Club & Cluster Governance

The Office of Student Affairs works with all student organizations, including Student Government, to support student leaders, ensure successful events and meet organizational goals.

All organizations must abide by Columbia Business School and Columbia University policies.

Types of Student Organizations

Clusters

  • A cluster is a group formed at the beginning of the Columbia Business School experience. Students are grouped together based off of various elements of their personal, education and career background.
    • Fall term: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J
    • J-Term: W, X, Y, Z

Clubs

  • A club is an officially recognized student organization approved by the Student Government and the Office of Student Affairs. Students can join via paid dues during Open Club Membership periods.
  • Club Categories Include:
    • Affinity
    • Athletic
    • Community Service
    • International
    • Professional
    • Social
  • Benefits of being a recognized student club.

Leadership Boards & Organizations

  • A leadership board/organization is an officially recognized student organization that typically works alongside or is part of a department or center. Students often have to apply, interview or be voted into leadership positions.
  • Leadership Boards/Organizations:
    • Bernstein Leadership Board
    • CMC Fellows
    • Hermes Society
    • Peer Advisors
    • Silfen Advisory Board
    • Student Government

MBA Cluster Governance

Cluster Election Timelines

  • First year Fall Cluster Board Representatives occur in September
  • First year January Cluster Board Representatives occur in February
  • Second year Cluster Board elections occur on an as needed basis

Cluster Board Structure

Cluster Board Funding

  • Review eligible cluster spending guidelines and all finance policies and procedures.
  • Each cluster receives a budget of $8,000 at the beginning of the first semester provided by the Office of Student Affairs.
  • Clusters are provided a Columbia University chartstring that is used for all officially sponsored cluster transactions.
  • This budget is intended to be used over the cluster’s two year MBA experience.
  • Funds are given to enhance cluster community bonding and to fund events that encourage inclusive cluster cohesion.
  • Cluster budgets that are overdrawn at the end of the second year may risk sanctions at the discretion of the Office of Student Affairs

Club Governance

Club Membership Eligibility

  • Club membership is open to all MBA, EMBA, MS & PhD Business School Students.
  • All CBS student clubs are open to business school students regardless of identity(ies) or sex(es).
  • Dual degree students may join clubs at the beginning of their residency at CBS.
  • Exchange students are eligible for club membership during their time at CBS.
  • Non-Business School students may not join clubs and may be able to attend non-member events at the discretion of club leadership
  • Club memberships are non-refundable. In rare instances, requests may be reviewed at the discretion of the Office of Student Affairs. 

Club Executive Board Structure

Within reason, each club has the opportunity to select which positions are available for election each semester. All positions must be clearly stated in the club charter.

  • Active and official club executive boards are required to have the following positions:
    • President
    • Vice President of Events
    • Vice President of Finance
  • Additional positions are at the discretion of the club and based on club needs. Recommended roles include:
    • Vice President of Alumni
    • Vice President of Careers
    • Vice President of Community/Social
    • Vice President of Conference (for clubs that host annual conferences)
    • Vice President of Marketing
    • Vice President of Sponsorship
    • Vice President of Treks (for clubs that host career related treks)
  • Assistant Vice President (AVP) roles are made available at the club's discretion for first year students during October and January of each year
  • Clubs that are unable to maintain the required positions above are at risk for deactivation. Please reach out to your OSA advisor to assist

Club Funding

  • Review eligible club spending guidelines and all finance policies and procedures here.
  • Clubs raise funds primarily through membership dues. Please contact your OSA Advisor for questions. ​
    • New clubs on probation are unable to charge dues until probation is complete
  • Officially recognized student clubs are provided a Columbia University chartstring that is used for all officially sponsored club transactions.
  • Any requests to change dues must be approved by the club's OSA advisor.
  • Current club dues may be viewed in the club's CampusGroups portal under settings --> membership.
  • Club budgets that are overdrawn at the end of academic year may risk sanctions at the discretion of the Office of Student Affairs. It is the responsibility of the club to return the budget to positive status.

Club Elections

Club Officer Eligibility 

  • Due to timing commitments, OSA strongly recommend that students who choose to run for Club President roles opt against running for the Student Government Executive Board
  • Club leadership roles are open to all MBA, EMBA, MS & PhD Business School Students.
    • Keep in mind leadership role content, time commitment and duration of role prior to submitting your candidacy.
  • Club leadership roles are open to business school students regardless of identity(ies) or sex(es).
  • Non-Business School students are not eligible for CBS student leadership roles.

Club Election Timelines

  • General elections (all club leadership positions) occur in early April each year after Student Government Executive Board elections are completed
    • General elections are facilitated by outgoing and incoming Club Presidents
  • AVP elections (first year leadership positions) occur in October and February
    • AVP elections are facilitated by Club Presidents
  • Specific election dates are determined by OSA and communicated to club leadership prior

Approved Club Election Types

All club elections are required to be held through the club's  CampusGroups portal.

 

  • General Elections
    • Election announcement must be sent to all club members to solicit candidate interest
    • Election must be conducted anonymously through CampusGroups
    • Candidate statements must be posted on CampusGroups
    • The election poll must be open for a minimum of 72 hours and winners announced within 24 hours of the poll closing
  • Interview and/or Application
    • Election announcement must be sent to all club members to solicit candidate interest
    • Candidate statements must be posted on CampusGroups for member review
    • Decision criteria must be clearly stated
    • Decisions must be finalized by the entire Executive Board through 2/3 quorum vote with a simple majority winner

Club Election Best Practices

All club elections are required to be held through the club's CampusGroups portal.

CampusGroups Election FAQs.

  • Interest Meetings: It is recommended that clubs hold a meeting for interested candidates that includes election guidelines, review of positions available and timeline
  • Cascading Elections: Clubs often hold cascading elections that begin with Presidents being elected first followed by Vice Presidents
  • Transparency: Strive for transparency of the entire elections process and ensure that selection criteria is published and available ​​​. Club charters should be up to date with approved election processes conducted by the club
  • Multiple Leadership Roles for President, VPs & AVPs: Thought should be taken into consideration when having candidates for multiple club president leadership roles. To ensure balance between wellness, academic excellence and career focuses, students should avoid obtaining multiple leadership roles in club executive boards.


Note that student organizations that do not elect required leadership positions for the following academic year will automatically be deactivated. Deactivated clubs with interest in the next academic year will be subject to the new club application process.

 

Club Officer Transition

Student Organization Success

All officially recognized active student organizations are subject to various checkpoints throughout the academic year as an indicator of organizational success. 

  • At the recommendation of OSA or the Student Government VP of Clubs, a sanction may be applied to your club if a policy or procedure is breached as outlined below. Multiple sanction occurrences as stated in the process outlined below can result in your club's deactivation.
  • At the recommendation of OSA or the board's administrative partner, a sanction may be applied to leadership boards if a policy or procedure is breached as outlined below. Multiple sanction occurrences as stated in the process outlined below can result in your board's deactivation.
  • At the recommendation of OSA, Cluster leadership that violates policies or procedures will be subject to a meeting with your OSA cluster advisor and may result in loss of budget and room reservation privileges.

Organizational Success Checkpoints

  • On-Boarding
    • Completion of mandatory CBS student organization leadership trainings and on-boarding requirements.  An overview for trainings.
    • Fulfill state-mandated and Columbia University-mandated student organization trainings to ensure compliance with institutional standards
  • Programming
    • Host at least two official programs per semester during student organization programming times and advertised via CampusGroups
      • Please note: Programs are not considered official unless they are submitted via the group's CampusGroups portal
    • Participate in Fall and Spring Club Day events to promote the club and engage with the campus community
  • Organization Governance
    • Adhere to student organization governing policies as noted on the Student Leader Resource website, follow financial planning policies and procedures to maintain operational integrity and accountability, and remain in good standing by observing Columbia Business School and Columbia University policies.
    • Attend mandatory advising meetings with your OSA advisor in the Fall and Spring semesters to discuss student org progress and ensure alignment with organizational goals

Student Organization Sanctions

Sanctions may be applied to student organizations when policy breaches occur. The level of sanction depends on the severity of the violation, the nature of the policy breach, and other relevant determining factors. The sanctions below represent a range of possible outcomes, but this list is not exhaustive.

  • Level One: E-mail warning from OSA advisor
  • Level Two: In-person meeting with OSA advisor to review sanction and speak about potential solutions
  • Level Three: Student Organization Freeze for the rest of the semester
    • Loss of recognized student organization capabilities such as:
      • Reserving space in Kravis Hall, Geffen Hall and other Columbia University spaces
      • Utilizing club funds for on or off-campus events
      • Participating in Club Day
    • Email from OSA advisor will be sent to campus partners with club status update
  • Level Four: Student Organization deactivation
    • Email from OSA advisor will be sent to current group members
    • Dues paying member options will be evaluated at the time of deactivation

 

Club Name Change Process

Student club name change requests are reviewed and approved during designated times the year. This allows for adequate planning and ensures consistency across recruiting, event promotion, alumni communications and internal systems. 

We encourage club name change requests to be reviewed by your club's executive board and membership prior to being submitted to OSA for review. 

Club Name Change Request Deadlines

  • Fall Semester: Submit requests by September 1 for implementation at the start of the Fall semester
  • Spring Semester: Submit requests by December 1 for implementation at the start of the Spring semester

Note that name changes will not be reviewed or approved mid-semester. Any requests submitted outside of the official review periods will be held for the next applicable deadline. 

Submit a Club Name Change Request

 

Club Sunset Process & Merger Process

All current student organizations have the option of not renewing their organizations for the next academic year. Student leaders have multiple options when looking to sunset their organization.

Note that student organizations that do not elect required leadership positions for the following academic year will automatically be deactivated. Deactivated clubs with interest in the next academic year will be subject to the new club application process.

Club Sunset Process

  • Current student leadership will meet with the organization’s OSA club advisor to determine next steps:
    • Communication to current club members
    • Eligible membership refunds*
    • Status of organization budget
  • Upon finalization, OSA will communicate with university partners of club status.

*Refunds will be dependent on factors that impact the organization such as type/time of year/if memberships are eligible to be transferred to other clubs. For example, students who join clubs who shut down within the first semester may be eligible for refunds or membership transfers. Clubs who shut down after spring break may not be eligible for membership transfers.

 

Club Merger Process

Merging existing clubs can be a viable alternative for clubs that have been impacted by potential factors such as:

  • Financial Sustainability
  • Industry Trends
  • Lack of student participation
  • Content Overlap
  • Large percentage of membership overlap

The merger process is a collaborative effort between club leadership, Student Government and the Office of Student Affairs. Please review the club merger checklist and application below. Reach out to your OSA advisor for questions.