STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Wartburg College is dedicated to challenging and nurturing students for lives of leadership and service as a spirited expression of their faith and learning.

Student organizations are a vibrant and vital part of life at Wartburg College. However, in order to ensure that each organization is meeting the needs of Wartburg College students, any person or group wishing to start and maintain an organization must meet all requirements in the approval process. In addition, each organization must register each year with the Office of Campus Programming to receive continued recognition. If there is a lapse in recognition, the organization will need to process as a new club or organization.

Clubs and organizations must be established for purposes that are legal, consistent with the educational aims and the mission of the college, and in accordance with the regulations, guidelines, and policies of Wartburg College, the City of Waverly, and the State of Iowa. However, recognition does not imply college endorsement of the purposes of the organization, nor does the college assume sponsorship of any of the activities of the club or organization on or off the property of the college.

In order to become an officially recognized student club or organization by Wartburg College, a group must:

1. Complete the New Student Organization Application. This application must be fully completed and will not be accepted if all pieces are not complete. All materials will be submitted online to the Student Life Office via the digital application form. 

To complete the application, you will need the following: 

• The answers these questions: 

1. Give a statement describing the nature and purpose of the organization. List specific activities the organizations conducts and/or participates in throughout the academic year. This will help students understand your organization. 
2. How will your organization benefit the Wartburg community and what do you hope to accomplish? 
3. How is the organization aligned with the mission? 
4. Is your organization a part of a national organization? Exist elsewhere? If so, what is the national organization or other location. 
5. Why does your organization want to be recognized by Wartburg College? 
6. Would this organization be controversial in any way on campus? Why or why not? 
7. When do you plan to have your meetings (how often, day of week, location)? 
8. Please include any information you would like included about your organization on the website (Facebook page, website link, Twitter account, etc.) 
9. Please provide a list of officers (must have a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary) of your organization. Include title, campus box number, school phone number and email address of each person listed. 
10. List the name, title, campus box number, school phone number and email address of your advisor. What do you see as their role in your organization? 

• List the leadership team of your organization 
• List the names of 10 full-time students in support of your program 

2. At the time paperwork is submitted, a representative from the organization seeking recognition will schedule a meeting with Student Life to discuss plans for the organization. This is a time where questions will be asked or any concerns addressed, prior to materials being sent to Student Senate. The advisor listed will be contacted and helped to understand their responsibilities if the group is approved. If no changes need to be addressed, the paperwork will then go to the Vice President for Student Life/Dean of Students and then on to Student Senate.

3. Student Life and Student Senate will review the organization’s constitution, check for alignment with the college’s mission, make sure it does not duplicate the purpose, goal or activities of another organization and ensure student officers are in “good standing” (student officers must meet a GPA requirement of a 2.25 cumulative and be enrolled full-time at Wartburg). They will then make their respective recommendation for acceptance or denial of recognition.

NOTE: The Student Relations Committee of Student Senate will review the application and make a recommendation to the general body where the application will be voted upon. If there are errors in the application or structure of the constitution, the organization representative may be contacted by the Student Relations Committee Chair to make corrections.

4. Notification of the decision will come in writing to the organization representative and advisor via campus email. If the application is approved, it will be allotted the following privileges:

• Use of campus space
• Use of campus bulletin boards (All posters to be hung must be approved and stamped by the Office of Marketing & Communications)
• Inclusion of meeting and event information on the calendar and student org newsletter (as submitted to studentorgs@wartburg.edu)
• Use of HUB resources and supplies
• May produce merchandise displaying the organization name/logos. Visit https://www.wartburg.edu/logos/ to learn about use of Wartburg trademarks.
• Ability to apply for Senate funds
• Ability to apply for co-sponsorship with ETK
• Opportunities for leadership training

The group will then need to submit paperwork to create a 60/agency account, unless another on-campus account is already active with the Business Office, as no off-campus accounts are permitted. If a group will not have any kind of financial transactions, then this is not a necessary step.

If the request for recognition is denied, the organization may request reconsideration. In reconsidering the request, the Vice President for Student Life/Dean of Students must consult with the Student Life Committee before making a final decision.

To maintain eligibility, a recognized student organization must renew their application for recognition with Student Life every year by Sept. 20. All currently recognized student organizations will receive renewal instructions at the beginning of each academic year. This information will be sent out via an online form. This annual renewal process must provide Student Life with the following information:

• Officer Information (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer)
• Advisor Information
• A copy of the current organization constitution/bylaws (as requested or if changes have been made)
• A membership roster – complete with all active members of the organization
• Meeting dates or days/times/locations

Additionally, groups must:

• Host three meetings or one event each semester
• Participate in the involvement fair (when applicable to membership recruitment)
• Participate in organizational/leadership workshops (Operation Organization)
• Have an active 60/agency account or other on-campus account with the Business Office and maintain a positive balance or let the Student Life know the group will not have any financial transactions, therefore there is not a need to have an account. This account must be kept with a positive or zero balance at all times.
• Complete the annual reports sent out every April

NOTE: If the designated deadline is missed this is considered a lapse in recognition and the organization will need to process as a new club or organization following the steps listed above.

Changes in the Organization

Organizations MUST notify Student Life within two weeks if there is a change in the leadership or advisor. If this deadline is missed it is considered a lapse in recognition. Groups that have lost recognition and wish to start-up again must apply as if they were an entirely new organization through the process designated by Student Senate and Student Life.

The deadline for all student organization applications to be completed and submitted is February 1 of the academic year you are seeking to gain approval within. This is also the deadline for Senate allocations.