Definitions & Justification

The primary justification for BYU affiliation with any academic association or honor society must be its potential for enhancing the educational experience. In addition:

• Honor societies that recognize scholarship broadly, such as Phi Kappa Phi or Golden Key, are sponsored by Undergraduate Education (GE and Honors) and approved by the Academic Vice President.
• Organizations associated with a particular discipline must be endorsed and sponsored by a specific college, school, center, or department and approved by the appropriate dean.
• Organizations should be reviewed periodically by the sponsoring unit to verify their continuing value, assess student and faculty interest, and review their record of compliance with university policies and regulations.
• Organizations must comply with all regulations that apply to campus administrative units regarding the handling of funds, scheduling of facilities, etc., and will be granted the same access to facilities (rooms, media equipment, etc.) accorded to academic units and BYUSA clubs.
• Organizations affiliated with BYU must respect its unique mission, values, policies, and practices.

A sponsored organization will:

• Provide opportunities for stimulating extracurricular activities, promote service, or facilitate entrance into a given profession;
• Provide leadership opportunities and personal growth; and
• Enhance the capacity of an academic unit to serve student needs.

A sponsored organization will not:

• Be a business (i.e., collect more revenue than required to cover reasonable organizational expenses);
• Create an inordinate risk for the University, a college, department or its students;
• Require extraordinary resources (i.e., oversight, space, budget, etc.);
• Be organized for off-campus competition;
• Have fund-raising as a primary objective;
• Involve students in activities that require an exception to University policy; and/or
• Duplicate opportunities or services found elsewhere on campus.

A sponsored organization must:

• Contribute to an educational environment consistent with the Mission of BYU and the Aims of a BYU Education;
• Comply with university policies and regulations;
• Establish, develop, and preserve a productive relationship with properly approved external organizations; and
• Be sustainable from year to year.