School of Medicine

Student Government Association

New Interest Group Information

 

Any group of eight or more currently enrolled LSUHSC-NO students joined together for a common purpose, which is consistent with the Role, Scope and Mission of LSU Health Sciences Center at New Orleans, may apply to the LSUHSC-NO Student Affairs Committee to be recognized. Click here to fill out the New Student Interest Group form.

Read more about Article VII regarding information about Starting a New Interest Group:

Section A - Purpose and Guiding Principles

1. The Student Government Association recognizes the importance of student-led groups in fostering engagement, service, professional development, and community partnership.

2. To promote meaningful, sustainable involvement, the formation of new groups shallbe guided by principles of purposeful engagement, unique contribution, and long-term impact.

3. The establishment of new student groups is intended to support authentic commitments to the school community and external partners, rather than short-term or duplicative efforts.

4. Nothing in this Article is intended to discourage student initiative; rather, it seeks to encourage students to thoughtfully consider whether a proposed group fills a distinct need or could be effectively incorporated into an existing organization.

Section B - Eligibility to Propose a New Group

1. Any student in good standing may propose the formation of a new group.

2. Propose groups should demonstrate:

  • A clear mission and purpose
  • An identified need not currently met by an existing organization
  • Feasible plans for sustained activity and engagement
  • Meaningful benefit to students, the school community, or external partners

Section C - Proposal Submission

1. Students seeking to establish a new group must complete and submit the SOM New Interst Group Proposal Form, as made available on the SOM's official website.

2. Proposals must be submitted during designated submission windows outlined in Section F.

Section D - Review and Recommendation Process

1. Upon submission of a proposal, the Vice President of Community Affairs (VP of CA) shall coordinate for the proposing student(s) to attend the next scheduled Service-Learning Elective (SLE) committee meeting to present their proposal and respond to follow-up questions.

  • The meeting shall be recorded for reviewing purposes.

2. Following the presentation, the proposing student(s) shall exit the meeting to allow SLE members to deliberate privately.

3. After the meeting, the VP of CA shall distribute a feedback form to SLE members to collect anonymous input regarding:

  • Whether the porposed group is a good fit for recognition
  • The perceived value and susainability of the group
  • Any concerns, recommendations, or suggestions

4. The VP of CA shall compile this feedback into a written recommendation, which shall be shared with the SGA Executive Board along with the meeting recording.

Section E - Executive Board Review and Decision

1. The SGA Executive Board shall review the proposal and SLE recommendation, ideally at its next scheduled meeting.

2. Following discussion, the SGA President shall distribute a voting form to the Executive Board.

3. The Executive Board shall vote on whether to grant recognition to the proposed group. Approval shall require two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Executive Board members voting.

4. The SGA President shall communicate the final decision to the proposing student(s) in writing.

  • If the proposal is approved, the interest group shall become operational at the start of the next academic semseter.
  • If the proposal is not approved, feedback and rationale shall be provided when possible. Proposing student(s) may revise and resubmit a proposal no earlier than the start of the next submission window, as outlined in Section F. Resubmission shall not occur within the same submission window as the original proposal.

Section F - Submission Windows

1. Because the review process requires coordination between SLE and SGA Executive Board, and so that the organization can become official in alignment with the academic semesters, proposals must be submitted during the following windows:

  • Fall Semester: July 1 - October 1
    • Final decisions shall occur by December 1
  • Spring Semester: December 1 - March 1
    • Final decisions shall occur by May 1

2. Proposals submitted outside of these windows will be reviewed during the next available cycle.