How to Form a Student Affiliate

NCTE would like to present you with the opportunity to set up a student affiliate in at your college or university. Currently, there are 30 student affiliates. The Division of Communications and Affiliate Services has put together this introductory information to assist you with this endeavor.

The following information explains what a student affiliate is, and what the purpose of one can be. You will discover what the benefits of setting up a student affiliate are, and how you can get other students in your college or university involved. Also included are the steps to setting up a student affiliate and a sample of a student affiliate constitution. You may find this information helpful when considering how the process may work in at your school.

Once you have reviewed the introductory information and the Rules for Forming a Student Affiliation (see http://www.ncte.org/groups/affiliates/forming/110611.htm), please e-mail the Division of Communication and Affiliate Services Division at .  If you have any questions about the function of a student affiliate or would like some more ideas about how to set up a student affiliate at your college or university can be provided to help you along the way.

Benefits of Forming a Student Affiliate:

• Encouraging collaboration of student teachers of the English language arts at your college or university;
• Becoming a member and participant of NCTE builds upon young teachers' integrity as a future English teachers, and clearly shows their dedication to the teaching of the English language arts
• Connection to a national network of professionals working to improve the teaching of English language arts.
• Representation on the NCTE Board of Directors.
• Information on a wide variety of projects and programs from the affiliate/Assembly Lending Library and ability to share ideas and information with other leaders through the affiliate discussion list.
• Information on NCTE through the NCTE Web site.
• The use of Manage My Organization, an online program designed to enable NCTE affiliates and assemblies to manage their membership using the NCTE database.

List of requirements and items needed to complete your application:

Student Affiliate Application: http://www.ncte.org/library/files/Related_Groups/Affilliates/APPLICATION%20FOR%20NCTE%20STUDENT%20AFFILIATE.pdf):

See Rules of Affiliation for Student Affiliates: http://www.ncte.org/groups/affiliates/forming/110611.htm

• Your student affiliate needs to have at least 10 NCTE student members;
• Your student affiliate needs to have a faculty sponsor who is a member of NCTE and who will represent the student affiliate at the Annual Business/Board of Directors Meeting;
• Members of the Executive Board of your student affiliate need to be members of NCTE (see NCTE membership information: http://www.ncte.org/member/join);
• Your constitution should stipulate an affiliation with NCTE and your state's NCTE affiliate group, such as the Illinois Association of Teachers of English or the Idaho Council of Teachers of English; your constitution should provide for a Liaison Officer to NCTE and your state's affiliate group (NCTE's Constitution: http://www.ncte.org/about/gov/consti/117754.htm);
• Your constitution needs to make a provision for disbursement of your treasury to another nonprofit organization, should your organization become defunct;
• A copy of your student affiliate's policy on involvment of people of color must accompany your application (see NCTE's Policy on Involvement of People of Color: http://www.ncte.org/about/over/107323.htm);
• A roster of the members of your student affiliate must accompany your application (include name, address, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses;);
• NCTE student affiliate dues must accompany your application. Dues are $2.50/year for the entire affiliate, NOT per student.

Advice for your student affiliation process:

• To insure you meet the membership requirement, it's far easier in the long run to collect and submit with your application the NCTE memberships from the (at least) 10 members, including the officers, who are members of your student affiliate.
• Unlike regular affiliates that usually have steady numbers, the members of student affiliates come and go relatively quick (in one-two years.).
• Because the membership of student affiliate changes over annually, must of the "glue" that holds the group together resides in the faculty sponsor.
• Sometimes pairing up "older and younger" (e.g. senior and junior) students to hold the various offices works well to provides continuity. This helps to make sure that a student who knows how to hold the office and how to operate within it remains on the board and can train a new officer.
• The best thing your student affiliate can become is a group that meets the needs of its members.  The worst thing would be a group that did not meet the needs of its members.  This means that the "flavor" of the group will likely change from year to year.

If you have any questions or concerns about forming a student affiliate, please don't hesitate to contact the Division of Communications and Affiliate Services, NCTE, 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, IL  61801; ; or call (800) 369-6283, ext. 3633.