Eligibility

A SSMU club is a student-run group, officially recognized by the Students’ Society of McGill University, that each consists of 25 or more McGill University student members. 

Benefits of being an SSMU Club

  • Bank account
  • Funding
  • Insurance
  • Sponsorship support
  • Event-planning support
  • Event assistance
  • SSMU Email Address
  • Mailboxes
  • SSMU Website Domain
  • Website Support
  • Locker and Storage spaces
  • Room-booking privileges

Selection Criteria

There are a number of requirements your SSMU Club must meet to be considered for Interim Status:

  • Be unique (e.g., there can not be two chess-focused SSMU Clubs)
  • Demonstrate that there is a need and/or interest for its activities
  • Include processes by which the Club can continue to function year to year
  • Show financial sustainability in supporting its activities
  • Meet other criteria as determined by the Vice-President (Student Life) or the Club Committee

Benefits of being an SSMU Service

  • Operations space
  • Funding
  • Insurance
  • Canva Pro access
  • Event-planning support
  • SSMU Email Address
  • Mailboxes
  • SSMU Website Domain
  • Website Support
  • Room-booking privileges

Selection Criteria

The process of becoming a Service is more work-intensive than the process of becoming a Club, as Services are expected to provide resources, services, and advocacy to the entire student population as opposed to just their members. For this reason, financial and institutional sustainability, as well as the long-term benefit to students, are weighed in the review process for a group seeking Service Status.

Because these groups need to demonstrate their viability over the long term, groups interested in becoming Services of the SSMU are first required to be a Full-Status Club.

There are several requirements a student group must meet before they can be considered to become an SSMU Service:

  • Their mandate must provide a unique service not currently provided by the Society
  • It must provide resources and/or support to members
  • Resources and/or support must be available free of charge to members
  • It must show financial sustainability in supporting its activities

Independent Student Group (ISG)

Benefits of being an SSMU ISG

  • Operations space
  • Funding
  • Mailboxes
  • Room-booking privileges

Selection Criteria

There are a number of requirements an ISG must meet to be considered for affiliation with the SSMU:

  • The organization must benefit McGill undergraduate students
  • The benefits provided should be those that do not overlap with any services already offered by the SSMU
  • The organization must be primarily student-run
  • The organization must be legally incorporated as a not-for-profit organization
  • The Board of Directors of the organization must include a seat dedicated to a McGill undergraduate student
  • The organization’s mandate, constitution, and activities must not be in violation of the SSMU’s Constitution, Internal Regulations, or Policies. This also includes the guidelines outlined in the Gendered and Sexual Violence Policy (GSVP) trainings.
Category Clubs (Interim & Full Status) Services ISGs
Purpose Student-run groups centered on shared interests, activities, hobbies, advocacy, or causes. Student-run operations that provide essential resources, advocacy, and services to all SSMU members. Legally independent, not-for-profit organizations that serve undergraduate students and partner with SSMU.
Who they serve Their own membership base (students who join the club). All McGill undergraduate students; no membership list. McGill undergraduates broadly, not limited to a membership list.
Structure Must have 25+ student members (Full Status) or 10 students (Interim Status). Entirely student-run. Run by volunteers and part-time staff. Must operate sustainably in the long term and serve the entire student body. Must be legally incorporated as a nonprofit with a Board including at least one McGill undergraduate seat. Primarily student-run.
Membership Model Formal membership list required (10 members for Interim, 25 for Full Status). No general membership, open-resource model. No general membership; operates as an autonomous organization, not within the SSMU membership system.
Selection Criteria Clubs must be unique, demonstrate clear need/interest, show sustainable year-to-year operations and financial viability, and meet any additional criteria set by the VP (Student Life) or Club Committee. Services must already be a Full-Status Club; provide a unique service not currently offered by SSMU; offer resources/support free to members; demonstrate strong financial and institutional sustainability; and show long-term viability and campus-wide benefit. ISGs must benefit McGill undergraduates without duplicating SSMU services; be primarily student-run; be legally incorporated as a nonprofit; include a Board seat for a McGill undergraduate; and have a mandate, constitution, and activities compliant with SSMU governing documents and GSVP guidelines.
Typical Activities Meetings, events, workshops, special-interest programming, social activities, volunteering. Peer support, advocacy services, resource distribution, student support programming. Large-scale initiatives, publications, radio/media, sustainability programs, campus services.
Scale & Scope Small to medium scale; can vary by club. Flexible commitment levels. High-impact, campus-wide operations; multi-year growth expected. Large-scale operations with external partnerships and defined governance.
Status Types Interim Status → Full Status No membership-based status levels; once approved, considered a Service of SSMU. Formal affiliation with SSMU; remains legally independent.
Benefits A bank account, funding, insurance coverage, SSMU email addresses, a SSMU domain for your website, website support, mailboxes, locker and storage space, room-booking privileges, student-run Services to assist during events, sponsorship support, event-planning support. Operations space, funding, insurance coverage, SSMU email addresses, a SSMU domain for your website, website support, mailboxes, room booking privileges, Canva Pro access, event-planning support. Operations space, funding, mailboxes, and room-booking privileges.