Not found a society that caters for your interests? Thinking of setting up your own society? Well you have come to the right place!
Read through and follow these simple steps to getting your society created today. All forms you will need can be found at the bottom of this page.
Step 1: Make sure your society can be set up
It would be a pain if you filled in all the forms, researched into whether people like the idea of your society etc. only to find you can't actually set it up. Read through the 'Affiliation of Societies Policy' at the bottom of this page to double check.
Step 2: Form a Founding Committee
In order to create your society you first have to create the founding committee who will work together to organise the society's activities and who will also create the constitution (which details the main reasons for the society being in existence).
Once you have formed your committee and filled the minimum required three positions, then complete the 'Setting Up a Society' pack, which you can download at the bottom of this page.
Step 3 : Finding members
This is where the society really starts, you need to go out and talk to students to see whether people are interested in your society. We recommend that you get as many interested as possible, otherwise your society could just fall apart not long after starting. The ways to do so are through Message of the day, talking to your friends about it, put up posters about it and just going out and talking to students around campus. You are required at least 20 signatures of people who are interested,
Step 4: Creating a constitution
Your society's constitution is the document which details the core beliefs and activities for your society and how your society committee will run.
Core Beliefs and activities mean the key purpose and intention of your society. See below for examples of what core beliefs can be:
Examples
The chess society's core beliefs might be:
- To enhance our members skill at playing chess.
- To promote the game of chess to the Aberdeen Uni student body.
The pottery society's core beliefs may be:
- To provide a forum for students with an interest in pottery to meet and discuss the art of pot making.
Once you have completed the 'Setting Up a Society' pack (which includes the constitution in it) submit these electronically to societies@abdn.ac.uk
The Societies Administrator will contact you to confirm receipt of your forms. She will pass this to the President for Societies and Student Activities, who will discuss the proposed society with the Societies union Committee. They have the final say as to approve or deny the society. If passed the President for Societies will be in touch within two weeks of you handing in the pack. If succesful, we will request a meeting with the President, Treasurer and Secretary, and anyone else who would like to attend.
Step 5: Meeting the President for Societies and Student Activities
At this meeting the President for Societies and Student Activities will discuss whether or not your society can be affiliated and provide advice on the various resources available and how to run your society effectively.
Step 6: Getting started
Now that your society has been created it is time for you to get started! Help is always available from:
President for Societies and Student Activities: pres.societies@abdn.ac.uk
Societies Administrator: societies@abdn.ac.uk