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Getting Started |
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Starting a CGS group isn't as
difficult as you may think. GSUSA will recognize groups as small as two
members, and there is only one page of paperwork required, which has to be
signed by the council ED and president.
Who
is a Campus Girl Scout?
Campus Girl Scouts attend an
institution of higher learning, believe in the Girl Scout Promise and Law,
support the mission of Girl Scouts of the USA, and are registered Girl Scout
adults. (Use position code 33 on the Adult Registration forms; Lifetime members
should send a note to the school's council indicating their change of
position.) Since Campus Girl Scouts are adult volunteers, men are more than
welcome in CGS, as are nontraditional students and part time students. No
previous Girl Scout experience is required to be a member of CGS.
What
Do Campus Girl Scout Groups Do?
Put simply, Campus Girl Scout groups
can do almost anything they want. They can host events on campus for the
council or service unit, run or sponsor troops, help with council events or
special functions, or essentially anything. The one thing they can't do is sell
cookies. Campus Girl Scouts are adult volunteers, and
the cookie sale is a girl-generated income/program event.
How
Do You Become a Campus Girl Scout?
Officially, councils charter CGS
groups. Most groups also seek recognition on their campuses to get better
access to campus resources. There are three paths to getting a group started: council
initiated, student
initiated, and campus
initiated. Once a council designates a council liaison, signs the group's
charter (forms available from GSUSA),
and returns it to the national organization, the group is official. Charters
are for one year's duration and must be renewed each year.
Council
Initiated
Councils can initiate the formation
of a group at any college, university, technical school, community college, or
other institution of higher learning in their jurisdiction. A key thing to note
is that requirements for forming a student group on the campus vary by
institution. To find out about these requirements, or to talk about ways
you can reach out to the campus population, contact the school's department of
student life, office of student activities, office of the dean (or vice
president) of students, or similar office. (The internet offers a wonderful way
to locate these contacts easily; look on the school's home page -- usually some
variant of the name then dot "edu"-- under
the section for prospective students.) Some schools will permit students to
organize without having to register with the school; others require a certain
number of students to form a club (which then gives eligibility for funding,
office space, or other resources). Recognition by the school is NOT required to
be a CGS group; however most groups do seek such recognition. Remember, GSUSA
will recognize a group as small as 2 members; schools may require 5, 10, or
more, plus a faculty or staff advisor, a constitution, or other things.
Getting onto the campus to reach the
students is often the most difficult step. Some schools host club/activity
fairs on an annual or semiannual basis, usually near the start of the term,
where groups set up tables to recruit members. Perhaps the council could be
represented at one of these fairs. Ask the council's membership staff
where recent Gold Award recipients or Senior Girl Scouts have gone to college;
perhaps one or more is at the school you are trying to cultivate. The
membership staff may know of a leader or volunteer who works at the school, who
may know of students or other contacts of use to you. At some schools, the
Office of Admissions may be willing to consult its database to make a list of
students who indicate the Gold Award or other Girl Scout experience on their
applications to give you a ready pool of experienced potential members. It may
be possible to 'advertise' for members in the school newspaper, the regular
electronic announcements to the students, or via posters in the student union
or cafeteria areas. Again, the office which has charge of student clubs can
help you explore your options.
Once you've found two or more
members, submit the charter on the back of the CGS packet (available from GSUSA) to your council ED and
president for signature, and mail it to GSUSA preferably by September 30.
Should the students choose to seek recognition from the school, they should
contact the appropriate office about requirements and paperwork. A meeting
between the council liaison, the faculty/staff advisor (if exists), and the
group members might be a very good way to kick off the year to see how the
group can help the council meet its goals. Remember, they can't help you
meet your goals if they don't know what those goals are; setting up a clear
channel of communication for council publications and resources is essential.
Student
Initiated
Congratulations! You're halfway
there! GSUSA only requires two members to recognize a Campus Girl Scout group.
Now you just have to find one more person from your school to meet the GSUSA
membership requirements. In the meantime, you should be contacting the council
in whose jurisdiction your school sits (check the phone book under 'Girl
Scouts' or try our CGS
Council Finder). The council has to appoint a liaison, who can be staff or
volunteer, to help your group connect to the council and the local Girl Scouting
community. (This person will also help you get your charter signed.) Charter
paperwork can be requested from GSUSA.
Finding
that other person doesn't necessarily have to be difficult. They don't have to have Girl Scout experience-- heck, they
don't even have to be female! Any other student can be a Campus Girl Scout,
provided she or he registers as an Adult Girl Scout with the local council. But
if you want to find someone with experience, there are plenty of options. You
can hang signs in the dorms, cafeteria, or wherever general posting is
permitted. The Student Government may host a club and organization fair at
which you can set up a table to recruit members. (Talk to the council about
borrowing/obtaining recruiting materials like posters or banners.) If you
are comfortable with it, wear a Girl Scout shirt on campus, or talk about your
Girl Scout experiences. Look for Gold Award charms on peoples' charm necklaces.
Check with the service organizations, like Alpha Phi Omega, to see if any of
their members might be willing to join.
You may choose to seek recognition
as a club or group through your school. Contact the appropriate office on
campus to find out the requirements, get the paperwork, and find out what it
entails. It is not necessary to be recognized by the school, but most
groups choose to do so since there are often advantages or privileges, such as
office space, the ability to reserve classrooms or meeting facilities, access
to a university bank account, funding from the student government or other
body, or any of a number of other things. These vary school to school, so check
with the appropriate office to find out more.
With two or more student members,
you can submit the charter form to the council for signature and forwarding to
GSUSA. You might also want to send with that form a brief letter listing
contact information for the council liaison, student leadership, the
faculty/staff advisor, or any other people who could direct someone to the
group. The more contact information GSUSA has, the better your chances of
hearing about such things as the annual conferences, Nationwide Coordinated
Events, or other CGS information.
Campus
Initiated
Schools may also choose to initiate
the formation of a CGS group, at the request of students, staff/faculty, or
anyone else. The first thing to do is contact the local Girl Scout council,
found in the phone book under 'Girl Scouts.' The council can help by
requesting the charter documents from GSUSA,
meeting with you to clarify various Girl Scout policies, providing or loaning
recruitment materials (posters, banners, etc.), or even referring you to some
of their recent graduates who are headed to your school. At a minimum, the
council must appoint a volunteer or staff member as the group's liaison, sign
the charter, and forward it to GSUSA. The Admissions Office may be able
to provide a list of incoming students who list Girl Scouting or the Gold Award
on their applications who may be interested in joining a CGS group. GSUSA
requires two students to recognize a group; school recognition as a club or
organization is desirable but not required.
For more information, or to clarify
any issues, please contact GSUSA via email or telephone,
1-800-GSUSA4U. GSUSA can help you locate the appropriate staff member at the
local council. They can also point you towards other schools in your region
which have CGS groups and which could be of some support or resource for you
and the new group. They may also know of other students at your school who are
looking to start a group.
Other
Useful Information
This student-run site
serves as a central resource center for Campus Girl Scout groups. If you would
like to contribute to the site, have a group or link to submit, or just want to
comment on the site, please email the Webmaster at [email protected].
Last Updated: July 13, 2007.
This site copyright (c)
2001 by LCP and the Campus Girl Scouts Information Center. All trademarks are
property of their respective owners. The CGS Info Center is in no way
affiliated with the Girl Scouts of the USA. We are not responsible for the
content of third-party links. All information is volunteer-generated and is
provided "as-is."