Register Your Returning Student Organization

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2023-24 RSO REGISTRATION WILL OPEN JULY 1, 2023 – DEADLINE SEPT. 8, ‘23

Check back on July 1, 2023 for all updated instructions and links

Want to know what to expect while waiting for July 1st? Read on:

Thank you for your interest in registering your student organization at Berkeley for the 2023-24 Academic Year! Registration is open for all returning organizations, both Frozen and Active at CalLink.berkeley.edu and concludes on Friday, September 8, 2023. RSOs who were fully registered at the end of the Spring 2023 term begin the Fall ‘23 term in a “grace period” maintaining all of the privileges of a University recognized student organization. 

RSOs who fail to complete all RSO Re-registration requirements by Sept. 8, 2023 will be moved to Frozen status on Oct. 1, 2023 and remain frozen for the remainder of the fall semester. All campus reservations will be canceled and funding sources will be frozen.

In preparation for the ‘23-24 registration period, please add all your members and incoming leadership to your org’s CalLink roster to ensure they receive all LEAD Center & CalLink communication related to registration, Calapalooza, and finances. Email us at studentorgadvising@berkeley.edu if you have any questions.

Registering your returning student organization and becoming a Signatory for your RSO comes with many campus privileges and responsibilities. You will need at least four (4) students who are willing to serve as the Signatories (authorized representatives) for your organization to the university. The four of you will be responsible for upholding our university’s mission, values, and policies as they relate to the Student Organization experience and the well-being and safety of your members. The Student Organization Registration Form and the Signatory Training course will help you better understand the responsibilities associated with University recognition. Signatory status allows you to access your org’s CalLink page, receive LEAD Center communication, reserve campus venues, apply for funds on campus and sign up for events like Calapalooza, Cal Day, Sproul Tabling events, and Cub-E.

We look forward to supporting your RSO. If you have any questions about the registration process, please contact us at studentorgadvising@berkeley.edu.

Go Bears!
The Student Organization Advising Team

 

23-24 | Student Org Registration Requirements

  • Student Org Registration Form & RSO Constitution on CalLink
    REG FORM WILL BECOME ACTIVE ON July 1, ’23 – Due Sept. 8, 2023 at 11:45 pm.

    • Beginning on July 1, 2023 one member will go to “Manage Organization” and click the blue “re-register this org” button on your CalLink page – Due Sept. 8, 2023.
    • Upload your org’s current constitution annually including RSO constitution required statements. Summer is a great time to review, analyze and update your group’s constitution to reflect how your organization is currently operating.
    • Once a member submits the Registration form the blue “Re-register this org” will disappear
    • LEAD Center staff review submissions for approval. If denied, we will explain why. Please make amendments and resubmit until approved.
  • Complete Signatory Training bCourse (4 students)
    ‘23-24 Signatory Training course will be found at Callink/Events on July 1, 2023 – Due Sept. 8, 2023 at 11:45 pm

    • 4-8 students who will serve as the authorized representatives of your RSO to the university must complete this training annually
    • Content includes a signatory’s administrative and ethical responsibilities for leading a registered student organization
    • Signatories are expected to identify themselves to their RSO members and share the information and resources from the training at a fall meeting
  • List Your Orgs on Signatory bCourse Module 5 (4 students)
    Due Sept. 8, 2023 at 11:45 pm

    • In Module 5 of the Signatory Training, you must list all the organizations for which you intend to serve as a signatory for the upcoming year
    • RSOs must maintain a minimum of 4 signatories at all times
    • Wait for the LEAD Center to upload bcourse data into CalLink (weekly, not daily), then you will receive an email about accepting Terms & Conditions
  • Accept Signatory Terms & Conditions on CalLink (4 students)
    Due Sept. 15, 2023 at 11:45 pm

    • The 4 students who completed the Signatory bCourse and listed your org in the Module 5 Quiz must accept the Signatory Terms & Conditions
    • Email Link | Once we upload your Signatory bCourse completion AND your Module 5 Quiz submission, you will receive an email from the LEAD Center/CalLink with instructions to accept the Signatory Terms & Conditions (T&C). Please wait for this email as it is not instantaneous.
    • CalLink Roster Link | To see who has accepted their Signatory T&C, go to your org’s CalLink page, click on “Org Tools,” then “Roster” and finally the “Terms & Conditions” tab. 
    • You have met this requirement when 4 students have Signatory status on the RSO’s CalLink roster
  • Check your Org’s Registration Status for Requirement Completion
    on Oct. 1, 2023 at 11:45 pm

    • RSOs can check the progress of their org’s registration requirement completion at the RSO Registration Progress Tracker
    • Once we receive your completed Signatory training and Google form, we will update your org’s CalLink roster with your 23-24 Signatory status. We do weekly uploads to CalLink rosters during registration, signatory status is not instantaneous.

REMINDERS

SIGNATORY STATUS & FINANCIAL AGENT POSITIONS

Two important positions within a student organization are your signatories and your financial agents. These are two separate positions and both are cleared from all members annually in summer. This is how we ensure everyone is properly trained and that we have current contacts. 

SIGNATORIES are the authorized representatives of your organization. They are trained through the Signatory Training bCourse. Signatories learn about administrative responsibilities like university policies & procedures as well as ethical responsibilities including bystander intervention, SVSH prevention & response, hazing prevention, and how to host safe events. They are expected to identify themselves to their student org members and share the info from the bcourse training at a Fall meeting. In turn, signatories are able to book classes and event space on behalf of their organization. They are also allowed to sign up for activities like Sproul tabling, Calapalooza, and Cal Day. An org is required to have 4 signatories.

FINANCIAL AGENTS are the financial approvers of your organization’s funds in CalLink. If your org receives funding from the ASUC, Graduate Assembly or any campus grant (SOF, Wellness, Big C, etc.) those funds will be deposited into your CalLink account. In order to access & approve CalLink purchase requests on behalf of your organization, you need to be ASUC sponsored and you need to become a financial agent. To do this, please take the 23-24 CalLink Finance Agent Training bCourse (Find current Agent Finance Training at home page of Callink.berkeley.edu). We recommend that you have at least two agents in your organization. You can prepare by studying the CalLink Finance Training Slides – they have all the answers!

UPDATE YOUR RSO’S MEMBERSHIP ROSTER & CALLINK PAGE

New students are looking at your CalLink page to learn more about your org and to possibly join. Keeping your RSO’s CalLink page up to date is an easy way to recruit new members. You can do this by clicking on the “Manage Organization” link on your RSO’s CalLink page. Check out this resource for more information on keeping your roster up to date.

Student Organizations that are Frozen or No Longer Active

If you are trying to register an organization that is frozen in CalLink and you are unable to access the CalLink page (including the RSO’s roster and documents page), please email studentorgadvising@berkeley.edu so that we may add you to the roster and give you access to register the organization. On the other hand, if you are with an organization that is choosing to be inactive this academic year, please inform us by emailing studentorgadvising@berkeley.edu.

Processing Time for RSO Registration Requirements

As a friendly reminder – we have roughly 1,200 student organizations and over 6,000 signatories that register annually! The LEAD Center processes all registration requirements on a weekly basis both during and after the September registration deadline.

Please note that signatory status does not automatically update on your organization’s CalLink roster(s) once you complete both the Signatory training and accept the Signatory Terms & Conditions. Depending on when you complete the Signatory Training bCourse, the Signatory Position will be updated to your student organization roster in CalLink within 5-7 business days. Please keep confirmations of your signatory requirement completions and email us at studentorgadvising@berkeley.edu if you do not see the position on your CalLink roster after ONE week.

After the September 8, 2023 registration deadline, the LEAD Center needs time to process all your registration submissions in addition to reviewing and meeting with all new student organization applicants. If there are issues with your registration submissions, we will contact you to inform you what needs to be amended. It is critical that you make the required amendments and re-submit in a timely manner.

Approval of Registered Student Organization (RSO) Status

If all registration requirements are submitted by the September 8 deadline and approved, your organization will have university recognition for the 2023-2024 Academic Year. Your organization will officially become a Registered Student Organization (RSO) visible to the public in CalLink and is granted all the campus privileges and benefits of RSO status. This includes: ability to apply for space and funding on campus, the privilege of hosting events on campus, access to RSO event insurance coverage, ability to table on campus, and the ability to recruit new members on campus.

Important Reminders

The LEAD Center will not deny or delay RSO status to applying organizations on the basis of their statements of purpose or uniqueness, mission statement, or other viewpoint expressed in its application. 

If the description of a new student organization in a statement of purpose or uniqueness is duplicative of one or more existing RSOs, the LEAD Center may encourage, but not require, the applicant organization’s signatories to confer and collaborate with similar RSOs.  The LEAD Center may also ask that the group’s signatories discuss this potential duplication during the required meeting with a LEAD Center staff member. This meeting provides a valuable opportunity for the LEAD Center staff to help student signatories think through ways their organization can make a unique, positive contribution to the University’s RSO community.

Registration FAQs

What does it mean to be a Registered Student Organization? Why should we register?

Being a Registered Student Organization (RSO) gives your organization official recognition by UC Berkeley while you are on campus. RSO’s are separate entities from the university and their programs, events, and activities do not represent the university. The only way to become an RSO is to register annually with the LEAD Center (registering with an academic department, finding a faculty advisor, setting up a DeCal, etc, is not the same thing.)

The perks of being registered:

  • Funding through a variety of sources
  • Ability to reserve spaces on campus
  • Eligibility to recruit members by posting fliers on campus and announcements on specified campus calendars
  • Advising from professional staff who specialize in supporting specific campus communities
  • Free insurance coverage for most on-campus events, based on risk
  • The ability to apply for a groupname.berkeley.edu web address
  • The opportunity to build community and make Berkeley feel like home

What are we responsible for as an RSO?

The Responsibilities:

What does it mean to have an approved name?

Because RSOs are separate and distinct entities from the university, they are not allowed to use University trademarks in the name of the student organization and in the nicknames of the student organization.

– Trademarks include (so these are not allowed in names/nicknames): UC Berkeley, Cal, UC, UCB, Berkeley Chapter, Berkeley Campus, Oski, Golden Bears, Go Bears, Bears, Names of Campus Buildings, etc.
– Not allowed: Using Berkeley or California at the beginning of the name
– Allowed: “Student Org at/of Berkeley” or “Student Org at/of California”

The University has granted the use of the name “Berkeley” or “California” to student organizations to be used only at the end of the student organization’s name or nickname(s) (“Student Org at/of Berkeley” or “Student Org at/of California”). If the student organization has received proper authorization from both the Office of Business Contracts and Brand Protection (BCBP) and the LEAD Center, a student organization can use University trademarked terms in the name.

Please note that if Berkeley (or any other trademarked names) is approved for use in the name of the student org, the student org is required to use the trademark symbol on the word Berkeley and to use a licensee for all product needs.

As long as names fall within the above stated guidelines, they can be approved.

What’s the difference between a Statement of Purpose and a Statement of Uniqueness?”

A purpose statement (or mission statement) defines what your organization wants to accomplish.

Your organization’s uniqueness statement provides the LEAD Center with additional details about your organization beyond what you have stated in your statement of purpose. This is an opportunity to clarify how your proposed organization is different from other existing student organizations at UC Berkeley and how your group will have a positive impact on the university community.

The LEAD Center will not deny RSO status to applying organizations on the basis of their statements of purpose or uniqueness.  Instead, the purpose of requiring these statements is to provide a valuable opportunity for the LEAD Center’s staff to help you think through ways that your organization can contribute to the University’s RSO community.

What information do we need to put in our constitution?

A student organization constitution is the official statement of the organization’s purpose and how it intends to operate. It should serve as a guide for making leadership changes, running meetings, planing activities, and generally makes decisions about how to best achieve an Organization’s stated purpose.

  • All RSO constitutions must follow the format in the Constitution Template in order to be approved. While you may add articles or bylaws to the template, all of the articles in the template must be included. Additions to the document must adhere to the campus regulations as stated in the Berkeley Campus Regulations
  • Please note and include the sections highlighted in red exactly as written, as this language complies with university policy.
  • The sections highlighted in blue are required for all ASUC sponsored organizations and recommended for all RSOs
  • Approved constitutions are uploaded and stored in the organization’s document folder on CalLink

Do Signatories need to be students?

Each RSO must have been 4-8 signatories at any given time. At least two of these must be currently enrolled students at UC Berkeley. The other 2-6 may be students, staff, or faculty members.

Signatory Issue Reporting Form

If you believe the Signatory membership on your organization’s Callink roster is incorrect or incomplete, please use this “Signatory Issue Reporting” form to report any issues so we may investigate. This includes issues like: not having received the signatory position on your organization’s roster ONE WEEK after submitting Quiz 5 of the Training bCourse and so on. Issues reported via this form will have priority processing over issues reported via email. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. 

We thank you for all you and your RSOs are doing to build community and support for our campus community. Your innovation, resilience, and energy is making a HUGE contribution to the virtual world!