Student Recreation and Fitness Center

Starting and Maintaining a Club Sport

Club Sport Membership

1. In order to be a voting member of a club sport, an individual must be a current Lewis University student. Other members of the Lewis community (faculty/staff) who are affiliated with the club (in other than a coaching role) may only be associate (non-voting) members.
   
   
2. All club sport participants, coaches, or instructors—must have a completed liability/waiver and membership form on file prior to participation in any club activity.
   
   
3. Unless prohibited by Lewis University or the Department of Student Recreation, Fitness and Wellness, membership in any individual clubs may be governed by the guidelines of that particular club as written in advance in the club's constitution and circulated in advance. For example, clubs may have a designated competitive or traveling team and may “cut” players to form a manageable number of players based on pre-established and disseminated criteria.
   
   
4. Any individual wishing to take part in a club sport that trains or meets at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center must have a valid ID to gain facility access.

**Only those members listed on the official club roster (see below) may perform, practice, and/or compete with the club.

Starting a Club Sport

If you have a special interest and can’t find an existing club sport that meets that interest, you may apply to start your own recognized student organization/club sport. Follow these steps to create a new club sport:

1. Check the list of current registered student organizations to see if the club already exists at http://www.lewisu.edu/studentservices/studentdevelopment/studentorg.htm
   
   1. Is there an organization on campus already providing the same or similar activity?
   2. Does an organization exist that might be receptive to your ideas, talents, interests, and enthusiasm?
   3. If you answered yes to either of these questions, please speak with the existing organization to learn how you might become involved. Applications for duplicative clubs will not be accepted.
   
   
2. Consider the following questions before you submit an application to become a new recognized student organization/club sport:
   
   1. How will you define your organization?
   2. What will be your goals and how will you accomplish these goals?
   3. Do you have support from fellow students in this area of interest?
   4. Do you believe these students would be interested in joining the newly formed organization?
   5. What is unique about the organization?
   6. What benefits will this group offer to its members?
   7. What type of commitment will members be required to make?
   8. What will be the typical activities of the organization?
   
   
3. Set up a meeting with the Director of Student Recreation, Fitness and Wellness to discuss creating the club.
   
   
4. Submit copies of the Registration Packet (club constitution, roster, practice/game schedule, officer contact list, and proposed budget) to the Director of Student Recreation, Fitness and Wellness.
   
   
5. Once all registration materials, included supporting documentation, have been received by the Director, there will be a review
   
   
at least once a month. After the registration process is over, the designated student will receive a confirmation/decline notification regarding the status of the club. No funding or facility space will be allocated to the club until the registration review is complete and the club has officially been approved for Club Sport status.


6. Any club that has been inactive for more than 12 months must go through the entire process of registering as a new student organization/club.

Maintaining a Club Sport

To maintain status as an active student organization/club sport, each club must:

1. Keep on file in the Student Recreation Office an updated:
   1. Constitution (updated each year)
   2. Roster (updated as new members added). A club must always have at least 8 members on its roster to maintain its status as an active club.
   3. Liability/Waiver/Medical Insurance verification forms of each member on Roster
   4. Practice/Game Schedule
   5. Officer Contact List. At a minimum, clubs must have a President, Vice President, and a Risk Management Officer.
   6. Policy and Procedure Contract (updated each year)
   7. Club Sport Code of Agreement (updated each year)
   8. Quarterly and Annual Reports, including a report on the expenses and revenues for each semester.
   9. Inventory Sheet of all University purchased items
   10. Budget Report (submitted annually and revised each semester).
       
       
2. Have officer present at all Student Recreation Advisory Council meetings (2 per semester)
   
   
3. Attend monthly one-on-one meetings as required with the Director of Student Recreation, Fitness and Wellness.
   
   
4. Submit facility reservation requests on time as required by the Director’s Office.
   
   
5. Identify the officer’s for the upcoming school year by the middle of the Spring semester.
   
   Additional Requirements for Particular Activities:
   
   
6. If a club wants to receive any university funding, a detailed budget must be identified prior to the start of the school year.
   
   
7. If a club wants to fundraise, it must submit a fundraising request form to the Director’s Office at least two weeks prior to the date of the event.
   
   
8. If a club wants to travel anywhere out of the Chicago-land area, it must:
   1. Submit a trip itinerary form to the Director’s Office at least two weeks in advance of the trip
   2. Submit a Who’s traveling form to the Director’s Office at least 48 hours in advance of the trip
   3. Submit a driver’s form to the Director’s Office at least 48 hours in advance of the trip for any individual that may potentially be driving during the trip. This needs to be done once during the year for each potential driver. The information collected will be driver’s license information, insurance information, and registration information.
   
   
9. If a club wishes to travel outside of the greater Chicago-land area, the university will rent a 12-15 passenger van for travel that weekend. A university faculty or staff member must travel with the group as a sponsor of the event. If there is more than one vehicle needed, a student (who has been approved and has taken the University Safe Driver Program) will be able to drive.

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