Start a 2021 New RUSU Club

Usually, RUSU has 2 annual intake cycles for new clubs - a calendar year intake and a midyear intake. If a new club successfully completes an intake process, it becomes "affiliated" to RUSU.

Affiliation to RUSU is how a RUSU category club becomes recognised as an official RMIT club. Affiliation lasts for one year/two semesters.  Calendar year clubs affiliate for (university) semesters 1 & 2. Midyear Clubs affiliate for semester 2 of the current year and semester 1 of the following year.

Towards the end of the final affiliation semester, each club leadership team must call & hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) for their club. At RUSU Club AGMs, the outgoing leadership team presents annual reports, the members attending elect the club's leadership team for the following affiliation cycle and approves the club's next annual activity plan etc. 

Given the current COVID-19 situation, RUSU is not offering a midyear intake this year. 
Instead, applications are open for new clubs to be part of the 2021 calendar year intake. As long as you will still be enrolled at RMIT in 2021, you can start this process now so your new club  & club leadership team will be well established & ready to make the most of the new year.  

Provisionally approved new 2021 clubs will hold their Inaugural General Meetings (IGMs) when current calendar year clubs hold their AGMs - during the second half of Semester 2. 

Until further notice, all club General Meetings (a meeting to which a Club must invite all of its' members) must be held online and RUSU is trialling a standard process for Clubs to do this. We will also be carefully considering new club capacity to operate in a COVID-19 environment and likely ongoing safety requirements into the foreseeable future.RUSU provides templates & instructions for IGMs, AGMs, Constitutions etc. 

So, if you are interested in starting a new RUSU club for 2021, please read the information below and then contact us by email rusu.clubs@rmit.edu.au 

Previously existing clubs that have not maintained their annual affiliation (lapsed clubs) may also have to follow the new club process to re-activate the club. Email us at rusu.clubs@rmit.edu.au to find out. 

The first steps to start a new RUSU Club are:

1. Check our Clubs list to make sure the Club (or a similar Club) doesn't already exist as part of RUSU or as part of RMIT Student Life (Sports and Creative clubs)- you can link to all three categories of clubs through https://www.rmit.edu.au/students/life-and-work-opportunities/clubs-and-societies 
2. Have a read through the Clubs section of the RUSU Regulations (Section 4.10 starting on Page 20) - the "Basics" are outlined below but the full Section has greater detail   https://rusu.rmit.edu.au/regulations
3. If (after Step 1 and 2) you believe your idea sits with RUSU and would meet RUSU's requirements, please email the RUSU Clubs Department at rusu.clubs@rmit.edu.au with a brief  outline of your new club idea - its' aims,  what it would actually do (its' activities) and how it would benefit RMIT students.  The Department will review your information and confirm whether or not RUSU can support your new club idea. If it can, the Department will then assist you through the formal stages of starting a new RUSU club.

RUSU Clubs basics:

• All RUSU Clubs are democratic, Constitutionally bound, not-for-profit organisations with formal Aims & Objectives. 
• Every RUSU Club must "affiliate" and renew its' affiliation to RUSU every year (this is how RUSU clubs gain recognition from the University, get access to funding, insurance, training, support, equipment, room bookings, etc.)
• Every RUSU Club must have at least 20 currently enrolled RMIT Student Members to gain & maintain their affiliation with RUSU
• Members must re-join their Club/s every year
• RUSU Clubs must be open to all RMIT students with all RMIT student members enjoying equal benefits from their membership. Exceptions are Academic Clubs (see next point) and where membership restrictions apply to promote substantive equality and which meet the requirements for a special measure under Section 12 of the Equal Opportunities Act 2010 (VIC). For further detail, please refer to Section 4.10.2. of the RUSU Regulations. 
• Academic Clubs are permitted to limit Full Membership to RMIT students enrolled in the academic area the Club is/was set up to support. Academic Clubs which chose to do this must gain & maintain at least 20 Full Members. Only Full Members of RUSU Clubs may be elected to their Club Board of Management & vote at club General Meetings. 
• Academic Clubs that choose to restrict Full Membership to their academic cohort may choose to offer Social Membership to all other RMIT Students. For Academic Clubs which choose to do this, both their Full and Social Members are counted where the number of RMIT Student members determines RUSU Club Grants funding
• Full Membership of other RUSU Club categories (Social, Cultural, Political and Spiritual) is open to all currently enrolled RMIT students
• Non-RMIT Students may join a RUSU Club as Associate Members but these Members must not total more than 25% of the total Club Membership and may not hold an Executive position on a Club Board of Management nor vote at any Club meeting
• Every Club must have an annual Board of Management of at least four (4) but no more than seven (7) Executive Members elected by and from the Club's Full Members. Clubs may have additional members on their Board (including Associate Members) but these members do not have voting rights at Board Meetings*
• Any decision by a Club Board may be overturned by vote at a General Meeting (a club meeting to which at least all Full Members are invited). 
• A RUSU Club's Board of Management* as a whole is responsible for the delivery of the Club's Annual Activity Plan, recruiting members and maintaining membership lists, club communications and promotions, succession planning, training and supporting incoming Board Members and ensuring their Club operates according to all relevant rules, policies, laws, etc. 
• A RUSU Club's elected Executive component of its' Board of Management is responsible for the day to day governance of their Club including contracts, club finances, club meetings, elections, etc. 
• Every Club Board of Management must meet at least six (6) times per year. 
• Every Club Board must present an Annual General Report and Financial Report to its' Club's Annual General Meeting
• RMIT students may not be Executive Members on the Board of more than two (2) Clubs at any one time
• Every RUSU Clubs must deliver at least four (4) activities/events every year (NOTE: Due to the impact of the coronavirus on clubs, the 2020 requirements may be modified) 
• Every RUSU Club must have an Annual Activity Plan (an outline of what the events and activities the Club wants to do). The Plan is approved by a vote by the Full Members at a new Club's Inaugural General Meeting (IGM) with each following year's Plan approved at the Club's Annual General Meeting (AGM). 
• Except for the minimum four (4) activities/events, a Club does not have to do everything on their Plan BUT anything the Club does do MUST be on their Plan (i.e. a Club's Board may not add new events/activities to a Plan without getting approval at a General Meeting)
• There is a range of reasons why RUSU may not accept a new club application or re-affiliate a previously affiliated club. Please refer to Section 4.10.6 (page 26) of the RMIT Student Union Regulations for further detail - https://rusu.rmit.edu.au/regulations

* Academic "umbrella" clubs such as the RMIT Business Student Association (which provides a range of services/supports to all academic clubs in the College of Business) are permitted to negotiate a different club Governance structure in consultation with the RUSU Clubs Department.