How to Start a Student Group

Identify Potential Leadership. Try to find at least one other like-minded student who can help you get the group going. Do you know someone who might be interested in assisting with this effort? Students who are well-versed in campus politics are prime candidates to help the group get off the ground.

Get to Know Your Campus. Before starting a group or building a presence on your campus, it is important to understand the unique character of your college/university and its student body.  Doing so will help you adapt your goals, strategies, programming and activities accordingly. For example, if your campus is considered to be politically inactive, holding a big event or a big action right off the bat is probably not a good way to start. Or, if your campus is known for being intensely polarized on Iran-related issues, you might consider making your first meeting small and closed to the general public, to ensure everyone feels safe.

By getting to know your campus, you can also find out what has worked and what has not worked for student activists in the past.  When assessing your campus, consider your student population: Is it large? Small? Is there a significant student activist presence? Are there many events and programs taking place at any one time? Assess the role of Iran on your campus: Is it a source of tension? Are there other minority student groups, such as the Indian, Chinese, or Latino/a Students’ Associations?  If so, are there existing diversity events/conferences that you can easily plug yourselves into?

Identify Key Allies. Allies can be fellow students, existing student groups, professors, and campus administrators and professionals. Use the questions below to think about who might be a useful ally on your campus. You may want to meet with some of these folks before your first meeting, since they may have insight about how to maximize your effectiveness. 

Who are your potential allies within the following groups on campus?

• Progressive groups
• Multicultural groups  
• Religious groups
• Interfaith groups
• Political groups

Hold Your First Meeting. Your first meeting can be open for anyone on your campus to attend, or an invitation-only meeting for a small group of like-minded folks that have expressed an interest in starting an Iranian student group. A large meeting allows you to gauge campus-wide interest, and a good turnout can help you build energy and momentum; however, getting a large turnout for a first meeting can be hard, so you might decide to start small and build a team that can help you plan for a larger general meeting.

Become an Official Group. Contact your Student Association or Student Government to find out the steps needed to become an official group on campus. Ask for rules and guidelines for starting an organization that are specific to your campus. Some campuses require you to fill out forms, get signatures, or be voted in. Make sure you know about all of the requirements. Have a mission statement and a contact list of interested students readily available.

Investigate Cash Flow. Every school is different. Find out how to obtain funding through your school once you are a recognized organization. The Student Government is usually able to allocate funds from the student activities budget to all student groups. Some schools require groups to submit a budget. If so, think about the activities you want to organize throughout the year and estimate the costs. Other students with experience as campus activists can be great resources for providing full insight into your campus’s available funding.

Set Achievable Goals.  When planning events or activities, remember you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.  Often times, there are existing events that would benefit from your group’s participation (e.g. multicultural performances, multicultural symposiums, etc.)  You can also use existing resources from the Iranian-American community to help plan events. (e.g. ask NIAC to host a ‘Demystifying Democracy’ workshop, take students to a locally-sponsored Norooz celebration, etc).

Be realistic for your first year.  Set an achievable number of members to recruit, events to host/participate in, and meetings to hold.  Make sure you are carefully watching and evaluating your progress.