Club Registration Guide

2024-2025 Academic Year

All student organizations must register annually in the fall semester, including new student organizations that registered in the spring semester. This process informs the Rice community that your group is still active and operating for the upcoming academic year.

Overview

Consequences of Missing Registration

• Groups that do not complete annual registration will be frozen and classified as inactive until the next registration period.
• A frozen club is temporarily inactive and unable to access certain privileges. Frozen clubs cannot host events, apply for funding, make purchases, or participate in the Student Activities Fairs until they complete the required registration process and regain active status.
• A late registration period will open in December each academic year for groups that miss the annual registration window.
• Groups that do not complete annual registration will lose recognition, and their university privileges will be revoked.

Membership and Officer Requirements

• The club's membership must include at least 50% enrolled Rice students.
• All club officers must be currently enrolled students at Rice.
• Membership Requirements, including Club Advisor, Primary Student Leader, etc.:
  • Existing Clubs: Must have a minimum of 8 members on their roster.
  • New Clubs: Must have a minimum of 5 members on their roster.

Approval Timeline

• The length of time for a club to be approved can vary from 2 weeks to 2 months. The quicker your materials are submitted, the faster the club will be approved.
• New Student Organizations
  • New student organizations applying for recognition may take longer to be approved, as the Student Association (SA) or Graduate Student Association (GSA) must vote on the new organization before it can be officially approved and recognized. This timeline is dependent on the SA/GSA voting schedule.
  • New student organizations can contact the SA Parliamentarian (sapar@rice.edu) or GSA Parliamentarian (gsaparliamentarian@rice.edu or gsa@rice.edu) for more information about voting timelines.

Deadlines and Process

Submission Deadlines

This deadline is for submitting all required materials. It does not guarantee approval by this date.

Existing Clubs	Register by Sunday, September 15th
New Clubs	Register by Sunday, October 13th

Required Materials

Click here for a quick reference guide of all the links you'll need for club registration.

Club Advisor Agreement

• Advisor Selection
  • Each club is required to select a current Rice faculty or staff member as their advisor for the 2024-2025 academic year. Clubs may have more than one advisor if they wish.
  • The advisor should not be on sabbatical or any extended leave.
• Form Submission
  • The chosen Club Advisor must complete the Club Advisor Agreement form.
  • Students cannot submit this form on behalf of their advisor.
• Mandatory Training
  • The Club Advisor Agreement form includes the mandatory Texas State Risk Management Training for Club Advisors.
• Additional Resources
  • For more information on the roles and responsibilities of Club Advisors, please visit our Advisor Resources Page.

SOLO (Student Organization Leader Orientation)

• Who Should Complete SOLO
  • The incoming Primary Student Leader (president, co-president, chair, etc.) should complete SOLO.
  • If you anticipate a change in leadership mid-year, having more than one student leader complete SOLO is recommended.
• Timing
  • This self-paced training should take approximately 1-2 hours to complete.
  • Students should complete the SOLO training before submitting their OwlNest Registration Form.
• Enrollment
  • Students can enroll in SOLO here.

Submitting the OwlNest Registration Form

Clubs will submit their constitution, risk management plan, and, if affiliated with an external organization outside of Rice University, their documentation through the OwlNest Registration form. You will know if your submission was successfully submitted if the registration says “Pending” under “My Submissions”. If it says “In Progress”, then your form was not submitted.

• Review Process
  • Student Activities will review the submissions and notify the club if any edits are needed by denying the club’s OwlNest Registration Form with comments on what to edit.
  • If no edits are needed, then you will receive a notification from OwlNest saying that your organization registration has been approved.
• Resubmitting After Denial
  • If your registration is denied for revisions, you may edit and resubmit your existing submission by following these steps:
    1. Click on your user icon in the top right corner of the screen after logging into OwlNest.
    2. Select "My Submissions", then "Organization Registrations."
    3. Click the eye icon to edit your form.
    4. Make the necessary edits and be sure to hit SUBMIT again.
• Minimizing Revisions
  • Student Activities will strive to reduce the frequency of registration denials for revisions by providing clear comments and guidance.

Please allow 1-2 weeks for the processing of club registration materials. You may check your club’s progress by visiting the Club Registration Status spreadsheet.

If you have additional questions about the Club Registration process, you can schedule a club consultation about Club Registration, or email studentactivities@rice.edu.

Roster Management

Maintaining an accurate and up-to-date roster is essential for your club's registration process. Follow these guidelines to ensure your club meets the membership requirements and manages its roster efficiently.

Membership Requirements

including Club Advisor, Primary Student Leader, etc.

Existing Clubs	Minimum of 8 members on their roster
New Clubs	Minimum of 5 members on their roster

Updating Roster in Your OwlNest Registration Form

1. Access Your Club's OwlNest Registration Submission
   • Go to your club’s page on OwlNest.
   • Navigate to your club’s registration submission.
   • If editing a submitted form, go to your user menu, click "My Submissions," then "Organization Registrations," and access your form by clicking the eye icon.
2. Update the Organization's Roster
   • Click on "Organization Roster."
   • Existing student organizations must have 8 members, while new organizations must have 5 members on their roster.
3. Remove the Outgoing Officers
   • Find the outgoing officer’s name in the roster.
   • Check the box next to their name and click "REMOVE."
   • Alternatively, click "EDIT POSITION" to update their role and remove primary, secondary, or treasurer status.
4. Add New Members and Assign Positions
   • Click "Add Member."
   • Select the appropriate position.
   • Enter the new member’s email (Net ID email), first name, and last name.
   • Click "Add" to save the new member to the roster.
5. Double-Check Major Positions
   • Ensure key positions (club advisor, primary student leader, secondary student leader, and treasurer) are correctly assigned.
   • Search for the names of respective members to verify their roles.
   • Remove or edit positions if necessary.

For assistance with roster updates, email owlnest@rice.edu.

Risk Management

Texas State Law mandates that all student organizations and club advisors complete a risk management training program and develop a risk management plan for the annual club registration process.

Each year:

• The primary student leader must complete either an in-person or online risk management training. This training must be completed before submitting the risk management plan in the OwlNest Registration.
• After completing the training, the primary student leader must train their officers on the content of the program.
• Club officers must collaborate with their club advisor and officer board to create and submit a risk management plan for their club, which will be included in the OwlNest Registration form.
• Advisors must also complete the risk management training requirement, which is located in the Club Advisor Agreement.
• The Risk Management Module of SOLO guides you on creating a comprehensive risk management plan using the PERFECT framework. In the Risk Management Plan section of your OwlNest Registration form, you will need to identify and mitigate 3 potential risks for each of the following PERFECT areas:
  • P - Physical Risks: Risks related to physical safety and health of members during club activities.
  • E - Emotional Risks: Risks impacting the emotional well-being of members.
  • R - Reputational Risks: Risks that could harm the club's or university's reputation.
  • F - Financial Risks: Risks involving financial loss or mismanagement.
  • E - Environmental Risks: Risks related to environmental impact and sustainability.
  • C - Communication Risks: Risks arising from miscommunication or lack of communication.
  • T - Timing Risks: Risks associated with scheduling, deadlines, and time management.
• Risk management plans that do not have 3 potential risks in each category will be denied for revision. If your club is struggling to think of potential risks, we recommend setting up a club consultation with Student Activities.

Constitutions

Creating or updating your club's constitution is an essential part of the registration process. Follow these guidelines to ensure your constitution meets the necessary requirements:

1. Create or Review Your Constitution
   • New Constitution: If you are creating a new constitution, it is helpful to look at examples from peer institutions with similar clubs to understand how they have structured their constitutions.
   • Update Existing Constitution: Review and update your existing club constitution to ensure it aligns with current goals and regulations.
2. Approval Process
   • If your club makes any amendment changes to the constitution, it must be approved by the Student Association (SA) or Graduate Student Association (GSA) before being recognized as active for the academic year.
   • Highlight any changes made to your club’s constitution in yellow.
   • Add the date of the last revision at the top of the document upon submission.
3. Submission
   • Include your updated or new constitution with your OwlNest Registration Form when prompted.
4. Additional Resources
   • View Constitution Checklist
     • Ensure all required elements are included in your constitution.
   • View Sample Undergraduate Constitution
     • Use this sample as a guide for creating or updating your constitution.
   • View Sample Graduate Constitution
     • Use this sample as a guide for creating or updating your constitution.

Externally Affiliated Student Organizations

Chapters, Branches, and National Affiliates.

As part of the club registration process, we ask clubs to indicate if they are affiliated with an organization external to Rice University. An external affiliation means that your club is recognized as a chapter or a branch of a larger organization that operates outside the university.

How to Determine if Your Club is Affiliated:

• National or International Chapters: If your club is part of a national or international organization, such as Habitat for Humanity, you are considered to have an external affiliation.
• Formal Agreements: If your club has a formal agreement, charter, or recognition from an external organization, this qualifies as an external affiliation.
• External Oversight: If your club follows guidelines, policies, or receives support from an external entity, it is likely affiliated.

Required Documentation

If your club is affiliated with an external organization, you will need to provide documentation that verifies this relationship. We accept the following types of documentation:

• Constitution or bylaws of the affiliated organization
• Articles of incorporation
• Letter of recognition or support from the affiliated organization
• Chapter handbook that details expectations of the club chapter and the relationship to the affiliated organization
• Certificate or license from the affiliated organization acknowledging the college chapter

Prioritize Early Contact

Please prioritize contacting your national headquarters or the appropriate external entity early on in the registration process to obtain the required documentation. Securing one of these documents can sometimes take time, so it’s important to start this process as soon as possible to avoid delays in your club’s registration.

Financial Procedures and Training

For clubs with financial accounts, it is crucial to understand and comply with the specific financial procedures and training requirements based on where your account is managed. Not all student organizations have a financial account, so having a financial account does not automatically come with being a registered student organization. Student organizations that have financial accounts in the negative or who owe taxes will not be approved under any circumstance until this is resolved. For example, if an outgoing student did not resolve a tax issue, it is still the responsibility of the student organization to resolve the tax issue. Since this is a federal IRS requirement, we cannot make any exceptions as Rice University is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Determine Your Financial Account Management

• Student Activities: If your club’s financial account is managed under Student Activities, you need to follow the procedures and complete the training provided by this office.
• Club Sports: Clubs with financial accounts under Club Sports must adhere to the training and procedures specific to the Club Sports office.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): Clubs with accounts under DEI must follow the DEI office’s guidelines and complete their required training.

If you are still unsure about what office your club’s financial account is under, please contact studentactivities@rice.edu.

Complete Required Financial Training

• Student Activities Finance Training
  • 2024-2025 Club Finance Training: This training will be available in July. It is essential for the designated purchasers (Primary Student Leader or Financial Officer) to complete this training to manage club finances and check out a P-Card.
• Club Sports Finance Training
  • Contact: Chris Watkins at cwatkins@rice.edu for specific training requirements and procedures.
• DEI Finance Training
  • Contact: The DEI office directly for their financial training requirements and procedures at mino@rice.edu.

Important Contacts and Links

• Contacts
  • Student Activities Finance Questions: Email studentactivities@rice.edu
  • Club Sports Finance Questions: Email clubsports@rice.edu and copy Chris Watkins at cwatkins@rice.edu
  • DEI Finance Questions: Contact the DEI office directly at mino@rice.edu
• View Club Finance Training (Student Activities)