DePaul respects the right of student organizations and their members to associate freely with organizations and individuals inside and outside the institution, subject to the following important caveats:
Local Autonomy
Registered student organizations must retain independent control over their governance, leadership selection, finances, and decision-making. External organizations may not:
Recognition and University Resources
Recognition and access to university resources—including funding eligibility, space reservations, and use of approved DePaul branding—are reserved for registered student organizations. Student organizations may not:
Only recognized student organizations are entitled to the benefits of recognition, and organizations must not engage in collaborations that have the effect of allowing unrecognized student organizations or individual students to access the benefits of recognition without themselves meeting the required conditions. For example, a coalition of groups including both recognized and unrecognized student organizations will not be entitled to the same benefits as a registered student organization.
Co-Sponsorship & Representation
Student organizations must avoid confusion regarding sponsorship or endorsement and be clear and direct when co-sponsoring with an external partner or organization. Even when collaborating with another organization, the recognized student organization retains responsibility for an event and may not delegate accountability for policy compliance or event activities to a co-sponsor.
“Co-sponsorship” includes publicly advertising, promoting, titling, or crediting another organization as a sponsor, organizer, or host of an event supported by University resources. This includes collaborating on social media posts advertising unrecognized student organization events and programs. For example, use of a student organization’s social media account to amplify posts by an unrecognized organization that promote an event supported by University resources—e.g., by using the “Collaboration” function on Instagram—will be viewed as co-sponsorship.
Privately inviting or informally collaborating with an external organization in other contexts does not, on its own, constitute co-sponsorship.
Campus Events
Student organizations must avoid confusion regarding sponsorship or endorsement and be clear and direct when co-sponsoring with an external partner or organization. Even when collaborating with another organization, the recognized student organization retains responsibility for an event and may not delegate accountability for policy compliance or event activities to a co-sponsor.
Events occurring on campus—or supported through DePaul funding, facilities, or other student organization benefit-based resources—may not be formally co-sponsored with non-DePaul organizations or individuals. If having the role of a guest speaker at an organization’s event, non-DePaul organizations may be featured and should be in compliance with the Speaker Review process. If participating in a different role at an on-campus event, the non-DePaul organization’s role should be disclosed as part of the event submission process on DeHUB.
Example:
The DePaul Yo-Yo Club plans to host a “Spring Spin Showcase” in the DePaul Student Center. The Club invites a representative from the National Yo-Yo Association to attend.
Because the event is taking place on campus, the event cannot be formally co-sponsored with the National Yo-Yo Association. This means the event cannot be marketed as “DePaul Yo-Yo Club in partnership with the National Yo-Yo Association,” nor can the external organization be listed as a co-host.
If the National Yo-Yo Association representative is invited to serve as a guest speaker (e.g., to give a keynote on competitive yo-yoing trends), the organization may be featured in that capacity, provided the speaker and organization complete and comply with the Speaker Review process.
If the representative is participating in another role—such as serving as a judge for a yo-yo competition or hosting an instructional demo booth—their organizational affiliation must be clearly disclosed in the event submission on DeHUB. However, the event would still remain solely hosted by the DePaul YoYo Club, without formal co-sponsorship.
Alignment with Catholic & Vincentian Mission
As a Catholic and Vincentian institution, DePaul University expects student organizations to ensure that external associations align with the University’s mission, values, and identity. Student organizations may not formally partner with, provide material support to, or publicly affiliate with organizations whose mission, primary activities, or public positions fundamentally conflict with DePaul’s Catholic and Vincentian identity.
