Student Organization Classifications

Registered student organizations are organized by classifications as broad categories as listed below:


Academic & Professional - Organizations that focus on academic disciplines or are related to a specific professional field.

Campus Programming - The Campus Activities Board is the program that plans music, comedy, entertainment, & other events for the campus community. Spotlight is the only group for this category.

Cultural - Organizations educate the campus community about non-dominant cultures in order to enhance students' worldviews. They also provide students with an avenue to explore & celebrate their own cultural heritage & provide programs & services designed to support students of various cultural heritages at the University.

Interfaith - Organizations serve to enhance a student's spiritual life while providing fellowship & outreach opportunities.

Fraternities & Sororities - Organizations that provide lifelong opportunities for leadership, service, academic achievement, & social involvement through the association with an inter/national organization. For more information about Fraternity & Sorority Life at Grand Valley State University, visit https://www.gvsu.edu/greeklife.

Graduate Student - Organizations that are connected with or are part of a graduate program.

Honor Society - Possess admission standards or special requirements such as grade point average, field of study, leadership, or other areas of achievement. They serve to recognize students.

Housing & Residence Life Community Councils - This category represents all on campus housing community councils.

Media - Organizations include two types of opportunities for students. Entertainment organizations provide campus with a variety of student sponsored entertainment events & programs as well as an opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience. Examples of student media organizations include GVTV (the GV student-run television network), Lanthorn (Grand Valley's newspaper), & WCKS The Whale (the GV student-run radio).

Performing Arts - Organizations provide opportunities for involvement & exposure to the performing arts.

Professional Fraternity - Organizations who promote the interests of a particular profession or whose membership is restricted to students in a particular field of study.

Service & Advocacy - Organizations are centered on positive student engagement & social change through community service & educational programming. These organizations hope to raise awareness of social issues.

Special Interest - Organizations serve to enhance student life through the co-curricular involvement of special interests & hobbies.

Sports - Organizations provide opportunities for competition, personal fitness, recreational activities, and/or school spirit support. These sports are broken down into competitive & non-competitive.

Student Senate - Organization serves as a student governing body in various aspects of campus life.



Page last modified November 14, 2022