Start a New Student Group

Our mission in managing the creation of new groups is to make sure that we can accommodate the different niches of interest amongst the student body whilst keeping in mind constraints of space, funding, and staffing.

We are limiting the total number of student groups to 450 due to constraints of space, funding, and staffing. As a result, category of proposed student group will be taken into consideration.

All Brown undergrads are eligible to apply to create new student groups. The process is relatively simple and involves filling out an online application followed up by a brief conversation with a Student Activities representative.

All UCS recognized organizations must be open to all Brown students regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or caste.

Applications open October 1st, 2024, and the deadline to submit is November 30th, 2024.

We will only accept applications this semester, no applications will be accepted in the Spring.

The decision for this change was ultimately based on the constraints on resources named above but also, gives the UCS Student Activities Committee more time to run an appeal process following the release of decisions. Previously, those whose new clubs or recategorization requests were rejected in the spring semester could not appeal until the following September as there is a change in leadership after May and UCS is not mandatorily active over the summer. With the change to one application cycle per year, we hope to effectively review applications and ensure information is not lost between school years.

All decisions will be sent out 1-2 weeks after the submission deadline.

See here the slides from the Student Activities Committee’s “How to Start a Club” presentation (10/1/24)

Follow the steps below and reach out to our Student Activities Committee (ucs_sa@brown.edu) or the Student Activities Chair (thomas_medlin@brown.edu) for any questions!

Steps to Create a New Group

  1. Check the list of all student groups to make sure that the group you’re trying to start occupies an unoccupied niche on campus. Feel free to reach out to the SA Chair if you’re not sure.

  2. Put together your group constitution: See the sample constitution. All groups’ constitutions must include the following:

    • Name of the organization (REQUIRED)

    • Statement of purpose (REQUIRED): include nature of departmental, administrative, legal, religious, political, or financial affiliations without which the organization would not exist

    • Description of membership (REQUIRED): copy verbatim from the sample constitution (above) and add where applicable

    • Description of structure of leadership (where applicable): officers must be currently enrolled full-time undergraduate Brown students.

    • Election of Officers (where applicable)

    • Organizational financial responsibilities (REQUIRED): copy verbatim from the sample constitution (above)

    • Description of duties of official advisor (where applicable)

    • Amendment procedure (REQUIRED): refer to template constitution (above) for sample language and change based on student group needs

    • Member Dismissal (REQUIRED): refer to template constitution (above) for sample language and change based on student group needs

    • Anti-Discrimination Clause (REQUIRED): refer to template constitution (above) for required language

  3. Collect member signatures by including prospective members’ full name, class year, and email in a spreadsheet

    • You must obtain at least 10 signatures

    • The collection form can be digital or physical, but it must include all three fields listed above

    • The SA Committee reserves the right to contact these prospective members to confirm their membership

  4. Meet with 2-3 other student groups with the most similar mission or services provided.

    • The purpose of this step is to ensure that you have done your research and can advocate for why your group does not occupy an existing niche

    • This will be part of the official application form as well as your conversation with the SA Rep.

    • Make sure to note the name and position of each person you meet with as well as the names of the clubs you talk to.

    • This format of these meetings is up to you, but we expect that it is a meeting

  5. Submit the new group application (opens mid-semester)

    • Once you have completed all of the above steps, including meeting with your SA rep, you are welcome to submit the new group application

  6. Meet with your Student Activities Representative

    • SA Reps are automatically assigned based on your group’s type. Check the list of reps below to find out who yours is.

    • Your rep will reach out once the application is submitted, including updated constitution, roster, and answers to the questions on the application

    • SA Reps are a resource to help make sure your application doesn’t have holes in it and is as compelling as possible once it’s brought to committee

  7. After your application is submitted

    • The student activities committee will review your application and get back to you regarding the group’s status

    • The student activities office will review your application for liability and safety and has the ability to reject a group based on student safety and liability concerns

2023-24 Student Activities Representatives

IMPORTANT: Applicants must meet with their Student Activities Committee Representative, they will reach out to you once your application has been submitted. Submitted applications will not be considered if the group does not meet with a Student Activities Committee Representative Rep. Contact the Student Activities Chair for non-group-type specific questions or if you have not heard from a Rep!

Student Activities Chair

Tommy Medlin ‘27
thomas_medlin@brown.edu

Student Activities Committee Representatives

Yohanna Cuello ‘26

yohanna_cuello@brown.edu

Connor Kim ‘26

connor_kim@brown.edu

Salomé Noufele ‘26

salome_noufele@brown.edu

Neil Stringer ‘27

neil_stringer@brown.edu

James Emans ‘28

james_emans@brown.edu

Shant Ispendijan ‘28

shant_ispendjian@brown.edu

Yirhim Kim ‘28

yirhim_kim@brown.edu

Sabrina Liu ‘28

sabrina_g_liu@brown.edu

Sarah Wafa ‘28

sarah_wafa@brown.edu

Jessica Weissman ‘28

jessica_weissman@brown.edu

Undergraduate Finance Board Liaison

Naomi LeDell ‘26

naomi_ledell@brown.edu

Example of a Great Club Application from Brown American Indian Science and Engineering Society:

What role or niche does your prospective organization seek to fill on campus?

Brown University Chapter of AISES would be a useful resource and space for Indigenous students studying in a STEM discipline. We strive to create a community where we can discuss career-building opportunities, further, our professional development, raise awareness of Native concerns related to STEM, and provide support to each other for the nuanced challenges that come with being Indigenous and in STEM.

You must meet with 2-3 existing student groups with the most similar mission / services provided to your prospective organization. Please list the names of the 2-3 groups you met with, as well as the names and emails of the representatives with whom you spoke.

Describe the similarities and differences between your group and these 2-3 groups: how do you serve a different purpose?

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)

While SHPE focuses on Hispanic and Latinx Students, we would serve the Indigenous population here at Brown. The two groups would be similar in that SHPE also does Professional Development for undergraduate students. They also host social events to build relationships between students. We would also meet once a week with an event or study group.

Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)

Brown University Chapter of AISES [would be] different from SACNAS because we are a space specifically for undergraduate students to find a community where we can study together and have social events. We are similar in that we both have career-building and professional development opportunities. Within the group right now a lot of it focuses on research and more medical STEM paths. While research is an important aspect to include, we want to broaden our skills and events to focus on other topics. We also want to build a community for all STEM concentrators from computer science and engineering to biology and environmental science.

Why is your group seeking UCS Categorization?

Being an official organization at Brown will allow us to become an official chapter of AISES and utilize the resources that it brings. We would also appreciate funding to travel to our annual conference where students would be able to network with other AISES members across the country. By becoming recognized by AISES nationally, we will receive the following:
- Having access to a national community of college-level Indigenous students – there are over 190 AISES Chapters at colleges/universities nationwide.
- There are thousands of current AISES members and hundreds of active alumni. The sheer size of this community is most evident at the AISES National Conference, where students can have access to, and network with thousands of college peers and hundreds of corporate, governmental, and tribal AISES partners.
- Chapter Advisors also can meet with numerous educators who work with Indigenous students.
- AISES administers nearly $1M in scholarships to qualified student members annually.
- AISES also provides students opportunities to develop leadership and networking skills at its Leadership Summit and Regional conferences.

Describe specific events or projects your group intends to pursue with as much detail as possible.

Have speakers from various stem fields talk about being Indigenous in their respective fields. One person in particular could be Danielle Forward, an Indigenous woman in tech. A social event would typically involve having food, engaging in team-building activities, getting to know each other, or something to destress. Another event would involve professional aid such as sharing resume-building opportunities, taking LinkedIn photos, conducting interview prep, or hosting a resume workshop. We were also thinking of hosting a weekly study group and some way to set up communication between students taking the same classes. Lastly, we hope to set up mentoring opportunities between Indigenous STEM graduate students and undergraduates.

Describe the funding your group will likely require.

We would require around $200 from SAO for monthly events. Expenses include food and supplies. We would also request money that we can use as scholarships to subsidize membership travel to the AISES National Conference, the AISES National Conference has become the premier event for Indigenous STEM professionals and students, attracting over 2,000 members and attendees from the U.S. and Canada. We would also ask for some of this money from different departments.