STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Starting an organization

To begin the process of forming a new student organization, we urge you to stop by the Student Activity Center, located in Room #300 of the Hughes-Trigg Student Center and research the already existing student organizations. The Director of Student Activities, whose office is in the Activity Center and the Student Senate Organization Chair, are excellent resources with which to discuss your idea. Southern Methodist University has approximately 160 chartered student organizations. These have been formed to meet a variety of personal, social, political, recreational and religious interests. You may find on campus that there is a group doing just the sort of thing you wanted to do. There are many benefits from joining an existing organization. It is more effective to combine forces than duplicating efforts and/or services, thereby creating competition for resources, financial, or people. Most organizations are eager for new members; they want talent, ideas, enthusiasm, and commitment. If there is a group of people currently meeting with basically the same interests as yours, it makes the most sense to join them and become allies rather than forming your own cliques.

If, however, you are unable to identify an existing organization that will meet your needs, then by all means start your own. There are many others out there with interests similar to yours looking for a group to join! Please contact the Student Senate Organization Committee Chair Lamar Dowling for information on starting a new organization.

Organization Committee