Start an Organization

New Recognition 

Student Government encourages the creation of new student organizations to fulfill a need or special interest on campus that is not adequately addressed by an existing organization on the Pittsburgh campus. The Committee on Student Organizations (CoSO), comprised by representatives from the Undergraduate Student Senate, Graduate Student Assembly, and student organizations, is chaired by the Director of Organizations and will review all applications.

New organization recognition applications will be accepted beginning Monday, August 12, 2024 and may be submitted at any time through Friday, March 14, 2025 (to ensure the process is completed by the end of the academic year). Please review the information below on how to initiate the new recognition process. 

All organizations recognized by December 6, 2024 will be eligible to apply to participate in the 2025 Winter Activities Fair and apply for JFC funding for the 2025-2026 academic school year.

To submit a new recognition application, you should:

1. Determine if any existing student organization on campus exists that might address the same mission or goals as your proposed new organization, and meet to discuss potential commonalities. Student Government's organization directory, TartanConnect, can assist you in this search.
2. New organizations must have at least 3 officers and 8 additional members or 2 officers, one advisor, and 8 additional members.
3. All Student Government Recognized Student Organizations must abide by the CMU Statement of Assurance and be inclusive to all graduate and undergraduate students.
4. Schedule a meeting with the Director of Organizations (SGDOO) to discuss your organization and learn more about the recognition process. 
5. Based on your conversation with the SGDOO, you may be provided with the New Recognition Application 2024-2025, which will ask you a few questions about your membership, mission and goals, and anticipated activities.
6. Upon submission, you will be contacted by the New Recognition Chair or SGDOO to set-up an additional meeting for you to present in front of CoSO.
7. The New Recognition Chair or a CoSO representative will work with your organization to develop a set of by-laws or constitution that will set up the framework and structure of your organization. There is a checklist to walk you through how to develop this framework and structure. A stranger should be able to pick up your document and understand who your organization is, its purpose, the responsibilities of your officers, etc.

Appeals Process

If your organization is not granted the status of student government recognition, you may appeal the decision of CoSO. In order to appeal:

• You must submit a written notice of your appeal to CoSO (sgdoo@andrew.cmu.edu) within one week of receipt of the notification of CoSO's decision.
• CoSO will schedule an appeal hearing within two weeks of the receipt of the request for appeal.
• At the end of the appeal hearing, CoSO will vote on whether to reverse the original recognition decision made.
• If your organization is still not satisfied with the decision, you can appeal to Student Senate or the Graduate Student Assembly

Benefits and Privileges of Student Government Recognition

The Committee on Student Organizations (CoSO) oversees the new recognition process, which occurs on a rolling basis throughout the academic year.  Recognition entitles a student organization to a number of benefits, including:

• The ability to apply for funding eligibility status from the Joint Funding Committee (Note: recognition does not guarantee funding);
• The ability to reserve meeting places on campus through the 25Live reservation system and to set up displays in the various campus buildings subject to university regulations;
• Access to the university accounting system to make purchases and deposit allocations and other funds;
• The ability to request a University Center mailbox and an organization email account for the organization;
• Access to an organization page on TartanConnect to utilize organization management tools including managing your roster, viewing your financial transactions, recruiting new members, and publicizing your events;
• Eligibility to apply for office or storage space in the University Center and elsewhere on campus;
• Permission to poster on bulletin boards throughout campus (review Student Government Graffiti & Poster Policy) and leaflet or petition on campus;
• Eligibility to participate in the Fall and Winter Activities FAIR.