1) How do I start a new Graduate Student Organization?

Anyone can create a student organization, for (nearly) any purpose. 

Firstl check to see if a similar organization already exists. The university wide student organizations can be found here. The GSO Directory lists all the graduate student groups that are currently recognized by the GSA.

Groups that apply for, and are granted, formal recognition by the Gradate Student Association are known as Graduate Student Organizations (GSOs). The advantages of adhering to the GSA requirements and gaining this recognition include:

• Being able to reserve rooms and space at the university.
• Being e ligible to apply for funding support from the GSA. Please read the appropriate forms for details.
• Being able to request an eden email account & web space.

Eligibility

The requirements for GSO's are detailed in the GSA Constitution and Funding Policies. The main points are:

• There must be a minimum of eight graduate student members in the organization.
• At least two officers from the organization must be graduate students.
• The organization must have a minimum of two officers (a president and a treasurer).
• The organization must have a written constitution. (see our model constitution for help in writing yours)

Departmental vs. Non-Departmental GSO classification

For recognition and funding purposes, a distinction is made between departmental and non-departmental GSOs. A departmental group is defined as a GSO associated with one and only one academic department at Rutgers. Non-departmental groups are defined as all groups that do not meet the definition of a departmental group.

Examples. (1) There can only be one departmental GSO for the Political Science department despite the fact that there are several (potentially unrelated) programs, or concentrations, within  that department. (2) There cannot be a departmental GSO for the Cognitive Science Center because strictly speaking it is not a department, though it does offer classes and even a graduate certificate. The justification for this is that each member of the Cognitive Science Center has a `home department', e.g. philosophy or computer science, which also has (or could have) it's own GSO.

The Process

In order to gain recognition by the GSA a GSO must: submit the following paperwork:

• A membership list, in alphabetical order by last name, with graduate students and non-graduate students clearly labeled
• A list of officers, with Rutgers email accounts listed for each.
• A constitution
• A funding application, if necessary

Once the GSA has verified that the paperwork is in order,  recognition of the group will be added to the next council meeting agenda. A representative of the group must be present at the meeting to answer questions before the matter is put to vote.