Any student-led group has the potential to become a Registered Student Organization at the University of Indianapolis. UIndy allows any group to apply to be an RSO, and go through the process.
Assistant Dean of Students Steven Freck, works directly with every existing and potential RSO. In order to become an RSO, the leaders of the potential organization schedule a meeting with Freck to discuss the application process before moving forward with any formal paperwork, according to the New Registered Student Organization Overview handout. Freck said that becoming an RSO does provide the organization with various benefits.
“The largest and most obvious benefit is funding, so RSOs that are meeting their requirements get $250 each semester, [or] $500 annually into their RSO account,” Freck said. “They also have access to the Student Leadership Council, which is a council of staff and students who allocate and disperse money for different events.”
The SLC consists of representatives from Indianapolis Student Government, Campus Program Board, Residence Hall Association and other representatives from RSOs that are selected by the Office of Student Affairs, according to Freck.
There is a series of items that a potential RSO must complete in order to become officially registered with the university. Each organization must have a current, full time UIndy faculty or staff member that will serve as the advisor, they must also have a minimum of five UIndy students who are interested in joining and complete all necessary paperwork, according to the New Registered Student Organization Overview handout.
“[Step] one is fill out the RSO application, [step] two is to write a constitution for the group,” Freck said “We have every group write a constitution simply so that there is a guiding document that says ‘This is what our group is about, this is how we operate and this is what we stand for.’”
The final step for the organization to officially become an RSO is to give a 10 minute presentation to the SLC, according to Freck. From there, the SLC will discuss how the proposed organization will enhance campus life, and how it will impact other RSOs at UIndy, according to Freck. The SLC then votes on whether or not the organization will become registered with the university.
The university implemented a three tier RSO ranking system this year, Freck said. It was added to the university this year as part of the student life review and the ongoing UIndy Vision 2030 plan that the university currently has in place, Freck said.
“Our tiered system is an effort to meet more of the specialized needs of certain groups and make sure they are still getting the support they need,” Freck said. “A tier one RSO is what 90 percent of RSOs are going to be.”
Freck said the process to become an RSO used to be lengthy. The university has worked to trim the paperwork and process down for students. He said they have already approved over 10 new RSOs this year.
“This process [current process] has been in place for two years now, when I first started working with RSOs there was a 19 page application process, which included everything from writing the constitution to planning a campuswide event that they would implement within the first year,” Freck said. “We have taken a critical look in the past, and that is something we are always looking at. If students have feedback, we definitely encourage them to share it.”
