The Office of Student Affairs works with all student organizations, including Student Government, to support student leaders, ensure successful events and meet organizational goals.
All organizations must abide by Columbia Business School and Columbia University policies.
TYPES OF STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
CLUSTERS
- A cluster is a group formed at the beginning of the Columbia Business School experience. Students are grouped together based off of various elements of their personal, education and career background.
- Fall term: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I
- J-Term: W, X, Y, Z
CLUBS
- A club is an officially recognized student organization approved by the Student Government and the Office of Student Affairs. Students can join via paid dues during Open Club Membership periods.
- Types of Clubs
- Affinity
- Athletic
- Community Service
- International
- Professional
- Social
- Benefits of being a recognized student club can be found here.
LEADERSHIP BOARDS & ORGANIZATIONS
- A leadership board/organization is an officially recognized student organization that typically works alongside or is part of a department or center. Students often have to apply, interview or be voted into leadership positions.
- Types of Leadership Boards/Organizations:
- Bernstein Leadership Board
- CBS Reflects
- CMC Fellows
- Hermes Society
- Peer Advisors
- Silfen Advisory Board
- Student Government
CLUSTER GOVERNANCE
CLUSTER ELECTION TIMELINES
- First year Fall Cluster Board Representatives occur in September
- First year January Cluster Board Representatives occur in February
- Second year Cluster Board elections occur on an as needed basis
CLUSTER BOARD STRUCTURE
- Click here to review Cluster Board roles and responsibilities
CLUSTER BOARD FUNDING
- Click here to review eligible cluster spending guidelines and all finance policies and procedures.
- Each cluster receives a budget of $6,000 at the beginning of the first semester provided by the Office of Student Affairs.
- Clusters are provided a Columbia University chartstring that is used for all officially sponsored cluster transactions.
- This budget is intended to be used over the cluster’s two year MBA experience.
- Funds are given to enhance cluster community bonding and to fund events that encourage inclusive cluster cohesion.
- Cluster budgets that are overdrawn at the end of the second year may risk sanctions at the discretion of the Office of Student Affairs
CLUB GOVERNANCE
CLUB MEMBERSHIP
- Club membership is open to all MBA, EMBA, MS & PhD Business School Students
- Dual degree students may join clubs at the beginning of their residency at CBS
- Exchange students are eligible for club membership during their time at CBS
- Non-Business School students may not join clubs and may be able to attend non-member events at the discretion of club leadership
- Club memberships are non-refundable. In rare instances, requests may be reviewed at the discretion of the Office of Student Affairs.
CLUB EXECUTIVE BOARD STRUCTURE
Within reason, each club has the opportunity to select which positions are available for election each semester. All positions must be clearly stated in the club charter.
- Active and official club executive boards are required to have the following positions:
- President
- Vice President of Events
- Vice President of Finance
- Additional positions are at the discretion of the club and based on club needs. Recommended roles include:
- Vice President of Alumni
- Vice President of Careers
- Vice President of Community/Social
- Vice President of Conference (for clubs that host annual conferences)
- Vice President of Marketing
- Vice President of Sponsorship
- Vice President of Treks (for clubs that host career related treks)
- Assistant Vice President (AVP) roles are made available at the club's discretion for first year students during October and January of each year
- Clubs that are unable to maintain the required positions above are at risk for deactivation. Please reach out to your OSA advisor to assist
CLUB FUNDING
- Click here to review eligible club spending guidelines and all finance policies and procedures.
- Clubs raise funds primarily through membership dues. Please contact your OSA Advisor for questions.
- New clubs on probation are unable to charge dues until probation is complete
- Officially recognized student clubs are provided a Columbia University chartstring that is used for all officially sponsored club transactions.
- Any requests to change dues must be approved by the club's OSA advisor.
- Current club dues may be viewed in the club's CampusGroups portal under settings>membership.
- Club budgets that are overdrawn at the end of academic year may risk sanctions at the discretion of the Office of Student Affairs. It is the responsibility of the club to return the budget to positive status.
CLUB ELECTIONS
CLUB ELECTION TIMELINES
- General elections (all club leadership positions) occur in early April each year after Student Government Executive Board elections are completed
- General elections are facilitated by outgoing and incoming Club Presidents
- AVP elections (first year leadership positions) occur in October and February
- AVP elections are facilitated by Club Presidents
- Specific election dates are determined by OSA and communicated to club leadership prior
APPROVED CLUB ELECTION TYPES
All club elections are required to be held through the club's CampusGroups portal.
Click here for CampusGroups Election FAQs.
- General Elections
- Election announcement must be sent to all club members to solicit candidate interest
- Election must be conducted anonymously through CampusGroups
- Candidate statements must be posted on CampusGroups
- The election poll must be open for a minimum of 72 hours and winners announced within 24 hours of the poll closing
- Interview and/or Application
- Election announcement must be sent to all club members to solicit candidate interest
- Candidate statements must be posted on CampusGroups for member review
- Decision criteria must be clearly stated
- Decisions must be finalized by the entire Executive Board through 2/3 quorum vote with a simple majority winner
CLUB ELECTION BEST PRACTICES
All club elections are required to be held through the club's CampusGroups portal.
Click here for CampusGroups Election FAQs.
- Interest Meetings: It is recommended that clubs hold a meeting for interested candidates that includes election guidelines, review of positions available and timeline
- Cascading Elections: Clubs often hold cascading elections that begin with Presidents being elected first followed by Vice Presidents
- Transparency: Strive for transparency of the entire elections process and ensure that selection criteria is published and available . Club charters should be up to date with approved election processes conducted by the club
- Multiple Leadership Roles for President, VPs & AVPs: Thought should be taken into consideration when having candidates for multiple club president leadership roles. To ensure balance between wellness, academic excellence and career focuses, students should avoid obtaining multiple leadership roles in club executive boards.
Note that student organizations that do not elect required leadership positions for the following academic year will automatically be deactivated. Deactivated clubs with interest in the next academic year will be subject to the new club application process.
CLUB OFFICER TRANSITION
CLUB SUCCESS
All current clubs will be subject to various checkpoints throughout the academic year as an indicator of organizational success. At the recommendation of your OSA Advisor or the Student Government VP of Clubs, a sanction may be applied to your club in the event of a breach of policy or procedure as outlined below. Multiple sanction occurrences as stated in the list below will ultimately lead to the deactivation of your club.
Note that cluster leadership that violate policies or procedures will be subject to a meeting with your OSA cluster advisor and will be subject to losing budget and room reservation privilege.
Organizational Success Checkpoints
- Completion of required student organization leadership trainings and on-boarding checklists (online and in-person)
- Completion of required state mandated/Columbia University mandated student organization trainings
- Completion of required Campus Groups portal renewal
- Mandatory participation in Fall and Spring Club Day
- Adherence to student organization governing policies and procedures
- Adherence to financial planning policies and procedures
Sanction List
- E-mail warning from OSA advisor
- In-person meeting with OSA advisor to review sanction and speak about potential solutions
- Student Organization Freeze
- Loss of recognized student organization capabilities such as booking space, using budget, etc.
- Email from OSA advisor will be sent to university partners with club status update
- Student Organization deactivation
- Email from OSA advisor will be sent to current club members
- Dues paying member options will be evaluated at the time of deactivation
CLUB SUNSET PROCESS & MERGER PROCESS
All current student organizations have the option of not renewing their organizations for the next academic year. Student leaders have multiple options when looking to sunset their organization.
Note that student organizations that do not elect required leadership positions for the following academic year will automatically be deactivated. Deactivated clubs with interest in the next academic year will be subject to the new club application process.
Club Sunset Process
- Current student leadership will meet with the organization’s OSA club advisor to determine next steps:
- Communication to current club members
- Eligible membership refunds*
- Status of organization budget**
- Upon finalization, OSA will communicate with university partners of club status.
*Refunds will be dependent on factors that impact the organization such as type/time of year/if memberships are eligible to be transferred to other clubs. For example, students who join clubs who shut down within the first semester may be eligible for refunds or membership transfers. Clubs who shut down after spring break may not be eligible for membership transfers.
**Funding will remain in organization account for a limited time in the event of a re-activation
Club Merger Process
Merging exsisting clubs can be a viable alternative for clubs that have been impacted by potential factors such as:
- Financial Sustainability
- Industry Trends
- Lack of student participation
- Content Overlap
- Large percentage of membership overlap
The merger process is a collaborative effort between club leadership, Student Government and the Office of Student Affairs. Please review the club merger checklist and application below. Reach out to your OSA advisor for questions.