In recent years, student organizations have been increasingly requesting assistance reviewing and improving their constitutions. A strong constitution can help student organizations clearly articulate their mission and goals, establish a positive culture and code of conduct, and protect members from discrimination and undue process.

All student organization constitutions should include the following sections:

**Keep in mind that your organization must be inclusive and meet Yale University's Equal Opportunity Statement policy:

https://equalopportunity.yale.edu/policies-and-programs.

Organizations that are application/audition based must clearly state the criteria for being admitted into the organization and the timeline. Except in rare circumstances, membership to an organization must be skills based and cannot be based on personal characteristics and or a specific gender. Registered student organizations should have a clear selection process that is outlined in the constitution, open to everyone, and fair.

**Organizations with members who undergo an induction must outline their induction process and timeline. Please read through this website for information about what the state of Connecticut defines as hazing:

https://yalecollege.yale.edu/ct-general-statutes-sec-53-23a-hazing.

Please also visit Yale's website for information about hazing on campus:
https://yalecollege.yale.edu/deans-office/policies/policy-against-hazing. Keep in mind the induction process for any organization should be very far from this line.