Executive Order 1068

This executive order establishes systemwide policies, procedures, and guidelines for student organizations and activities. 

Student Organizations

Campuses shall establish and publish procedures for formal chartering and recognition of student organizations in compliance with the following policies:

Formal Chartering and Recognition Policies

Campuses shall comply with all student organization filing requirements described in California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Article 4, Nondiscrimination in Student Organizations, Sections 41500 (Withholding of Recognition), 41501 (Definition of Recognition), 41503 (Filing Requisites), and 41504 (Penalties). These sections require each student organization to deposit with the vice president of student affairs or his/her designee copies of all constitutions, charters, or other documents relating to its policies. Documents shall be refiled within 90 days after any substantive change or amendment.

No campus shall recognize any fraternity, sorority, living group, honor society, or other student organization that discriminates on the basis of race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, color, age, gender, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation, or disability. The prohibition on membership policies that discriminate on the basis of gender does not apply to social fraternities or sororities or other university living groups. Student organizations shall deliver to the vice president for student affairs or his/her designee a statement signed by the president or similar officer of the local student organization attesting that the organization has no rules or policies that discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, color, age, gender, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation, or disability. This statement shall be renewed annually.

No campus shall recognize any fraternity, sorority, living group, honor society, or other student organization unless its membership and leadership are open to all currently enrolled students at that campus, except that a social fraternity or sorority or other university living group may impose a gender limitation as permitted by Title 5, California Code of Regulations, Section 41500. Student organizations may require applicants for leadership positions to have been members for a specified period of time, and may require officers to compete for those positions in elections of the membership.

In recognizing student organizations, campuses are encouraged to consider such factors as the mix of students who reside on campus, students who commute, part-time and full-time students, students who are working while attending college, and other factors that will provide opportunities that meet the diverse needs of students seeking to affiliate with student organizations.

Withholding and Withdrawing Official Recognition

Official recognition of student organizations that fail to abide by the open membership policy or that discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, color, age, gender, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation, or disability shall be withdrawn.

In addition, official recognition of a student organization may be withdrawn for hazing or conspiracy to haze as defined in the California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Standards for Student Conduct, Section 41301(b)(8). Individual students may be disciplined for hazing under Section 41301(b)(8).

Campuses may establish codes of conduct for student organizations and procedures for sanctions against the organizations. Sanctions may include actions such as withdrawal of recognition, suspension of recognition for a specified period of time, probation (warning that might lead to a more severe sanction), restriction of privileges, reprimand, and restitution for losses caused.

Minimum Number of Students

Official recognition of a student organization requires a minimum of five CSU students who are currently enrolled in at least one class. A maximum of twenty percent of the members of a student organization may be individuals who are not CSU students, e.g., community members, students at other colleges. Only students enrolled at the CSU campus may vote on issues that come before the student organization. The vice president of student affairs or designee may waive the twenty percent and voting provisions for fraternities and sororities to accommodate such organizations as the National Panhellenic Council that includes representatives from non-CSU campuses. Documentation for this waiver shall include copies of national charters or other appropriate documentation, and these documents shall be submitted to the vice president of student affairs or designee. Campuses retain authority to include additional requirements for recognition and/or to make the requirements listed here more limiting.

Club Advisors

Each officially recognized student organization must have a university advisor who is either a faculty member or professional member. Campuses may permit part-time faculty and professional staff to serve as advisors. Advisors should not be selected from auxiliary organizations. Campuses should develop a training and orientation program for university advisors to student organizations.

Overall Program Evaluations

Campuses shall assess student organizations and activities programs biennially. The review shall include the assessment of such factors as risk management, program quality, student satisfaction, student participation growth, and how the student organizations and activities support the goals of the university. Campuses may develop an individual assessment instrument or select an existing assessment instrument, e.g., The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) or CSU Quality Improvement (QI). The biennial reports shall be submitted to the Office of the Chancellor in August of every even-numbered year.

Club Sports Insurance

Officially recognized student club sports at all CSU campuses must carry adequate liability and secondary medical insurance as determined in collaboration with the campus risk managers or the Office of Risk Management in the Chancellor's Office for all participants and coaches, including non-students and volunteers. The insurance shall cover travel, practices, and competition. Each campus may develop its own method for insurance coverage requiring participants to pay or other fiscally sound approaches as authorized by the campus vice president for student affairs or his/her designee. In no case may a campus use state appropriations to pay for club sports insurance. No student, non-student, or volunteer may participate in a club sport without approved insurance, and no club may be recognized or organized to participate in practices, competition, or travel without approved insurance.

Insurance documents should include appropriate hold harmless provisions as follows: "Insured shall hold harmless, indemnify, and defend the state of California, the Trustees of the California State University, the (campus) and the officers, employees, volunteers and agents of each of them from and against any and all liability, loss, damage, expense, costs of every nature, and causes of actions arising out of or in connection with the use by the insured of said property or participation in said activity."