Want to start a new society? We try to keep it as simple as possible, so everything you need is included in our Society Starter Pack. Read on to find out what happens next!


Alternatively, you may wish to adopt a society that previously existed.

 

Society Starter Pack

 

The purpose of the Society Starter Pack is to assist students in setting up a society as part of the University of Stirling Students’ Union. A society in the University of Stirling Students’ Union is a group of 3 or more University of Stirling students with a shared interest, hobby or goal. Societies are run by the University of Stirling Students’ Union and are therefore separate but connected to the University.

Sports clubs are separate from societies in that they are run by the Sports Union. For more information on starting a sports club, please visit the Starting a Club page

Any group of current students at the University of Stirling can set up a society with the Students’ Union. You do not need to have experience running a group before, just an idea and passion to make it happen.

The starter pack includes a template constitution, a financial plan, and much more. 

Constitution

 

This is a document which explains the aims of the society and what the committee positions are. Once submitted, it awaits approval by the Communities Zone Executive Committee (CZEC) who are a group of elected students. More information on the CZEC can be found here. See also Schedule 8 for Societies Guidelines & Regulations

All societies are expected to use the template constitution included in the Society Starter Pack. You'll edit the highlighted parts, including the society name, aims, and committee positions.

Please submit your Starter Pack (which includes your proposed constitution) to the CZEC by one of the following deadlines*:

  • 13/10/24
  • 17/11/23
  • 02/02/25
  • 30/03/25

*Deadlines are typically the Tuesday after Communities Zone meetings and always the Sunday before the CZEC meeting on Tuesday. These deadlines are tentative and subject to change. 

Submit to the CZEC 

Submit your society starter pack to the Communities Zone Executive Committee.

Submit here

 

Where the CZEC is unavailable, the sabbatical officer team will review your society starter pack. 

Click here for more details on the Communities Zone, and keep updated on our social media channels for future meeting dates.

Memberships

 

All societies require 3 paid core members (President, Secretary, and Treasurer) to affiliate with the Students' Union. There is a "grace period" of one full semester for new groups to establish themselves. This means paying for a SU Societies Membership (£5) and the set fee for the society itself. Memberships can be bought online through the society's webpage.

Society Committee

 

The society committee is a group of students tasked with running the group. 

All society committees must be elected democratically by current members at an Annual General Meeting, or an Emergency General Meeting if a post becomes open.

The President, Secretary and Treasurer are mandatory positions and will appear on the academic transcript upon graduation. Any additional committee roles must be voted in by the current membership and sent to the VP Communities for approval prior to being officially elected. All other committee roles are optional and, as of now, will not appear on academic transcripts.

Adopt a Society

 

Want to revive a society that was once affiliated with the Students' Union but is no longer operating?