Friday, May 16, 2008

April 17th & 24th and May 1st, 8th & 15th Meetings

1. Applications for Recognition

The Committee has decided to recommend recognition of the following new organizations:

S.I.S.T.E.R.S. (limited funding, Service/Social Action)
Bioethics Student Association (funded, Academic/Departmental)
Kappa Omicron Sigma (funded, Service/Social Action)
Zeta Sigma Chi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. (limited funding, Greek Life)
Computer Science Council of Majors (funded, Academic/Departmental)

In addition, the Committee recommended recognition of the following organization on the condition that it make minor changes to its proposed constitution:
American Cancer Society--Colleges Against Cancer (funded, Service/Social Action)

The Committee also received and reviewed applications from the Pakistani Student Union, Ludologist's Society, Bethel Campus Fellowship and Christian on Campus, all of which have been sent back to the organizations for revisions.

2. Category Change

The Committee approved the Skydiving Club's request to move from the Sports/Recreation category to the Hobbies category.

3. Meeting with Athletics

The Committee met with representatives from the Athletics Department for a second time and reached an agreement in principle on a new process for recognizing Sports Clubs. The current process requires all organizations to request and receive formal UMBC recognition through the Student Organizations Committee before applying to Athletics for Sports Club status. This process leaves organizations that have received UMBC recognition but not Sports Club status in limbo, without support from either SGA (which does not fund athletics activity) or Athletics.

The new process would require new organizations to be recognized by the Athletics Department as a Sports Club before seeking formal recognition as a UMBC student organization (through the Student Organizations Committee and Director of Student Life) if any of the following statements is true:
  1. In order to fulfill its mission and purpose, the organization would require access to athletic fields, recreational facilities or equipment managed by the Athletics Department.
  1. The organization’s members will compete in contests involving physical skill and any of the following:
    1. running
    2. jumping
    3. diving
    4. skating
    5. swimming
    6. combat
    7. non-cooperative physical contact between participants.
  1. The organization plans to participate in intercollegiate competition for which the league or governing body requires participants to be affiliated with the campus Athletics Department.
The Student Organizations Committee will meet with Athletics again on May 19th to finalize the language of this new policy and discuss the status of existing Sports/Recreation organizations that have not been granted Sports Club status by Athletics.