Office of Student Activities SS 500.1: Purpose The mission of the Office of Student Activities at the College is to serve the student body and greater collegiate community by providing co-curricular programs and experiences that promote the spiritual, physical, intellectual, cultural, educational, and social growth of each student. The Office of Student Activities takes a holistic approach to student development and encourages each student to participate actively in all aspects of the College, whereby he may become a better citizen and leader in the community. Applicability Every member of the student body, faculty and staff has the right to participate freely in College-sponsored activities without facing discrimination or bias based on any classifications that deprive him/her of consideration as an individual. Only students who are academically ineligible or who have sanctions with the Office of Student Conduct are prohibited from participating in services and programs. Source The Office of Student Activities follows all the guidelines and procedures outlined in the Morehouse College Student Handbook. The handbook is the College s official notification of its policies, rules, regulations, and standards of conduct and decorum. Each student is responsible for knowing these policies, rules, regulations, and standards of conduct. The enrollment status of each student is dependent upon his compliance with all the conditions specified in the handbook. The Office of Student Activities also follows all guidelines and procedures outlined in the Morehouse College Policies and Procedures Manual and in the Morehouse College 2006-2008 Course Catalog. Policy 1
The Office of Student Activities is committed to the holistic growth of each student through co-curricular involvement at the College. The Office of Student Activities oversees many areas of campus life, including the Student Government Association, Greek Life, Homecoming, Friends and Family Weekend, and student organization advisement. The primary goal of the Office of Student Activities is to provide quality programs and services to College students and the surrounding community. Procedure Members of the College community gain access to various College-sponsored services and programs through the College website, approved flyers, and email correspondence. Students are also referred to the Office of Student Activities by other offices and units on the campus. The areas of service and programs directly under the scope of the Office of Student Activities are organized into the following major sections: I. Student Government Association The College s Student Government Association (SGA) is elected by and from the student body. In its representation of the student body, the SGA is committed to assessing the needs of students and ensuring that their concerns are properly communicated to the staff and faculty of the College. Through continuous collaboration with students, faculty, and administrators, the SGA helps to facilitate an environment that is conducive to providing a positive collegiate experience for the entire student body. SGA membership offers students an opportunity to develop sound judgment, maturity, and leadership skills by taking an active role in issues that govern student life at the College. The SGA is composed of an Executive Board, Student Court and Student Senate. In addition, the SGA influences the College's decision making process by serving as a liaison between the students and the governing bodies presiding over policies and procedures for the College. The SGA will also encourage and provide opportunities for student involvement to develop in each student a lifetime relationship with Morehouse College. II. Greek Life 2
All aspects of fraternity life are overseen by the Office of Student Activities. Morehouse College fraternities are organizations based on a lifelong commitment to scholarship, achievement, service, citizenship, friendship, and leadership. Through Greek rush and a process of selection and recruitment by each chapter on the campus, students have the opportunity to meet and interact with the members of each fraternity. List of Fraternities Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated Alpha Rho Chapter Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ) is the first intercollegiate fraternity established by African Americans. Founded on December 4, 1906, on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, as a social fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha has initiated over 175,000 men into the organization and has been open to men of all races since 1945. The fraternity utilizes motifs and artifacts from ancient Egypt to represent the organization and preserves its archives at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center. Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated Pi Chapter Kappa Alpha Psi (KAΨ) is the second-oldest collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership and the first black intercollegiate fraternity incorporated as a national body. Since the fraternity's founding in 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin. The fraternity has over 105,000 members with 700 undergraduate and alumni chapters in every state of the United States, and international chapters in the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, Japan, the West Indies and South Africa. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated Psi Chapter Omega Psi Phi (ΩΨΦ) is a national fraternity, and was the first black national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by three undergraduate students and one faculty advisor. From its inception, the fraternity has worked to build a strong and effective force of men dedicated to its cardinal principles of manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift. In 1927, at the urging of fraternity member Carter G. Woodson, the fraternity 3
made National Negro Achievement Week an annual observance, and it continues today as Black History Month. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated Chi Chapter Phi Beta Sigma (ΦΒΣ) is a predominantly African American fraternity founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on January 9, 1914, by three young African American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I. Brown wanted to organize a Greek letter fraternity that would exemplify the ideals of brotherhood, scholarship, and service. Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Incorporated Alpha Pi Chapter The Iota Phi Theta Fraternity (ΙΦΘ) is a nationally incorporated, predominantly African-American social/service fraternity. Founded at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, Iota Phi Theta presently consists of 30,000 members. There currently exist approximately 200 undergraduate and alumni chapters, as well as colonies located in over forty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the Bahamas and South Korea. Eligibility to Participate in Greek Life Students who wish to participate in fraternity life must: Adhere to the mission of the College Not engage in any form of hazing as stated in the Georgia Hazing Law, inserted below: 16-5-61. Hazing (a) As used in this Code section, the term: (1) "Haze" means to subject a student to an activity which endangers or is likely to endanger the physical health of a student, regardless of a student's willingness to participate in such activity. (2) "School" means any school, college, or university in this state. 4
(3) "School organization" means any club, society, fraternity, sorority, or a group living together which has students as its principal members. (4) "Student" means any person enrolled in a school in this state. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to haze any student in connection with or as a condition or precondition of gaining acceptance, membership, office, or other status in a school organization. (c) Any person who violates this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature. Have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 Attend Greek rush at the beginning of each semester Be in good standing with the Office of Student Conduct Be full-time undergraduates with at least 26 Morehouse credits Have at least 15 Morehouse credits if they are transfer students. III. Homecoming Once students become members, Greek letter organizations offer them an array of opportunities for learning and growing as undergraduate students at the College. By taking a leadership position in the chapter, students learn life skills that will be invaluable upon graduation. They will also have a unique opportunity to form a bond with other men that will last a lifetime. The College hopes that the legacy of Greek life at Morehouse is communicated through progressive students who are serious about the principles by which each fraternal organization was founded. 5
Homecoming at Morehouse College is an exciting time! It is a week filled with concerts, tailgating events, a coronation, a step show, a football game, a parade, and a variety of social programs for students, alumni, faculty and administrators. There are numerous events planned to get everyone in the school spirit! Morehouse College homecoming is rich in tradition, and the Office of Student Services along with the Office of Student Activities ensures that all events are planned properly. Homecoming usually includes activities for students and alumni that allow all parties involved to create new memories and reminisce about old ones. We seek to provide an opportunity for everyone at the College to enjoy the safe and fun-filled festivities of the week and to promote the bond of brotherhood and family at Morehouse College. The Office of Student Services will have a steering committee to determine what events will take place for parents, faculty, staff, alumni, and students during the week of homecoming. IV. Friends and Family Weekend Sponsored by the Office of Student Activities, Family Weekend at Morehouse College is a phenomenal opportunity for family and friends to visit the campus to actively engage and celebrate their student s accomplishments. Family Weekend also allows participants to experience the rich tradition of undergraduate life at the College and allows parents to become more familiar with the many resources available to their students at the College. Morehouse College welcomes each student and their family members to take full advantage of the programs and activities offered throughout the weekend. Preregistration is required to attend Family Weekend. The Office of Student Services will have a steering committee to determine what events will take place for parents, faculty, staff, and students during the weekend. 6
The Office of Student Services will send out save-the-date cards and registration forms to parents during the first semester to determine how many participants will take part in Family Weekend. V. Student Organizations Student organization advisement is a critical part of the Office of Student Activities, whose goal is to promote student involvement through membership in student-led organizations. Student organizations are a fundamental part of the co-curricular experience. The Office of Student Activities registers student organizations, and provides to them services, information, support, and advisement to assist with the development and strengthening of all students individually and collectively. The Office of Student Activities works closely with the College and the community, including faculty and staff advisors for student groups. Its mission is to provide leadership development, organizational management, and skill development opportunities. Ultimately, the Office of Student Activities wants to support quality co-curricular learning experiences that encourage high levels of student involvement on the Morehouse campus. Student groups at the College are expected to abide by the College s policies and procedures. Any group of College students who wish to register an organization with the Office of Student Activities must meet certain requirements. Specifically, they must: Design an organization with a purpose that 1) is consistent with the mission, regulations, and policies of the College and 2) does not duplicate the mission or purpose of another registered student organization at the College. Have at least two officers, a president and a treasurer. Creating other officer positions is encouraged, but not required. Both the president and the treasurer of an organization must be Morehouse College students. Choose a faculty or staff advisor from the College faculty or administrative staff. A newly registered student organization is 7
required to have a faculty/staff advisor. The responsibilities of the faculty/staff advisor are designated by the student organization itself, but often take the form of attending meetings and events, providing guidance on programmatic endeavors, and providing advice and ideas that will enhance the overall productivity of the organization. The advisor should be consulted about any fiscal affairs, transition of officers, or changes in the constitutional bylaws. Fill out and return certain chartering forms on which they list information including the following: their advisor s role and responsibilities, the names of their officers, their programmatic calendar, and their constitution. Submit a constitution. This document may be brief, but its length depends upon the goals and objectives of the student organization. The constitution should contain the objectives of the organization, a mission statement, a brief description of the officers, and the duties of each office. The by-laws of the organization also need to be included with the registration documents and should include a plan to replace officers if they do not fulfill their duties. Admit members on the basis of the requirements set forth in their constitution and NOT on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, disability, veteran status or sexual orientation. Student organizations must display the College s commitment to affirmative action. Student organizations need to charter only once, but they must register every year to remain an active organization. Revision History Last revision completed on 1.1.2008. 8