Your Club Hub

Starting a New Club

Cal Poly clubs are chartered annually through Student Life and Leadership. These groups are comprised of full-time enrolled students who have joined together to promote a common cause, issue or interest. All Cal Poly clubs are required to register all official events through the campus scheduling system, keep all funds in a campus-affiliated account, and have a university state employee as an advisor. Day to day services and assistance is provided through a collaborative partnership with the Associated Students, Inc.

If you are interested in starting a new club, your first step should be to review the flowchart:

Starting A New Club Flowchart

This flowchart provides step-by-step instructions on what is involved in starting a new Cal Poly club. To begin the process of becoming a new club, the following three items must be submitted to ASI Club Services:

• Club bylaws (typed, formatted correctly and completed with required text)
• A rewritable CD of the bylaws in Microsoft Word (not required, but if submitted cd will be kept on file for future reference)
• A completed "Petition for University Recognition" form with signatures

Completing and turning in the above items begins the club recognition process; however, club activities and events cannot commence until the club has been officially recognized by Cal Poly through Student Life & Leadership.

Once the required documents have been submitted and reviewed, you will be contacted by ASI Club Services and instructed to schedule a meeting with Student Life and Leadership. If approved by Student Life and Leadership, the club president, vice president, treasurer and advisor must complete the online training.

Starting a New Independent Student Organization (ISO)

Independent Student Organizations (ISOs) are recognized by the university for the purpose of on-campus facility usage. They are not university chartered clubs and do not enjoy the same rights and privileges. The university does not provide staff advisors or activity oversight for these groups. The university has no role in contract negotiation or authorization for these groups as each is affiliated with a national external entity to which they share a common purpose and values.

A Cal Poly ISO is considered independent if all of the following criteria are met:

• Maintains official affiliation with a national organization, or is incorporated as a non-profit organization
• Follows a national organization's constitution
• Follows a national organization's bylaws (customizing bylaws to the local organization is acceptable per authorization from the national organization)
• Pays membership dues quarterly or annually that partially go to the national organization
• Covered by insurance provided by the national organization

The process of starting a new ISO begins with meeting with Student Life & Leadership. If approved to become an ISO, the organization will be required to enter into a contract with the University.