Yale NUS College

Creating and building new student organisations is an exciting opportunity for Yale-NUS students, and the Dean of Students’ office is here to help ensure the process is both clearly communicated and in the best interest of the community.  Proposals for new student organisations are reviewed in September, November and February, which provides you time to reflect on the goals and structure of the group while seeking advice and feedback from faculty, staff, and other students.  You may find it helpful to consider the following questions:

• What is the purpose of this group?  What do I hope the impact of this group will be in one year?
• Are there other student groups at Yale-NUS or NUS that may be relevant to the goals of the proposed group?
• Do I have the time and energy to help develop this group?  It’s essential to collaborate with other students as new groups form; have I reached out to others for help?
• Which faculty or staff members may be interested in advising this proposed group? Have I reached out to them to discuss the recognition process?

Student Group Recognition Process

A detailed description of the recognition process is available here. The principles for Recognition, as ratified by Student Government, can be found here: Principles for Recognition.

1Proposal Package and Initial Meeting

• If any student wants to discuss a proposed group before beginning the process, email Petrina from the Dean of Students Office to set up an initial meeting.
• Every recognised Student Organisation is required to have an advisor – this can be a faculty or staff member.
• Groups must submit the following four documents as part of the Proposal Package:
  • Signature Form – 10 signatures of students who are interested in developing the student organisation.
  • Proposal Form – Describe the primary purpose of your organisation and how your organisation will make Yale-NUS College a better place.
  • Constitution – The constitution should indicate the structure and purpose of the organisation, the leadership roles and duties, the protocol for leadership transition (elections), and the process for revising the constitution. A sample constitution is available here.
  • Timeline of Activities – A prospective timeline of activities which corresponds with your budget request.
  • Budget Proposal – The budget proposal should indicate all possible expenses the group may incur for the remainder of the academic year.  Please provide as much detail and justification as possible. A full guide to student organisation funding policies can be found here. A brief quickguide can also be found here.

2Submit Proposal Package via Orgsync

• Proposals for new student organisations are due to the Dean of Student’s office by 1st September, 1st November, 1st February.
• All materials should be submitted via Orgsync
• Late submissions will not be reviewed until the next review cycle.
• Potential groups are encouraged to seek advice and feedback from Dean’s Fellows, potential staff/faculty advisors, and student groups from other schools as they develop the Proposal Package. The more detailed and well-developed the proposal is, the more likely it is that the group will gain recognition and receive funding from the Dean of Students’ Office.
• Initial feedback will be provided within two weeks.

3Reviewal and Budget Allocation

• The Student Org Standing Committee is composed of the Director of Student Orgs, the Director of Finance, at least three and no more than four non-Government volunteers, and up to two representatives from DoS, including the Student Org Manager.
• The committee will determine the status of the proposal: approved, approved on condition, or disapproved. Incomplete proposals will not be reviewed.
• If the committee determines that more information is needed before a decision can be made, the Student Organisations Manager will contact you with details.
• If the committee determines to NOT recognise a proposed student group, the Student Organisations Manager will contact you to arrange a meeting to discuss the decision. Groups who fail to gain recognition may re-submit a Proposal Package in the future.
• Students will be notified of the decision within 2 weeks of the proposal due dates (1st September, 1st November, 1st February).
• Once the Student Government decides to recognise a potential group, the committee will also determine how much funding to allocate to the group for the remainder of the school year. These decisions are made consecutively, so only groups that gain recognition will receive a budget from the Dean of Students’ Office.

4Student Organisation Onboarding

• Newly recognised groups must schedule a meeting with the Student Organisations Manager in the Dean of Students’ Office to discuss their group’s budget and the relevant policies/procedures for new student organisations.
• The treasurer is required to attend a training session conducted by DoS.