Interested in getting involved in campus life? Check out the list of current student organizations to see if there is already a club on campus that is the same as the one you would like to start. Want to start your own club? It's easy! Just complete the following steps:

1. Identify your officers and complete the Student Organization & Officer form. Find a minimum of four (4) members to join your club. Members must be currently registered Moorpark College students. Once you've identified your members, complete a Student Organization & Officer Information form (one per club).
    
2. Secure an advisor for your club. Identify a minimum of one (1) advisor who is a Moorpark College faculty or staff member who will advise the organization on college rules and regulations; attend all organization meetings, activities, and events; supervise the organization's financial transactions; and give general guidance to the organization. One you've found at least one faculty or staff member who is willing to serve in this role, have that person complete an Advisor Agreement form (one form per advisor). Please note that faculty or staff cannot serve in the official advisor capacity of more than two (2) clubs in one academic year.
    
3. Draft your club's constitution & bylaws. Work with your members and advisor to create a constitution and club bylaws, detailing how the organization will operate. (View a template of these documents here.) A constitution should outline the basic principles by which your club will operate and might include information like your club's official name, the club mission, information on who can be a member, how students get elected into executive positions, and what their term limitations might be. Your club's bylaws or standing rules might go into greater detail about your officer's job duties, what is your club's expected code of conduct, how often will your club meet, or other specific details about your club operations that member can refer to on a day-to-day basis.
    
4. Submit the necessary paperwork to ASMC. Student Activities Office to receive consideration for approval by the Associated Students of Moorpark College (ASMC) Board of Directors. Follow up questions can be directed at the ASMC Director of Student Organizations at ASMCStudentOrgs@vcccd.edu.
    
5. Attend an ASMC meeting to have your club formally approved. Once the club or organization has submitted the aforementioned paperwork, the ASMC Director of Student Organizations will invite a club representative to discuss their idea for a new student club at the next standing ASMC weekly Board meeting. Club and organization approval is discussed at the weekly ASMC Board of Directors meetings, which are open to the public in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act. See Article V of the ASMC Standing Rules for more information.

DEADLINES: The deadline to submit club creation forms for Spring 2020 is Friday, March 6, 2020. ASMC will begin considering new clubs for 2020-2021 in August 2020. Send your questions to ASMCStudentOrgs@vcccd.edu.
 

STEPS TO TAKE ONCE CLUB IS APPROVED

1. Visit the student organizations resources page for important details regarding how to operate, manage, and renew your student organization.
2. Submit either a Trust Account Set-Up Form (needed to set up a funding account for an organization that has never existed on the MC campus before) or a Trust Account Update Form (to update users' information to a funding account for a club that might have previously existed). More information can be found on the Trust Accounts section of the Resources for student organizations page. Students can also contact MC Student Activities Specialist Kristen Robinson at krobinson@vcccd.edu.
3. Check out when the next Inter-Club Council meeting is so you can be sure to have a representative there, per club requirements.
   
    

EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

To be considered an official Moorpark College student organization and receive any associated benefits, clubs must:

• Be formally recognized by the ASMC Board of Directors. All student organizations must be formally recognized by the Board of Directors in order to receive the benefits offered by ASMC. Benefits include: use of the college name in all publicity; using college facilities for meetings, events, or activities; and requesting funds from ASMC through the Programming Committee.

• Review the ASMC Constitution & Standing Rules to understand how clubs are expected to operate. The ASMC governing documents outline procedures by which clubs are expected to operate, as well as grounds by which they could be suspended if are not meeting minimum expectations. Click to view the ASMC Constitution & Standing Rules (ICC rules begin on page 18).

• Participate in Inter-Club Council meetings. Formally recognized student organizations are automatically considered a part of the Inter-Club Council (ICC). The ICC will serve as the representative body to coordinate and promote communication and cooperation among student organizations on campus. The ICC is composed of officers and a voting representative from each student organization, and it is required that a representative from each club attend the monthly ICC meetings, which are chaired by the ASMC Director of Student Organizations. Visit the ASMC Board of Directors page for more information about the ICC.

• Track your meetings. Take minutes each meeting and collect roll for all members in attendance at each meeting, and provide that information to the ASMC Director of Student Organizations. Clubs should also provide the Director of Student Organizations with scheduled meeting times so this information can be made available on the MC website. Contact the ASMC Director of Student Organizations at ASMCStudentOrgs@vcccd.edu.

• Submit your renewal forms on time! Organizations that are active in 2019-2020 and wish to continue in the 2020-2021 academic year must submit the required renewal paperwork by Monday, June 1, 2020. See the "Renew your club" section of the Resources for clubs page for instructions.