Registering & Forming a New Student Organization
Student organizations are vital to building a vibrant campus life at Oklahoma City University. OCU strongly encourages students to explore the many diverse offerings of student organizations available on campus. All student organizations must be consistent with the University’s mission. It is always advised to check that an organization you desire to create does not already exist at Oklahoma City University.
Click here to check current organizations.
If interested in forming a new organization follow these steps:
1. In order to apply, you must have at least 3 interested students, a faculty or staff Advisor, and an organization constitution. One student must serve as the President or primary contact and another as treasurer. Incomplete or incorrect submissions will result in a delay this includes (failure to complete an accurate constitution).
2. Once you have the above information; an interested student or staff member will visit Engage to complete the application.
a. Be sure to log in in the upper right corner of the screen, then visit the “organizations” tab.
b. On the left-hand side there will be an option to “register an organization”.
3. Once the application is submitted, a staff member from the Office of Student Engagement will review the documents and set-up a meeting with the student leader(s) to finalize the registration process and review the Registered Student Organization Handbook and resources. Depending on the time of year the application is submitted, the review process may take multiple weeks to complete.
Annual Re-Registration of Student Organizations
Every fall student organizations must re-register. The re-registration process requires each organization to update their contact information, governing documents, and membership roster.
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Forming a Religious Student Organization
All student religious groups must agree to abide by the Ethical Framework for Religious Life at OCU.
Ethical Framework for Religious Life at OCU
- Collegiality: OCU recognizes the diversity of religious belief present in society and on campus. This has the potential to enrich the life of our community and the lives of each individual. A positive environment grows from mutual respect and a common understanding. All student groups and religious organizations recognize that they are guests of the university and that their ability to operate on campus is a privilege. As such, all groups agree to abide by the ethical parameters of the university, partially outlined here. Any group who violates these guidelines, in the opinion of the University-Church Relations (UCR) staff, will forfeit their privilege to continue their ministry on campus.
- Accountability: All student religious groups must be associated with an organization with clear lines of accountability. Christian denominations and local houses of worship usually have boards or administrators who oversee such groups. Independent religious organizations may have a board of directors that serve a similar function.
- Personal Freedom: All religious groups will respect each person’s decision to believe, or not believe, any particular teaching or idea. A student must be able to freely participate in or to leave a religious group without being subject to harassment or shame. Religious groups will not encourage the alienation of any student from established friends and family. OCU religious groups should strive for a campus climate that honors the personal independence of each person, encourages open exploration, stimulates intellectual as well as spiritual inquiry, and supports the university’s devotion to truthfulness and the search for knowledge.
- Inclusiveness and Identity: Student religious groups must be open to general participation by any interested student. They may, however, specify requirements for holding a leadership position and/or participating in a particular religious ritual. OCU will not tolerate abuse of any kind, verbal, written, or physical, harassment, intimidation, or the denigration of another person on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, etc.
- Support of the University’s Mission: All religious groups must promote the academic and program missions of OCU. They will not engage in any action that would place undue financial pressure on students or be demanding of their time so as to compromise their studies.
- Solicitation: All publicity distributed by religious groups will conform to the policies of the University, including bearing the approval stamp from UCR. General solicitation of students is limited to specific areas and times that must be preapproved by the Director of University Church Relations and Religious Life and the Dean of Students Office. Group members may make themselves available at these events and may respond when approached by interested persons but they may not actively pursue making the initial contact.
- Respecting privacy within university residence halls: When desiring to share their faith commitment with students in residence halls, religious group participants should avoid invading or intruding upon the privacy of those students–whether through such means as personal visit, telephone, email, social networking sites, or mail–unless they have been asked by a student to make contact. They may not canvass, approach, or visit an entire residence hall or floor. They may not randomly visit student rooms where no prior relationship has existed, even when the door to a student’s room is left open. They may not place publicity or solicitations on a general, random basis on or under the door of students’ rooms.