October 25 and November 1, 2007 Meetings--4 New Orgs and a Dispute Resolved

1. Applications for Recognition

The Committee has decided to recommend recognition of three new student organizations:

Modeling Club (funded, Special Interest)

UMBC Executive Club (funded, Academic/Departmental)

Media and Communications Studies Council of Majors (funded, Academic/Departmental)

The Committee also accepted a revised Constitution from the Political Science Council of Majors and affirmed its previous recommendation for the group's recognition as a funded, Academic/Departmental organization.

In addition, the Committee considered applications from the following organizations and asked them to make revisions to their Constitutions:

Amnesty International (1^st and 2^nd submissions)

Black Artists’ Society (2^nd submission)

Air Force ROTC

Russian Club

Pre-Veterinary Society

Also, I reported to the Committee that the dispute between the two organizations claiming to be entitled to the name and/or funds of Filmmakers’ Anonymous has been resolved successfully. One of the organizations will retain the name, while the other—the UMBC Film Crew—will inherit the carryover account. The Committee considered the UMBC Film Crew’s application for recognition and Filmmakers’ Anonymous’ proposed new Constitution, and asked Chris Najmi to work with both organizations on needed revisions to their Constitutions.

2. What Counts as a Membership Restriction?

The Committee has made a couple of initial determinations about membership restrictions in relation to organizations’ funding status. One is that an organization can limit membership based on participation—for example, requiring attendance at two consecutive meetings before allowing a student to vote in the organization’s elections—without losing its funded status. The other is that an organization can place restrictions on the holders of officer positions—for example, requiring officers to have minimum GPAs or junior standing—without losing its funded status. These determinations reflect the Committee’s interpretation of SGA’s Student Organizations Policy.