Recognition and Responsibilities of Student Organizations


As a liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Concordia has as its goal to provide opportunities for learning and personal growth in all aspects of one's being - spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional and social. While the college places strong emphasis on the academic program, it also believes experience gained outside the classroom complements and supplements classroom learning.

Philosophy of Student Involvement

The goal of the cocurricular program is to fulfill the mission of the college by meeting the following objectives:

  • to contribute to the educational experience, enhance the personal development of students and meet their recreational needs;
  • to stimulate interest in and a capacity to act on current social, political, economic and cultural issues;
  • to develop an understanding of and the capacity for leadership;
  • to promote the value of service in one's community;
  • to provide experience working in groups; and
  • to facilitate development of professional ideals and standards.

All students are encouraged to become involved in activities outside the classroom. Students interested in information or advice regarding student organizations are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Leadership and Service or access the student organization Web site.

Recognition of Organizations

All student organizations must register for recognition including, but not limited to, honor societies, academic, departmental or professional clubs, societies, human interest groups, etc. All organizations that give students significant control over the work of the group are expected to comply. The only groups exempt from registering are those closely supervised and managed by a college employee, appointed and paid, as a "coach, director or conductor."

Official recognition of student organizations is granted by the Office of Student Leadership and Service on behalf of the Student Affairs Committee. In order to be recognized, the organization must register with the Office of Student Leadership and Service. The following two criteria must be met before the application will be considered:

1. The organization's mission and activities must be consistent with (or not in conflict with) the purposes of Concordia College as stated in the college charter and;
2. The organization's mission and activities must be consistent with (or not in conflict with) the purposes of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

In addition to meeting the above criteria, basic information about the organization must be provided in the application process which is discussed later in this policy. Once recognized, an organization is afforded the rights and responsibilities noted in this policy. All recognized organizations have equal standing with the college. All organizations are afforded the same rights and are accountable for the same responsibilities including obligations to the students involved, to the college and to the broader community of Moorhead/Fargo.

Responsibilities of Student Organizations

There are some policies that relate to all student events and activities. The Student Rights and Responsibilities Document contained in this Student Handbook provide the basis for these policies. Cocurricular groups, events and activities will be held to all policies listed below and to other policies as necessary. All organizations are responsible for complying with all college policies. The officers of the organization have responsibility for communicating those policies to the group and for maintaining compliance.

Organizations are required to:

  • conduct the business and activity of the organization in ways that meet the objectives of the cocurricular program and hold the individual members of the group accountable to those same standards;
  • register with the Office of Student Leadership and Service;
  • maintain a current list of positional leaders with the Office of Student Leadership and Service;
  • identify any associations outside Concordia College;
  • use the college's graphic identity as outlined in the Graphic Identity Standards;
  • maintain fiscal responsibility by depositing all funds in the college Business Office, managing funds properly and adhering to college rules and policies;
  • arrange for the organization's adviser to attend organizational meetings regularly and events when necessary (all campus wide events and all off-campus activities must be attended by a full-time administrator or faculty member and the organization is responsible for expenses incurred by the adviser);
  • schedule their meetings, events or programs with Campus Information (depending on the nature of the event, prior approval may also be needed from the Calendar Committee and/or the Office of Student Leadership and Service). All meetings or events should be scheduled utilizing the Event Registration Form. The Event Registration Form will place the event on appropriate calendars, ensure college approval of the event and reserve a room or facility when it is signed and approved by Campus Information;
  • consult with the Director of Security/Public Safety to determine the need for security services at concerts, dances, student entertainment and student social programs; and
  • complete all policy forms and materials appropriate to the event or program

Rights of Student Organizations

Organizations have the right to:

  • hold meetings and social events on campus;
  • use campus facilities to publicize their organization, its services or events (i.e., bulletin boards, C-Port, etc.);
  • use the college name and graphic identity with publicity of organizational activities;
  • use the college facilities (i.e., buildings, equipment, vehicles, etc.);
  • use the college Business Office as a banking service;
  • apply for Student Activity Fee funding; and
  • access the services provided by the college, Student Government Association and other student organizations.

Membership in Organizations

All Concordia students are encouraged to be involved in student organizations with the following considerations:

  • Students must be enrolled in at least three full courses at Concordia. If an organization is based on a consortium arrangement between two or more schools, only full-time students are eligible for membership;
  • Students may have their cocurricular activities curtailed at the discretion of the Committee on Student Academic Performance and Procedures or the dean of students' office;
  • Some organizations and leadership positions have grade point average requirements for membership. Those requirements must be consistent with the guidelines established by the Faculty Senate and/or the Student Affairs Committee; and
  • Organizations shall not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, color, creed, age, disability, gender, national origin, religious affiliation or sexual orientation.

Registration of Organizations

For the purpose of serving the needs of each organization and its members and meeting the needs of the college, each group of four or more students that wants to be recognized as a Concordia organization must register with the Office of Student Leadership and Service.

This process begins with the completion of an intent to register form which is submitted to the Office of Student Leadership and Service. All groups must provide the following information:

  • a statement of purpose for their organization consistent with the purpose of Concordia College as stated in the college charter and consistent with the policies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America;
  • the names of at least four students active in the organization (including a primary contact person, and three other officers/members);
  • the name of the faculty or administrative staff adviser; and
  • a current constitution (including organizational operating policies and procedures regarding membership, elections, responsibilities of officers, relationship to adviser, etc.).

Once the intent to register form is turned in, the organization will have 30 days to finalize the constitution. A reviewal process then takes place between the leadership of the organization pending approval and the organization reviewal committee which is comprised of students and administrators. This committee reserves the right to request additional information from the organization. Applications for renewal status must be made annually for all student organizations and may not be granted if the organization did not complete the last year in good standing.

Multicollege Recognition

The guidelines and procedures for being recognized as a multi-college organization is available in the Office of Student Leadership and Service and online.

Advisers

All organizations must have a full-time faculty or administrative staff member to serve as an adviser for the group. The adviser works with students to make meaningful connections between their cocurricular and curricular experiences. As a resource person, an adviser can help interpret and enforce college policies and provide some continuity to the group from year to year. Although an adviser's role will vary from group to group and from time to time within a group, the adviser should meet regularly with representatives of the organization and attend as many of the organizational meetings as possible. The organization's officers and adviser need to negotiate the role the adviser will play with the specific organization.

Organizational Web Pages

Recognized organizations may publish an organizational Web page containing information about the organization (e.g., mission, structure, membership) and about programming and activities sponsored by the organization. Any additional information or external links must be approved by the Office of Student Leadership and Service. An organization's Web page must be hosted on a Concordia server. Any organization that wishes to produce a home page on the Web must appoint an individual who will create, update and maintain the material, and take responsibility for the content. That individual's name and e-mail address should be placed on every page produced by the organization. Web pages must be maintained and kept updated with current information. To set up a page, an organizational representative must first contact the Office of Student Leadership and Service.

Excerpt from Web Content Policies and Guidelines:
...Content of all electronic pages must comply with local, state and federal laws including, but not limited to, copyright, libel and indecency statutes. Publishers must have written permission of the author or creator to publish any information, graphics or photographs on an electronic page.

Content of all electronic pages must reflect the mission, interest and standards of the Concordia community; may not contain any legally, ethically or morally questionable material in the judgment of the institution; and should be worthy of a college publication. Creators of electronic pages must comply with all other college policies.

Material of a blatantly sexual nature that a reasonable person would regard as intending to incite lewd or lascivious feelings is both inimical to the mission of the college and constitutes prima facia evidence of sexual harassment when posted for purposes other than pedagogical. Material of this nature will not be allowed on the Concordia Web site.

Concordia College reserves the right to limit or restrict commercial material on the Web site.  First-level links to Internet resources outside the Concordia server will be considered part of the Concordia Web site and must comply with all policies and guidelines.

Violation of Web site policies will result in immediate revocation of Concordia Web site publishing privileges, and possible further disciplinary action. All college disciplinary policies and penalties also apply to violations of Web site policies.

Also refer to the following policies:

The Office of Student Leadership and Service staff will work with organizations to gain access to information they need. In addition to the Office of Student Leadership and Service, the following offices may be helpful:

Information For:

current students
faculty and staff		 parents
alumni		 high school students
admitted students