Student Organizations

Starting a New Student Organization

A student or students with an idea for a new student organization should first set up an appointment with Anne Marie Calareso in the Dean of Students Office (calareso@law).

Requirements

Name of the Organization
Name of the Faculty Advisor
Names, addresses, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of all of the officers
Statement of Purpose of the organization
Constitution
Specific Activities that the organization will organize and host
A listing of any outside affiliations (national organizations, etc.)
A listing of any outside funding sources that the organization has received or is expecting to receive
A list of the bank account(s) for the organization (if applicable)
The tax identification number for the organization (if applicable)

Faculty Advisor

The faculty advisor for your organization must send an e-mail indicating their consent to advise the organization to Anne Marie Calareso in the Dean of Students office (calareso@law).

The faculty advisor can be a professor, lecturer, or senior administrator. (Unfortunately, visiting professors cannot be the advisor to a student organization because of their temporary status on campus. However, a visitor can be actively involved in the organization’s activities.) The faculty advisor has two responsibilities – to contribute to the growth of the organization by offering constructive advice and assistance and to help prevent or solve problems or difficult situations that may arise within the organization.

If students are performing volunteer legal work, they must be supervised by licensed attorney or faculty member. Either the faculty advisor or another attorney must agree to supervise the students’ legal work.

The faculty advisor will not be held legally responsible for any debts incurred by the organization.

The students should keep the faculty advisor apprised of their activities throughout the year.

Constitution

The name of the organization, its address, phone, and e-mail as well as those of the organization’s officers is considered public information. The document must contain (but is not limited to) the following information:

Mission
Listing of Officer Positions

Each organization must have at least two officers –

a president or chair who will serve as the liaison between the organization and the Dean of Students Office. This person will be the primary contact for all things relating to the student organization other than finances.
A treasurer or financial officer who will be the primary contact for the budget of the organization. This person will be responsible for signing all reimbursements and tracking the budget progress of the organization. The treasurer will also be the only person who will receive the organization’s billing code. Because the financial reporting schedule at Harvard, the treasurer must hold the position through June 30.

Method for electing officers
Process for amending the constitution
Certification (name and signature of each of the founding members)

Sample Constitutions

Sample constitutions are available from Anne Marie Calareso in the Dean of Students office.

Policies Affadavit

The president (or other senior official) of the organization must certify that she or he is aware of the policies of HLS and Harvard University and be responsible for ensuring that the organization and its activities adhere to the policies. These include (but are not limited to):

Please complete the Policies Affidavit and return it to the Dean of Students Office in Pound 310 with your completed application.

Evidence of Membership

The organization must submit evidence of intended involvement. A signed list of names and e-mail addresses of all interested members is sufficient. The membership list will be considered in determining funding for the organization.

Statement of Contribution

Included in the statement of purpose should be an explanation of the contribution that the organization will make to the HLS community. In particular, how this organization will fill a void in student activities on campus.

If students will be performing volunteer legal work, the officer should first contact Lee Branson (lbranson@law) in the Pro Bono Service Program to discuss the placement, supervision, administrative support, and pro bono credit.

State or Regional affiliation

In general, groups formed on the basis of a state or regional affiliation will not be granted student organization status. However, this policy is under review at the present time. If you are interested in forming a state or regional group, please send an e-mail to Anne Marie Calareso (calareso@law) in the Dean of Students Office.

Budget and Funding Reporting

Each organization is required to submit a mid-year expense report detailing how the budget of the organization has been spent (or is expected to be spent during the spring semester). Funding for the following academic year is allocated during the previous spring semester. Any group wanting to receive funding from the Dean of Students office will be expected to submit a budget request in February that will be reviewed by the Student Funding Board. The president and treasurer of the organization will be notified of funding decisions.

Recruiting Members

The membership of the organization must have a preponderance of HLS students. However, any individual with an affiliation with Harvard may be a member (including students from other schools or employees of Harvard). No members of parent or national organizations may be considered members although those outside of Harvard may be invited to participate in the organization’s activities.

Student Organizations Fair

Every fall, the Dean of Students office organizes a Student Organizations Fair where each organization is invited to distribute information about their organization. Information about registering for the Student Organization Fair will be sent to the president of the organization during August.