Starting A Club And Organization

Commonly asked questions about starting a student club & organization:

• How do I start a student club & organization?
  • All student clubs and organizations must have the following in order to be approved:
    1. A Student Club and Organization Registration & Renewal Form on file for each semester they wish to be active.  Clubs may not register after the 11th week of the semester. No new club may form in the summer semester.
    2. An advisor who is a currently employed at Orange Coast College.  This will include full-time faculty, part-time faculty, full-time classified staff, administrator, or emeritus of the College.
    3. At least five currently enrolled OCC students who have paid the OCC College Service Charge. 
    4. Shall be in good standing with the ASOCC.
• What is the timeline for getting a student club & organization approved?
  • A completed Student Club and Organization Registration & Renewal Form that is submitted prior to Tuesday at 12:00 noon will be considered at the following week’s ICC Board Meeting providing the respective advisor has agreed to advise via the Advisor Agreement. No clubs may register after the 11th week of the semester. No new clubs may start in the summer semester.
  • The Advisor Agreement will be emailed to the listed advisor(s) of a club or organization submitting a Student Club and Organization Registration & Renewal Form. The Student Club and Organization Registration and Renewal Form is not complete until the primary advisor has completed their section of the form.
• Who do I contact if I have questions about starting a student club & organization?
  ​You may contact the Student Life and Leadership Department at studentlife@occ.cccd.edu or call 714-432-5730.
• How often does a student club & organization have to meet?
  ​Student clubs & organizations must meet on campus or virtually at least once a month. The Student Life and Leadership Department will provide each club or organization with a meeting space or a Zoom meeting link for the time indicated on the Student Club and Organization Registration form once the club/organization is approved.
• How do I find an advisor? Can I have more than one advisor?
  ​To find an advisor it is best to find a faculty or staff member who is interested in the subject your club is pertaining to. For example, if you wanted to start a math club, email the math professors, or if you are looking to start a sewing club, consider reaching out to the teachers and staff in the Fashion Department. Or you may know someone on campus well who would be interested in advising your club, you just have to ask and see if they will agree. To find the emails of faculty and staff please refer to the Staff Directory. Yes, you can have multiple advisors for a club, we encourage it!
• What other forms do I need to submit aside from the Registration & Renewal Form?
  • A Student Club and Organization Officer Registration Form needs to be submitted within 2 weeks of approval.
  • A Constitution and Bylaws needs to be submitted after submitting the Student Club & Organization Registration Registration and Renewal Form.
  • Advisors must submit from their OCC employee Single Sign On an Advisor Agreement Form (part of the Registration and Renewal Form which will be emailed to the listed advisor once the student has completed their portion of the form).
• What is the last day I can start a student club & organization?
  Student clubs and organization shall be considered for approval up until the 11th week of the Fall and Spring semesters. Student clubs and organizations approved during the fall semester must renew their club status for the spring semester to remain an active by submitting the Student Club & Organization Registration and Renewal Form no later than the 5th week of the spring semester. Clubs and organizations that do not meet this deadline will be declared inactive and will need to go through the initial registration process to become active for the spring semester.