Becoming Official

How to Get Officially Recognized by Your University

All CSOs must abide by the rules of the university or college in establishing an organization on campus. Rules vary depending on which school you are attending.

Here are some requirements that official groups must frequently meet:

• Officers. (President, Vice President, Treasurer, etc.)
• Faculty/Staff Advisor. The easiest scenario is to find a CS professor on campus. CSOs that don’t have this option often find a professor who isn’t a Christian Scientist but is supportive of what their CSO is trying to accomplish.
• Constitution. A sample constitution is provided at the end of this guide for you to use and modify as necessary (see page 52).
• Minimum Number of Members.A certain number of members may be needed to be officially recognized. But don’t get discouraged if you can’t meet this requirement. Here are some ideas of what others have done in this situation:
  • Find other Christian Science students and professors on your cam- pus. There have been many cases where there have been several Christian Scientists on one campus, but they weren’t aware of each other. Check out the How To Grow Your CSO section for more ideas on how to find others.
  • Reach out and embrace the entire campus community! Many CSOs have found this requirement to be a blessing in disguise, as it has pushed them to do more to include their friends, classmates, and professors. They have actively searched out those who share an interest in spirituality and invited them to join their meetings and activities.
  • Note: This doesn’t mean, however, that you should sign people up simply to meet this requirement. That wouldn’t be honest. And of course, in accordance with the Manual, there will always need to be a Mother Church member who forms and conducts the CSO.

Dealing with Bureaucracy.

Often when working with school administrations, the first rule is “the answer is always NO until you ask.” Second rule: if the answer was no when you asked, you need to provide more context for the information you give them. Basically, give them a way to say yes. School administrators tend to be people who are used to putting square pegs in square holes and if anything different comes up, they need information on how to “handle it.” Explain the simplicity of what you are doing.

Bring up the US Constitution. Express how confident you are that their great institution of learning supports the right of each student to freely practice their religion, regardless of how great or small that religious group is.

Always feel free to call a practitioner for “mentoring” support and ideas of how to pray through the ins and outs of getting a CSO established or when bringing in a speaker or event. Mentoring is different from treatment. The Church Manual says you can charge for treatment.

Ryder Stevens, Principia College and Boston U. CSOs

 

 

Official CSOs vs. Forming CSOs

TMC Youth provides both logistical and financial support to ALL CSOs whether they are official or still in the process of forming.

• Official. There are many benefits to being officially recognized. Many universities provide recognized groups with financial support, logistical assistance, and a space to meet. Official CSOs can also be listed in the Christian Science Journal.
• Forming. These are CSOs that have not yet met the requirements of the Church Manual. Many colleges will allow unofficial groups to meet and sometimes even sponsor events such as lectures and informational tables. So in many cases, you can start meeting and planning activities before your CSO is official. We can also list your forming CSO on our website directory so others can find you.