Student Organizations banner in the University Center on the Edinburg campus Diego Montano/ Vaquero Radio
Students interested in creating a new club at UTRGV must first complete an orientation that introduces the requirements and expectations involved in forming a recognized student organization.
The Center for Student Involvement (CSI) hosts these orientations.
Program Coordinator for Fraternity and Sorority Life and Student Organizations Frank Leal offers orientations regularly to make the process accessible to students on both campuses.
“We host them once a month, virtually and in person, on both campuses. During the session, we’ll go over the full process,” Leal said.
After completing the orientation, students are required to submit documentation, including the organization’s constitution, officer information and a list of members. The timeline for approval can vary depending on how quickly students complete these steps.
CSI Program Coordinator Sydney Carranco said the process largely depends on the organization’s level of preparedness.
“It really takes as long as an organization takes to fill out all the information and to gather up their members,” Carranco said.
Student leaders who have gone through the process say that defining the structure and goals of the organization can be one of the most challenging aspects.
President and founder of PharmX, a pre-pharmacy organization at UTRGV, Cleofas Lopes said finalizing the organization’s framework required careful decision-making.
“The hardest part was definitely finalizing everything because you need to decide how to run your organization and how strict you want it to be,” Lopes said.
CSI program coordinators say they encourage students interested in starting a club to plan ahead and take advantage of available resources to ensure a smooth approval process.
For more information on how to start a student organization, visit the UTRGV Get Involved webpage on V Link.
