Creating a Student Organization

If you are unable to find a student organization that fits your interests or have a unique idea for one, you have the option to start your new organization. There are specific guidelines that must be followed for any new organization to be official. To be an official student organization must be recognized by the NIU Student Government Association (SGA).

Steps to Becoming a Student Organization

Before you begin, ask yourself, “Does my proposed student organization unique or similar to an already existing organization on campus?”. The Student Government Association does not recognize nor support student organizations that attempt to duplicate the efforts of currently existing organizations.

1.  You must have a President and two other members. You may also want to review a sample constitution.
2. Draft your student organization’s constitution.
   1. Make sure that your constitution has all the required components listed in the Constitution Checklist.
3. Register your organization through Huskie Hub, our student organization database. Visit Huskie Hub, log in with your Z-ID and password, click the “Groups” tab, and click the “Register new student organization” button. Please be aware that you must have your Constitution and Bylaws ready to upload when you register your organization.
4. Upon your submission in Huskie Hub, the President and Advisor must confirm their acceptance of their roles along with the members listed. The SGA Vice President or SGA Director of Organization Development will review the submission and may reach out to the student organization to clarify aspects of the Constitution or if it is duplicating an existing student organization.

Achieving Full Recognition from SGA

1. The SGA Vice President or SGA Director of Organization Development will inform the Chairperson of the SGA Organization Oversight Committee (OO) of a new student organization.
2. A representative of the organization must attend the Organization Oversight Committee meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to ensure the organization’s constitution abides by the policies set by the Student Government Association. This meeting allows corrections to be made on-site to prevent delays within the recognition process. After ensuring that everything is in accordance with what SGA requires, the committee will give full SGA recognition by a majority vote.
3. The Senate will be informed that an organization(s) was approved during the Chair of Organization Oversight Report. The Senate has delegated recognition powers to the committee to streamline the process.
4. Congratulations on your new student organization!