New Club Guide

Prospective Club Guide for club initiators

Dec 2013 kg

What is “Prospective” Club Sports Status?

Prospective Status Prospective clubs are club sports that are proposed, but not fully recognized by the UO Club Sports Program. Such clubs may be granted “prospective” status for up 2 academic terms. This is a probationary period, designed to support the club initiator in the evaluation of membership interest and resource evaluation, and sustainability.

At the conclusion of this period, the club will submit a final request and presentation to Club Sports Executive Committee, to be considered for full recognition. Club Sports Executive Committee will make a recommendation for final approval/denial of full recognition to the Club Sports Director.

Probationary Period Privileges During this time, club initiators are extended the following privileges: 1. Prospective clubs are authorized to have an Org Sync portal (as a prospective club) 2. Prospective clubs are authorized to submit space requests through the Club Sports Program to gather on campus and evaluate member interest.

Probationary Period Restrictions During this time, club initiators are restricted from the following: 1. Prospective club not authorized to travel to events.

2. Prospective clubs are not authorized to build a website or utilize facebook, identifying themselves as a UO Club Sport. The prospective club is to identify themselves as a “prospective club” and utilize Org Sync to evaluate member interest.

Instructional/Competitive—To be considered for recognition, clubs must be either primarily instructional or competitive to be a club sport. Instructional clubs must have a qualified instructor and the majority of time during club meetings must be used for instruction. Competitive clubs meet to train for competition in an approved league.

Informal/Pickup Groups –Clubs that meet primarily to play informally (such as pick-ups) or for social purposes are considered recreational groups and will not be recognized as club sports. Seeking recognition as an ASUO group is generally recommended for groups of this nature.

Please review the benefits of being a recognized UO Club Sport to determine if Club Sports sponsorship is a good fit for your club before starting this process.

Initiator Checklist What can club initiators do during the probationary period?

1. Register on Org Sync o Create an Org Sync account (for you) o Register as a club sports member o Join the Club Sports Officer portal o Join your prospective club’s portal* *club initiator will be granted administrator status for this portal.

2. Develop a club proposal In this proposal, you are to address the following: a) How the club proposal supports the mission of the UO Club Sports program b) Demonstrate a 1 year plan (what do you envision your club looking like in 6 months? 1 year?)

3. Develop an anticipated budget The Club Sports Program will grant minimal support for prospective clubs (between $300-500). This is to support basic operational costs (ie-promotional flyers, facility charges). It is not to be used for personal items such as t-shirts and uniforms.

It can take up to 2 years for a club to be fully evaluated and considered for inclusion in the annual budget allocation process. Prospective clubs must plan to self-fund activities through membership dues and fundraising activities.

4. Develop a constitution draft This document outlines the anticipated operational procedures of your proposed club. The club office has plenty of samples.

5. Hold an prospective member meeting Submit a request to the Club Sports Office to book a meeting room to hold a prospective member meeting. Please note that the club is to advertise itself as a “prospective club” in all communication.

6. Schedule a progress meeting with the Club Sports Director once per month This time should be used to report out on the progress of club development and address any questions or concerns.

Evaluation Criteria At the conclusion of the probationary period, a prospective club will need to demonstrate the following prior to submitting the final request for recognition and presentation to the Club Sports Executive Committee: 1. Membership/Leadership To be evaluated for full recognition, club sports must be student formed and led and membership must be at least 75% student. Faculty/staff may be welcomed as associate members. Non-UO affiliated individuals shall not be members.

2. Demonstrated Instructional/Competitive Nature Prospective clubs must demonstrate that they are either primarily instructional or competitive to be a Club Sport. Instructional clubs must have a qualified instructor and the majority of time during club meetings must be used for instruction. Competitive clubs meet to train for competition in an approved league.

Groups that meet primarily to play informally (such as pick-ups) or for social purposes are considered recreational groups and will not be recognized as Club Sports. Seeking recognition as an ASUO group is generally recommended for groups of this nature.

3. Uniqueness Prospective clubs must be distinct from existing Club Sports in order to be recognized. Groups representing a sport that already has an existing club will not be recognized.

4. Sustainability For a prospective club to be considered for recognition, it will need to be a group that is likely to continue in existence over a long period of time. Factors involved in this include availability of coaching/instructors, availability of local competition for competitive clubs, overall student interest, etc.Interest-Is there sufficient student interest (minimum of 10 students).

5. On-campus facility resources For a prospective club to be recognized, there needs to be sufficient on-campus facility space.

Clubs requiring off –campus facility space may be considered by the program, but tend to be denied. During the probationary status, the Club Sports professional staff will work with the club initiator and PE & Recreation staff to determine if there are adequate facility resources to sustain the club.

6. Risk Guidelines— For a prospective club to be recognized, the activity fall within the acceptable risk guidelines, as determined by the Director of Club Sports, with consultation with the Office of Risk Management.

GOOD LUCK!