Start a New Club

There is a bumper sticker that reads,

“College Republicans make good leaders: You’re following one.”

If you’re a Republican who wants to become more than a passive observer, you should consider taking a leadership role in your campus community by starting a new College Republican chapter.

Starting a new chapter can be one of the most fun, exciting, and memorable things you’ll do during college. But it can also be frustrating and confusing if you don’t know what to do or where to turn.

To help you get started, we have broken down the process into 4 phases and provided step-by-step instructions in each phase.

Just click on the links below and we’ll walk you through the process from start to finish:

Phase 1: Contacting your Regional Vice Chair

Phase 2: Becoming a Student Group

Phase 3: Chartering with CCR

Phase 4: Growing your Club

If you’re confused or have further questions, please e-mail CCR Executive Director James Kincaid at james.kincaid@collegegop.org

Thanks for your interest in the College Republicans and best of luck!

Phase 1: Contacting your Regional Vice-Chair

CCR has 7 Regional Vice-Chairs throughout the state who are here to guide you step-by-step through the process of starting your new chapter.

We suggest that you contact your Vice-Chair and let them know about your interest in forming a new group. They are experts at getting new groups up and running and will probably be in-tune with other Republican events in your region that you may want to attend. They’re also really friendly.

So don’t be shy – say ‘hi’.

Northern Vice- Chair

Brian Lovatt, CSU Chico

Capitol Vice-Chair

Izaak Pichardo, UC Davis

Bay Area Vice-Chair

Vacant, Region Served by Tierney Burke

Central Valley Vice-Chair

Scott Raab, CSU Bakersfield

Central Coast Vice-Chair

Kayleigh Bodan, CSU Monterey Bay

Los Angeles Vice-Chair

Liran Machlouf, CSU Northridge

Southern Vice-Chair

Chasen Bullock, CSU San Marcos

Phase 2: Becoming a Student Group

If you hate paperwork and bureaucracy, you’re probably not going to like this step. But if you do it right once you’ll never worry about it again.

The first thing you should do is visit your Office of Student Life or Campus Activities Department and pick up paperwork on starting a new student group. Most schools will require you to:

· Get a certain number of students to petition to start a group (usually around 10)

· Recruit officers for your group and/or main contacts that will be on record with the college

· Adopt a constitution for your group (see the Design Center under Club Resources for downloadable constitutions)

· Attend workshops that outline campus regulations and how to manage your club’s bank account if you have one

Fill out the necessary paperwork and return it to the activities department.

Requirements will vary from school to school. Your petition to start a new group may take as little as 24 hours or as much as 2 weeks to process.

Beware: some schools will not recognize your group until you have turned in all paperwork and attended all required workshops.

Phase 3: Chartering with CCR

Once the school recognizes your club as an official student organization, you should charter with CCR.

Benefits of Chartering

Chartering with CCR enables us to officially recognize your group as a College Republican club. As a chartered member of our organization you will be eligible to:

* Select a representative from your club to sit on CCR’s Board of Directors

* Receive a free template-based web site (www.collegegop.org/yourschool)

* Attend CCR-sponsored workshops and training sessions

* Vote at CCR’s annual convention

How to Charter

In order to charter, you must submit the following materials to Administrative Vice-Chairman Megan Rodriguez :

1. A membership list with each member’s name, phone number, and e-mail address in MS Excel format. (sample Membership Lists available in the Design Center under Club Resources)

2. A list of officers with names, positions, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and mailing addresses in MS Excel format. (sample Officer Lists available in the Design Center under Club Resources)

3. A letter of school recognition in Adobe Portable Document format or JPG format.

Materials can be submitted to the Administrative Vice Chair electronically or at an Executive Committee meeting.

We are urging all clubs to meet the March 26th deadline. For an explanation of the differences between E-Chartering and Regular Chartering, see the CCR Chartering & Accreditation Guide page.

Phase 4: Growing Your Club

Now it’s time for the real work to begin.

Starting, organizing, and maintaining a solid College Republican club requires commitment, discipline, and perseverance. To help you out, we’ve talked to some of California’s most successful club chairs and put their thought in print. In the Club Resources section of this web site you’ll find informative guides on topics such as

-Activities – things your club can do

-Chartering & Accreditation – the nuts and bolts

- Media Relations – how to work with the media

-Meetings – how to make them fun and effective

-New Chapters – tips to help you get your group started

-Regional Vice-Chairs – how to use and abuse them

You should also check out the Design Center for help with publications, fliers, and other graphics, and the Message Boards so you can hear from other College Republicans from around the state.

Remember, if you ever need any help don’t hesitate to contact your Regional Vice-Chair.

We look forward to hearing about your successes!