Approval and Onboarding Process

How Applications are Reviewed

At the beginning of January, all Intent to Register applications are evaluated by the Student Organization Review Committee (SORC).

Committee Composition:

• 2–3 administrative staff members, including members of the Committee on Undergraduate Organizations and/or the Undergraduate Organizations Affiliates Group.
• 2–3 student leaders, including SOCs and/or UOFC members.
• 1 representative from Risk Management.
• 1 representative from Trademark Licensing.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Whether the organization meets the minimum requirements for registration.
• The thoughtfulness of the proposed organization’s mission.
• What specifically the proposed organization hopes to accomplish on campus.
• The proposed activities of the organization.
• How the proposed organization differs from existing organizations.

If SORC determines a group is eligible, provisional approval is granted, and notifications are sent by email at the end of January.

Onboarding Process

Provisionally approved groups spend the spring semester onboarding — establishing a strong foundation for the organization’s success at Yale. Each group is assigned a Student Organization Consultant (SOC), who guides the group through:

• An initial new organization training session.
• Three (3) benchmark meetings, during which the group completes new group training, refines its mission and goals, drafts its constitution, and solidifies its overall structure. See “Overview of Benchmarks” below.
• Organizations should expect these meetings in February, March, and April.

Responsibilities During Onboarding

• Submit all YCDO-requested forms and surveys (e.g., check-in surveys, financial reports, membership/leadership rosters).
• Meet the benchmarks assigned by the YCDO throughout the semester.
• Check in with the assigned SOC at least three times during the semester. These sessions are working sessions and often involve creating, distributing, or submitting information.

Privileges During and After Onboarding

During their onboarding semester, organizations have access to most of the privileges of registration. Below are privileges granted to organizations only after the successful completion of their onboarding semester:

• Ability to accept gifts from alumni and other donors for the current use of the undergraduate organization, when the solicitation for that donation was approved in the manner described in Section H of the Undergraduate Regulations
• Ability to track alumni in partnership with the Yale Alumni Association
• Limited access to funding from various campus funding sources, including the Undergraduate Organizations Funding Committee and special funding sources such as the Dean’s Discretionary Fund and Traphagen Alumni Speaker Series Fund

End of the Onboarding Semester

At the end of the onboarding semester, the group must have completed all benchmarks with their SOC and submit the Final SORC application through Yale Connect. This application will include all documents created during the benchmark meetings, as well as the organization’s semester summary. The summary should include:

• the organization’s positive impact on the Yale community,
• its stated goals throughout the semester, progress in achieving those goals, and goals for the foreseeable future,
• its event calendar during its onboarding semester,
• and its plan for sustaining group membership and activity in the future.

Final Review

Based on the feedback from the assigned SOC, and information provided by the organization in their final SORC application, the SORC subcommittee will decide whether the organization:

1. Will become a fully recognized group within the YCDO
2. Must complete one additional semester of onboarding
3. Must again be reviewed by, and potentially invited in for a conversation with, the larger SORC.

If an Organization is granted Full Recognition, they no longer need to meet consistently with their SOC and may function like all other recognized student organizations.

If an Organization is not granted Full Recognition, they may continue onboarding for one additional semester. At the end of the second semester of its existence, they must be reviewed by the subcommittee again.

If an Organization is not granted Full Recognition after its second appearance before the subcommittee, the group will be deregistered for at least one academic year. Student groups are advised to take into account committee feedback after their first review and be clear about any improvements or efforts they’ve made in the additional semester. 

Overview of Benchmarks