Club Frequently Asked Questions
How many student groups are there at Stern?
Stern currently has 40 student clubs, a student government, SGov, and numerous committees within SGov.
How do I join a club?
Office of Student Engagement activates online registration for all clubs at the beginning of each academic year. Students should contact individual clubs to find out more about their membership policies before signing up.
Can I join a club anytime during the year?
Students can join clubs from September through May. Contact each club to find out more about their membership process.
How do I contact a club?
Club contact information is listed on the MBA Clubs page of our website.
When is the best time to reach a club officer?
The best way to reach club leaders is through e-mail, since they are students with busy schedules.
How do I start a club?
In order to receive official recognition, new clubs must be reviewed and approved by SGov and MBA Student Activities. Official recognition allows clubs to apply for SGov funding and receive support from Office of Student Engagement. The review process will take approximately 1-2 months during the academic year. Proposals can be submitted after the 3rd week in November and up to the 1st week in April. All club reviews take place in the Spring semester.
SGov and Office of Student Engagement welcome proposals for new clubs. New clubs help keep Stern vibrant and competitive as the business environment changes. However, students are strongly encouraged to pursue their goals within the framework of existing clubs. Only new groups that cannot possibly fit within existing clubs will be approved.
If you’ve concluded that your goals cannot be met within the framework of an existing club and you’d like to establish a new club, you should work through the following steps:
1. Clarify Your Goals – Make sure you have clear answers to the following questions:
- What are the new club's goals?
- Can an existing club accomplish these goals?
- Do the proposed activities merit a club?
- Is there sufficient interest among current students to support the new club?
- Is this a viable long-term club?
- Does this club offer value to full-time and part-time students?
- Clubs that are unfocused or whose goals can easily fit under the mantle of an existing club are unlikely to be approved.
- A detailed charter for the new organization, including its purpose, organizational structures and provisions for elections and other procedures.
- A list of events and programming that the club will execute if approved
- A supporting letter from a Stern graduate faculty member
- A petition with at least 50 signatures supporting the formation of the club. Those signing should be doing so as potential members.
3. Begin One-Year Trial Period
If SGov and Office of Student Engagement approve your proposal, your club will begin a one-year trial period. Your club will be given a mailbox, an email address, access to the email/event management system (CampusGroups), and space to host a web site. At the end of the one year trial period, SGov and Office of Student Engagement will review your club’s progress and decide on official recognition.
Clubs will not receive an unrestricted funding allocation from SGov during their trial year. However, trial clubs may petition SGov for funding of specific projects.
SGov and Office of Student Engagement will evaluate specific circumstance of each proposal. There is no formula for official recognition. Clubs that create events and opportunities that would not otherwise be available to the Stern community are most likely to be recognized.
Who is my club's Student Activities advisor and/or OCD liaison?
Contact Office of Student Engagement for more information on your club's advisor and OCD liaisons.
