All student organizations must create and submit a constitution as part of the recognition process.
A strong constitution can help student organizations clearly articulate their mission and goals, establish a positive culture and code of conduct, and protect members from discrimination and undue process.
All student organization constitutions should include the following sections:
- Group’s Mission and/or Vision
- A Description of the Group’s Activities
- Membership Requirements and/or Selection/Induction Process*
- Leadership Selection Process*
- Conduct Code and/or Internal Group Conduct Process*
- A Dissolution Clause
- i.e. in the case of your organization’s dissolution, who receives your funding?
*Keep in mind that your organization must be inclusive and meet Yale University’s Equal Opportunity Statement policy. Organizations that are application/audition based must clearly state the criteria for being admitted into the organization and the timeline. Registered student organizations should have a clear selection process that is outlined in the constitution, open to everyone, and fair.
Organizations with members who undergo an induction must outline their induction process and timeline. Please read through this website for information about what the state of Connecticut defines as hazing. Please also visit Yale’s website for information about Yale’s hazing on campus. Keep in mind the induction process for any organization should be very far from this line.
Need More Help?
Here is a link to a sample constitution your SOCs have created for student organizations.
If your organization would like assistance with improving your induction process, please email us at student.organizations@yale.edu and we would be more than happy to provide you with assistance or connect you to other resources.