Occidental College
Student Life
Start a Student Org
Can't find the right student organization for you? You can start your own. We'll help you set your group up for success.
Develop your Idea
Get some other students together who are willing to help you get this new group started. Then find an advisor who you have a relationship with or who might know something about the topic of your group. Then you can fill out your New Club Development form and the Club Contact Sheet. These will help you get all the information together for your meeting with us.
While you are doing this, talk to other students and have them sign your Student Support Petition. This will give you a chance to promote your group, but also provides an opportunity to make sure that students are ok with your organization having access to their student fees through the ASOC Funding process.
Meet with the Club Commissioner
Then you can email clubs@oxy.edu to set up a meeting with one of us in OSL. At the first meeting we’ll discuss your club’s goals, contributions to campus, and plan for longevity as well as the next steps in the process. For those organizations engaging in high-risk activities, there may be some additional steps necessary to iron out details before you can really get going.
Specialized Groups
Service Organizations must also register with the Office of Community Engagement. You can do this by contacting Ella Turenne, Assistant Dean for Community Engagement.
Religious and Spiritual clubs must also register with Office of Religious and Spiritual Life. Contact Susan Young for more information.
Club Sports must also register with the Athletics Office and should contact Katie Grogan for more information.
Write your Constitution
Now that you have a clear idea of what your organization will stand for and its goals, it's time to put it all down on paper so that when you graduate (like I'm sure you want to do) there will be a solid plan in place for the others that come after you to take over and keep the organization running
Maintain Recognition
At this point you are an Oxy club. But all Oxy clubs have to do two things to keep themselves active, and new groups have to do them right up front. First is to attend one of the annual club assemblies. This is where we present policy and resource updates to all organizations to make sure everyone is on the same page. The other piece is to complete the club update form that gets sent out at the end of each semester. This keeps our records up to date and maintains your status as a recognized organization.
- On Campus: South Trailer D (next to Bell-Young)
- Email: stulife@oxy.edu
- Voice: (323) 259-2918
- Facebook: OxyOSL