Student Activities Organization Classifications

Chartered Student Organizations (CSOs)
Chartered Student Organizations do not have to re-apply for recognition each year.  They are created by standing governmental bodies (Student Government, Graduate Leadership Council, Media Board), and have elected or appointed leadership.  Below are some examples of Chartered Student Organizations:

Student Government: KPU, SUB, AUTO, Class Councils, School Councils
Media Board: ATV, Talon, AmLit, AmWord, WVAU, Clocks & Clouds, AWOL
Campus Newspaper:  The Eagle
Graduate Leadership Council: Graduate School Councils
AU Club Council:  All clubs
Social Greek Organizations:  Panhellenic Association (PHA), Interfraternity Council (IFC), National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)

Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs)
Each RSO must re-apply for recognition each academic year.  The re-application process not only ensures that Student Activities has the most up-to-date information for the organization on file but also re-assures us that there is still a vested interest within the student body for the mission statement and purpose of the organization. 

The full list of categories of RSOs is as follows:

·         Academic       

·         Business

·         Coalitions                   

·         Cultural                                  

·         Education and Advocacy

·         Global

·         Honorary Societies                 

·         Performing Arts                                  

·         Political                      

·         Religious

·         Service           

·         Social/Recreational    

·         Social Justice

·         Social Fraternity/Sorority

·         Student Governance (for classification purposes, this category includes all CSOs plus Graduate School Councils and Student Government branches/departments)

·         Student Media (for classification purposes, this category includes all members of the Media Board and the Eagle)

More detailed information on certain categories of RSOs is provided below:

Social Fraternities/Sororities:  Each chapter of an organization must embrace a dedication to leadership, scholarship, community service, and responsible citizenship and will be assigned one of the following statuses (based on Student Activities, individual chapter guidelines and inter/national chapter guidelines):

Interest Group
An Interest Group is a group of students interested in representing a national social sorority or fraternity. The Interest Group is recognized by the University and is guided by the Coordinator of Fraternity and Sorority Life. It receives objectives from the sorority or fraternity national office and must work toward receiving colony or chapter status. Depending on the national headquarters, an Interest Group might not have the right to represent Greek letters and may need to adopt a temporary name or may be known as “The Interested (Ladies/Gentlemen) of (National Name)”, for example. 

Colony
A Colony is a group of students seeking to receive full chapter recognition from a national North American Inter-Fraternity Conference or National Panhellenic Conference organization. A Colony can only be established when the National Organization follows the procedures defined in the American University Interfraternity Council (IFC) or Panhellenic Association (PHA) governing documents. In order to be granted chapter status, a Colony must meet the expectations of the University and National Offices.

Chapter
A Chapter has met or exceeded all of its prerequisites (set by both the National Organizations of said Chapter and American University through the Minimum Chapter Standards), gained the full support of the National Organization, American University, and its respective governing Council, and has received a charter. 

Each chapter must remain in compliance with the Minimum Chapter Standards (attached).  Each chapter will be represented by one of the following governing Councils based on their Mission Statement, purpose, values, and membership: the Panhellenic Association (PHA), Interfraternity Council (IFC), or National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC).

Media Organizations:  American University currently has seven recognized media organizations. All of the media groups, except for The Eagle, are governed by the Media Board.

The Media Board is an independent organization, funded by the Student Activity Fee Fund, and designed to execute or oversee the following responsibilities: 

·         To allocate funds and oversee any financial matter under the jurisdiction or the media board.

·         To mediate and resolve grievances against one or more members of the media board.

·         To serve as a liaison to the University community.

·         To ensure the financial and managerial efficiency of the media at American University.

·         To promote and protect the existence and activities of student media at American University.

Coalitions:  Coalitions are umbrella organizations for any clubs or organizations that wish to join together under a common mission or purpose.  While they will have a financial account established through Student Activities, not all member organizations need to be Student Activities clubs/organizations but they must be University-recognized.  Coalitions are not eligible to receive funding through the AUCC and most commonly create a budget or funding base by creating a system of dues for member organizations or planning fundraisers.

Honorary Societies:  Student Activities currently recognizes Golden Key International Honour Society, Alpha Lambda Delta, National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), and the Order of Omega.  Honor societies that are associated with a specific school or discipline are overseen by the respective Dean’s office.

Each RSO must also meet the Recognition Criteria and will be assigned one of the following statuses:

Full Recognition

Full privileges include the ability to conduct activities on campus in accordance with established policies and procedures and, if applicable, eligibility to apply for student activities fee funds through the AUCC.  To maintain Full Recognition, each organization must abide by the RSO Recognition Criteria.

Probationary Recognition

These organizations are unable to gain full privileges for a variety of reasons including the fact that they may be newly established.  After applying and being approved for recognition through Student Activities, new organizations will have one calendar month to meet the RSO Recognition Criteria.  Should an organization not meet all established criteria, they may lose all rights and privileges associated with Student Activities recognition.

Probationary Recognition could also mean that organization activities would deem the group ineligible to receive Student Activity fee funds, for instance a club organized to support a particular political candidate for office.  Finally, Probationary Recognition status would be granted if a fully recognized organization is no longer in compliance with Student Activities in terms of requirements set forth in the RSO Recognition Criteria.  Like new organization, once in the Probationary Recognition status, a fully recognized club would have one calendar month to meet the standards set forth in the RSO Recognition Criteria document.