organization ceases to
operate as an active organization;
3. the organization requests
withdrawal of registration;
4. the organization operates or
engages in any activity in violation of rules and regulations of the College,
or federal or state laws; or
5. the organization fails to
submit any required reports.
B. An organization which is
placed on probation may continue to hold meetings but may not sponsor any
activity or program. An organization
which is placed under suspension may not engage in or sponsor any activity or
program, and may not hold meetings. When
registration of an organization is withdrawn, it will cease to exist as an
organization.
C. In the event an organization
is placed on probation or suspended, or registration is withdrawn, the
organization will be afforded the opportunity for a hearing before the Student
Affairs Committee.
VI. Officers of Student
Organizations
No student who is
under academic or social suspension from the College will be eligible to
become, or maintain the status of, an officer of an organization.
VII. Fiscal Procedures
A. Each organization will
maintain a sound financial system related to the collection and disbursement of
revenues in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. An organization may be subject to audit by
the College Business Office at any time, and appropriate financial records will
be maintained for the purposes of audit.
B. Each organization will
designate an officer of the organization who is responsible for the Collection
and disbursements of funds and the maintenance of books and records.
VIII.
Programs and Activities
A. The use of any college property
or buildings by an organization will be subject to the rules and regulations of
the TBR and the College concerning use of property and facilities. (Reference TBR Policy No. 3:02:02:00 and
Pellissippi State Policy No. 08:03:00.)
All organizations registered pursuant to this policy will be
"affiliated organizations" for the purpose of college and TBR
policies concerning use of campus property and facilities.
B. Except for routine meetings
of the organization, no on-campus program or activity will be engaged in unless
approved by the director of student activities.
Prior approval must be secured for off-campus activities of an
organization. For off-campus activities
it must be demonstrated that adequate security will be provided and that an
adequate number of college personnel will be present.
C. Any fund-raising activity on
campus will be for the benefit of the organization as a whole or a charity, and
no funds will be distributed to the officers or members of an organization for
personal profit or gain.
D. No guest speakers will be
invited to the campus except pursuant to TBR and college policies on off-campus
speakers. (Reference TBR Policy No. 3:01:10:00 and Pellissippi State Policy No.
03:06:00)
Source:
Tennessee Board of Regents, Policy Nos. 3:02:02:00 and 03:01:01:00
Pellissippi
State Policy Nos. 08:03:00 and 03:06:00
Approved:
Executive Council, March 4, 1991
Editorial
Changes, October 27, 1992, April 20, 1994, July 15, 1994
Approved:
President Allen G. Edwards, October 10, 2001
Approved: President Allen G. Edwards, November 29, 2004
Editorial
Changes, July 2008