Starting Your Own Club

There are nearly 300 SU-sanctioned clubs here on campus. However, despite the broad range of offerings, sometimes students find a club does not exist that reflects their interests. For this reason many students take it upon themselves to start a club with like-minded peers.

Your SU welcomes all ideas and proposals for the creation of clubs that fosters community engagement and improve the overall quality of life on campus.

Steps in Starting a New Club

Step One – Choose a Name for Your Club

Naming your club is probably one of the most important tasks. Be sure the name reflects your organization and the type of members you wish to attract.

A true indicator of your club's success will be whether it will thrive even when you have moved on. One way you can make sure this happens is to choose a name that your group won't need to change 2 years down the road. It takes a lot of work to build name recognition on campus and a name change is a waste of all that effort.

Some things to keep in mind when choosing a name:

• Take care to select a name for your group that will last over the years;
• Keep it short as possible;
• Avoid acronyms. You may think it makes your group sound more official, but no one knows what you're talking about when you refer to "IVSDBC". Acronyms can easily cause confusion with another group.
• Be straightforward. Don't worry about being clever. Clever names often sound outdated over time.
• If possible, your name should give a clear idea of what it is the group does.

Step Two – Fill Out the Required Forms

All new club applicants must fill out the Sanctioned Club Agreement and the Starting a Club Application From. Both of these forms, and a sample constitution, are contained in the Starting a Club document above. These applications can be brought to the Coordinator, Student Organizations in MSC 279 L in MacEwan Student Centre.

Step Three - Write a Constitution

Every club must have a purpose or mandate to be sanctioned. Your club’s constitution should state this. The constitution also serves as the governing document of the club. You can view a sample constitution in the document above to get you started.

Step Four – Gather a Members List

A club would be pretty lame if it didn’t have any members. To become SU-sanctioned, you must have at least 20 members in your club. Two thirds must be undergraduates at the University of Calgary. The other third can be whomever you wish. Remember to include names and student ID numbers (when applicable) on this list.

Step Five – Submit Your Documents

Once you have completed all the steps you may submit your documents to the SU. You can drop them off at the Clubs Office (MSC 279L). New club applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis throughout the year by the VP Student Life. There is no annual deadline. It typically takes a few weeks from the time you submit the application to the time you receive a decision. Please be aware that the processing time will be longer during the summer months, September and after the winter break.

Please note you can access all relevant documents on-line or receive paper copies at the Clubs Office.