Registered Student Organizations

Registered (Existing) Student Organization Requirements

All registered student organizations at Kenyon must meet the following requirements:

  • Advisor (if applicable): All organizations must have a registered faculty or staff advisor to help guide their organization and serve as a resource.
  • Meet a Unique Need: The organization must have a unique mission and  cannot be a duplicate of an existing student organization or department.
  • Demonstrated Interest: The organization must have at least five founding student members who are interested in working with the group. Three of these students must volunteer to be in leadership positions.
  • Demonstrated Benefit: The organization must be beneficial to the campus community. This benefit can be in a myriad of ways including community building, social activism, community engagement, or academic enrichment.
  • Open Membership: Registered student organizations must be open to any Kenyon College student, regardless of classification or identity. (This does not include Greek affiliated organizations, who have specific Title IX requirements.) 
  • Intention of Continual Engagement: The organization must have the intention of being an indefinite organization, which will be active over a longer period of time.
  • Compliant to College Policy: The organization must abide by all Kenyon regulations, policies and procedures. This includes anti-hazing, non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies, along with other policies as detailed in the Kenyon College Student Handbook.
  • Compliant to Law: The organization’s activities must be consistent with local, state and federal laws.
  • Risk Management Compliant: The organization must adhere to Kenyon risk management practices and insurance requirements as established by the College.

Benefits of Registered Student Organizations

There are a number of benefits to registering a student organization, which include:

  • Access to leadership and development resources and events offered by the Office of Student Engagement.
  •  Ability to make campus reservations through the Kenyon Reservations system.
  •  Receive a financial account managed by the Office of Student Engagement to help track organization finances.
  •  Opportunity to request funding from the student activity fee.
  •  Receive an @kenyon.edu email address and account.
  •  Utilize the campus fleet for transportation needs for the organization.
  •  Rent equipment from the Office of Student Engagement for campus programming.
  • Create a group that provides a benefit to the campus community for years.

Student Organization Renewal Process

All campus organizations must complete the renewal process annually during the spring semester. When prompted by Student Life Committee of Student Council and the Office of Student Engagement, the registered student organization will be asked to submit the following:

  • Incoming president, treasurer and secretary (required positions)
  • Current advisor (if required)
  • Student Activity Fee budget summary
  • Updated constitution and bylaws
  • Logo for the student organization to be used on the website
  • Mission statement for the website
  • Updated roster; in order to be renewed, a group must have no fewer than 5 active members (including a president, treasurer and secretary)
  • Campus contribution describing their contribution to the overall campus community over the past academic year. Satisfactory completion will be at the discretion of the Office of Student Engagement and the Student Life Committee of Student Council. Types of campus contributions include:
    • An open, alcohol-free, campus event (date, time and location must be provided)
    • A service to campus
    • A product of value (i.e. publication)
    • Other types will be reviewed by the vice president for student life of Student Council and the Office of Student Engagement for approval

The renewal process is required of all registered student organizations to maintain "active" status and receive the privileges of registered student organizations including the ability to submit semester funding requests to the Business and Finance Committee of Student Council. Organizations that fail to complete the renewal process by the stated deadline will be considered "inactive" and will not receive the privileges afforded to campus organizations, including access to the Kenyon Reservations System or funding from the Business and Finance Committee of Student Council. 

Once submitted, the student organization will be notified by the Student Life Committee of Student Council and the Office of Student Engagement of their renewal status. 

Changes implemented after the renewal process deadline must be promptly communicated to the Student Life Committee and the Office of Student Engagement regarding the organization’s submission. Student organizations may update renewal materials, such as a change in the constitution or bylaws, at any time throughout the year.

Failure to complete any of the above criteria will result in the following process:

One year of of non-compliance:

  • Inactive status: Restricted from all organization activities, including but not limited to, advertising events, reserving space and using any campus funding.
  • Organization leadership is required to attend a hearing of the Student Life Committee and present an action plan identifying the cause of non-compliance and strategies to avoid future issues. The committee will provide a recommendation regarding recognition status to the Student Council.
  • Completion of previously unmet requirements is necessary to regain active status. 

Two consecutive years of non-compliance:

  • Archived status: In addition to the restrictions from one academic year of non-compliance, the organization also loses access to campus accounts, including organization email.
  • Loss of recognition: The organization is no longer recognized by the College and any organizational activity could be a violation of the Student Handbook.
  • Any effort to reinstate the organization should follow the processes for starting a new organization.