Campus Chapter Guidelines

Logistics

Designate at least three contact persons (Primary Contact, Secondary Contact, and Advisor) for your Campus Club. The Primary Contact is presumed to be the club chair or president unless indicated otherwise.
Mail a completed registration form with appropriate contact information to the Field Department. A registration form must be submitted at the beginning of each academic year.
Join the NYCLU campus chapter listserv! You will receive an invitation to join after we receive your registration form.
Register with your school's Student Activities Office. Follow all guidelines for campus organizations established by your school.

Funding

Apply for available funding through your Student Affairs Office and follow all financial guidelines.
Your chapter is solely responsible for its own funding. While the NYCLU cannot pay for events hosted by your group (unless it is a joint event with the NYCLU), there may be opportunities where the NYCLU can provide materials or merchandise (i.e. t-shirts, buttons) at a discounted price for you to sell as a fundraiser for your group. Check in with the NYCLU for details.

Requesting Materials and Speakers

When requesting materials for an event fill out the Request for Materials form and send it to the Field Department at least two weeks before the materials are needed.
When requesting speakers for an event fill out the Speaker Request form and send it to the Field Department at least one month before the event.

ACLU Policy Positions

We encourage you to seek publicity on your views and the projects that your chapter becomes involved in. However, as an official chapter, your group’s positions should be as close to those of the NYCLU as possible. Obviously, you may speak publicly on an issue as an individual or as a member of your campus chapter. You may not, however, go on record as a representative of the NYCLU or the ACLU with any seemingly official positions. There are often legal and policy-related issues on which the NYCLU takes a complicated, nuanced position. Please check the NYCLU website at www.nyclu.org or call the Field Department if you have questions regarding our position on any issues.
All work you undertake must be done on a non-partisan basis. The ACLU does not endorse political parties or candidates, but may choose to work on behalf of ballot measures affecting civil liberties. Again, check with the NYCLU for clarifications.

Membership

Encourage your club members to join the NYCLU. Student membership is only $5. Membership forms can be downloaded from our website.