Criteria and Responsibilities

Leadership Criteria:

Advisers. A current Yale faculty or staff member. To assist in providing continuity from year to year, organizations are encouraged to have a Yale staff or faculty member as an adviser. Organizations must keep their information about their advisers up to date on their Yale Connect portal.

• NOTE: Though not a requirement to be a registered group with the Yale College Dean’s Office, organziations must enlist an “event adviser” if they will be hosting a major event.

Officers. Officers must be Yale College students currently enrolled for study in New Haven, in good academic standing and not on disciplinary probation. They can be held responsible by Yale, as well as by other entities, for any infractions committed by their organizations.

• Only officers may act officially on behalf of an organization.
• Officers should be aware that they are financially and legally responsible for the organization during their term(s) of service; 
• Officers must be listed on their organization’s Yale Connect portal with up-to-date information, including term dates.
• Furthermore, officers are responsible for maintaining a complete, up-to-date roster of members on the Yale Connect portal for their student organization.

Membership Criteria:

• Any student organization that receives university resources must be equally open to all undergraduates. Membership may not be restricted based on sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a protected veteran, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other personal characteristics or beliefs. In addition, membership may not be restricted based on a student’s behaviors outside the organization’s core functions.  
• Undergraduate organizations may choose to include graduate and professional students, faculty, and staff of Yale University, as long as Yale College students constitute a majority of the membership.
• Student organization membership ordinarily continues for the duration of a student’s time at Yale. Organizations may choose to have shorter durations (membership per semester or year, for example); this must be made clear to all prospective and current members. (See here for details on organization membership for students taking time away from enrollment.)  
• Student organizations that require specific skills (eg. vocals or instrumental) may restrict their membership through a structured audition process open to all undergraduates. The standards used to select members must be related to the needs of the organization, and public announcements about auditions or competitions should be widely distributed.   
• The new member process must be outlined clearly in the organization’s constitution, including a timeline. The time dedicated to joining an undergraduate organization must be reasonable—no more than six hours—and may not impede a prospective member’s ability to complete their academic tasks.    

Membership Management:

• Student organizations may set membership expectations pertinent to their core functions; examples include regular attendance, fulfillment of assigned tasks, practice, and preparation for organizational activities. These expectations should be documented in the organization’s constitution or bylaws.  
• Organization leaders are expected to provide feedback and clear guidance to any members who fail to meet organization expectations or who are obstructing the organization’s core functions. In person conversations, which can be helpful, should be documented. If, despite multiple interventions, the member continues to fall short of the student organization’s expectations, leaders may require the member to leave the organization.   
• Student organizations may not conduct internal disciplinary processes to address these matters, nor may they ask a member to leave due to behaviors outside the scope of the organization’s core functions. If leaders are concerned that a student member has engaged in behavior that violates the Undergraduate Regulations or other university policies, the leaders should bring their concerns to the attention of a university official such as a dean, a Title IX Coordinator, or a Discrimination and Harassment Resource Coordinator; leaders may also write to student.organizations@yale.edu for guidance.