The 53rd Emory College Council

First, we would like to thank you for your questions and interest in chartering a new organization on campus. New organizations keep Emory's campus diverse and engaging while adding a new flavor to the Emory experience. Below you will find information about the chartering process, notable exceptions, a description about the application process, and the applications themselves.

The Chartering Process

The chartering process, first and foremost, is a continuous process. This will be clearer as you read on. There are three phases a group can be in.

1) Unofficial Phase: During this phase, the idea of the club is conceived, initial members are gathered, and the first meetings are held. This is all done on a purely unofficial basis, with regards to how College Council views it. After the group has held 3 meetings, gained 10 members (2/3s of which are enrolled in Emory College), has written a constitution with a non-discriminatory clause, and has obtained a faculty advisor, they can move onto the next phase. If you need to make room/space reservations during this time for meetings or activities, please let College Council Vice-President Elizabeth Farrar know so she can sign off on the reservations and in effect, College Council will sponsor you until you get an account number.

2) Temporarily Chartered:

a. To get to this stage, the group must fulfill all of the requirements listed above and fill out a temporary charter application, which can be found below. Once you have completed the application, follow the directions in submitting it. Once received, your temporary charter application will be for an administrative committee hearing which a representative from your organization will be required to attend. At this hearing, you will be asked to discuss the nature and purpose of your group, how it contributes to the Emory experience, and how it is different from all clubs on campus. You will also be asked to bring, at least, TWO COPIES of every aspect of your application. A full application includes an application form, constitution, an executive list, and a member list. Your application will be automatically rejected if it is not typed.

b. Once chartered, your group will have to fulfill all duties and requirements of a temporarily chartered organization. These will include holding regular meetings and events, working towards your mission statement, and submitting a semester report if applicable (it is only inapplicable if you receive your charter in either January or early September, all other granted charters are required to submit one).

c. Please note: this phase is TEMPORARY. It is a trial period to see if your group will function as planned and if there is significant interest from the campus, and as such, your group is not yet eligible to apply for funding from the college council. Your charter will expire 3 months from the date on the letter that says you received a temporary charter—no exceptions. As you near this 3 month deadline, you should be sure to decide whether or not you plan to continue as a club, and if so, should file an application for permanent status within 2 weeks (either 2 weeks before or after) the 3 month expiration date. This is a 2 week grace period, but it is final. You should receive a friendly update about your expiration status from the council, but you are responsible for keeping up with this date. Nonetheless, you should actively work to fulfill the requirements to apply for permanent status throughout your temporary phase, assuming you plan to continue with your organization.

3) Permanently chartered:

a. To become permanently chartered, a group must file either a perpetual or enduring charter application at the end of their 3 month trial period. You can file an application for either; there is no chain of order required between the two. Please note that in order to file an application for a perpetual or enduring charter you must currently have a non-expired temporary charter (this is where the concept of continuous process comes into play). Should your time expire, you will have to start from the first phase (unofficial) and progress through. Requirements to apply for either type of permanent charter are listed below in the applications, and I would suggest you look at them as you go through your temporary phase. Please note that the threshold for perpetual/enduring charters is significantly higher than those for temporary charters, and so a group that may have just gotten by at an earlier level may not at this level. Groups granted permanent status must show committed leadership and provide a unique service/outlet to the Emory student body.

b. Enduring Charter: This charter status means that your club is a permanent fixture on campus, as long as you fulfill semester requirements (stay active, let the Council know of changes and activities, etc.). This charter status, however, is ineligible for funding from College Council. All funding for these groups are purely self-generated and irrespective of the Council’s access to Student Activity Fee funds.

c. Perpetual Charter: This charter status means that your club is a permanent fixture on campus, as long as you fulfill semester requirements (stay active, let the Council know of changes and activities, etc.). This charter status is eligible for funding from College Council, and as such, is only given to groups that show a unique contribution to the Emory experience. As a perpetually chartered organization, you have the right to request an operation budget (core budget, just to get by on day to day business, such as paper, pens, postage, limited food budget, etc) and supplemental funding (funding for specific events/activities).

d. Revocations: A charter can be revoked. If a group fails to fulfill its requirements, has become defunct, or has violated campus or College Council rules, the administrative committee, at the discretion of the Vice-President, can hold a charter hearing to evaluate to what extent an organization is fulfilling its commitment to its membership and to the College Council. I point this out just so that you know that to stay chartered, you must continue to be an active member of the community.

Exceptions

There are several notable exceptions to the aforementioned guidelines.  Should your group offer a particularly unique circumstance, certain rules can be bent. For instance, single-sex performance groups are allowed to not include gender in their non-discriminatory clauses. Further, it should be noted that no sports oriented club will be granted a perpetual charter. If you are looking for funding, we suggest you go to the Club Sports Council as this is their responsibility. We therefore can not fund any sporting group, such as soccer, baseball, archery, etc. We can, however, grant you an enduring charter, and as a recognized group from Emory University, you may be eligible for discounts at venues.

The administrative committee will hear the cases for exceptions. If you have any questions regarding the application process, do not hesitate to contact the Vice-President of the Council, Elizabeth Farrar. The process is not meant to intimidate you; it's a long process just to make sure that you are committed for the long haul with the organization that you plan to start.

Thanks again for your interest in starting a new organization on campus and good luck getting everything organized!