Spending too much time in your dorm room? Looking for a way to get involved on campus? Starting a student organization might be the solution! Student organizations can be a great way to help your community, network with others in your academic or professional area, get more involved with a hobby or other interest of yours, or even just as a way to make friends on campus.

Student organizations are managed by the Office of Student Life here at GV, which provides support, resources, funding, and a framework for how student organizations can operate.  If you’re interested in starting a student organization, here’s how! This article has all the basics you need to get a group up and running for the new school year!

Step 1: Log into LakerLink or make a profile if you don’t have one.

Step 2: Check out the rules and guidelines for new organizations in the Registered Student Organization Handbook. These are especially important if you want to start a Club Sport, Greek organization, or an Honors group!

Step 3: Give the Office of Student Life a call at (616) 331-2345 to set up a meeting so you can talk about your idea for the group and how to move forward.

Step 4: Register your new organization on LakerLink. Log into LakerLink and click “Organizations” in the navigation menu. Click the “Register New Organization” button and fill out the form.

Step 5: Make sure you have at least four executive board members and a Faculty/Staff Advisor listed on your group’s LakerLink, and a completed constitution. (Click here for an example of a constitution). Follow all the required steps to build your group’s profile.

After you’ve done everything above, the Student Organization Review Board (SORB) looks at your request and will let you know if your group is good to go! The Office of Student Life encourages students to create new organizations if they feel their idea doesn’t exist on campus yet. If you need any additional help or resources, be sure to check out the Student Organization Support (SOS) page or email [email protected] with your questions! The Office of Student Life is here to help you.