What is a Major Student Organization?
These organizations represent students with common needs, interests, and concerns and work with RIT administration, faculty, and other organizations to give students a voice on campus. In addition, they control substantial budgets that support student activities and bring speakers, performers, and special events to campus.
There are eleven Major Student Organizations on RIT campus!
AALANA Collegiate Association (ACA)
The AALANA Collegiate Association (ACA) is a major student organization at RIT, whose purpose is to be an inclusive organization that works to change the current status and sustain an awareness of the AALANA (African American, Latino American, and Native American) population as being an integral part of the RIT campus and surrounding communities. The organization strives to maintain a strong sense of cultural heritage through sponsoring various programs, coordinating community service events, and working in collaboration with other RIT clubs and entities to garner an inclusive relationship that enables ACA to “Make a Positive Difference” in the lives of their peers, the RIT Faculty/Staff and surrounding community members.
Association for Commuter Engagement (ACE)
The Association for Commuter Engagement (ACE) is an MSO that represents all off-campus and commuter students for RIT. ACE advocates on behalf of these students and their needs to the larger RIT community. ACE is located in the Campus Center on the first floor, room A650. Come on in for free coffee and information on commuter services!
College Activities Board (CAB)
The College Activities Board (CAB) is comprised of student employees and volunteers who assess, plan, market, and implement entertainment for other students. A center professional advises the contracting negotiation and implementation process for more than 95 programs annually including special events, major entertainers and concerts, the major institute Film series, and on-going novelty and musical acts.
Global Union
Global Union is the largest multicultural student organization at RIT. It promotes understanding of diversity and the development of a strong multicultural movement within our community. The Union encourages cooperation, interaction, and communication among all ethnic groups at RIT while providing leadership and support to all its affiliated organizations.
Greek Council
This governing board within Student Government helps to provide coordination and direction to the Interfraternity Council (representing the RIT chartered fraternities), the Panhellenic Council (representing the RIT sororities) and Pan-Hellenic Council (representing the NPHC chapters chartered at or near RIT). The council helps to represent issues related to Greek Life for the 27 chapters with the institute's community.
NTID Student Congress
This governing board (existing within the Student Government) helps to provide services and programs, and review issues for the approximately 1,100 students enrolled within NTID (the National Technical Institute for the Deaf) and RIT.
OCASA
The On-Campus Apartment Student Association (OCASA) is a Major Student Organization (MSO) that provide services, programs, and advocates for the needs of all students living in RIT owned apartments.
OUTspoken
OUTspoken provides representation for the GLBT community within RIT`s Student Government. OUTspoken seeks to create an environment within the RIT community that is inclusive to all sexual orientations and gender expressions, and to eradicate heterosexism and homophobia within the Rochester area. To accomplish this task, our MSO (Major Student Organization) seeks to partner with other clubs and organizations, such as RITGA and the GLBT Center, to provide programs and services, such as our GLBT speaker series, which will further educate the RIT community to GLBT issues.
Reporter Magazine
RIT students produce some of the most professional collegiate publications in the country. Reporter Magazine is published by students weekly, except during examinations and holidays, and serves as the student news magazine. It includes "CalendaRIT," a listing of campus activities. Reporter has consistently won state and national awards. Such publications draw their talented staffs—artists, photographers, writers, managers, and printers—from the entire student body.
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
The RIT SAAC functions as a representative body of the student-athletes on campus. As a committee, we provide leadership opportunities and community service events for athletes and also try to foster cameraderie across athletic teams through different programs. SAAC also recognizes hardworking, dedicated athletes with awards at our athletic banquet each year. We have worked closely with Student Government in the last two years to form a partnership with the idea to create school spirit using athletics as a binding force. RIT Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is a leading entity in the Empire 8 and the Atlantic Hockey Conferences, hosting conference wide events and meetings as well as sending members to be a part of the Empire 8 SAAC Executive Committee.
Residence Halls Association (RHA)
The Residence Halls Association is a governing board within Student Government which helps to provide services and programs, and review issues for students living in residence halls.
Student Government
The Student Government is the representative body for students. It works with RIT administration, faculty and staff to communicate the needs and desires of the student body and to communicate the decisions of the administration to RIT students. It encourages the student body to formulate and express its opinion, provides a series of services to student organizations, recognizes clubs and major organizations and actively engages in the university’s open governance system.
WITR
WITR is an FM radio station operated by RIT students. It is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission as a noncommercial, educational station. It is also licensed to be on the air 24 hours a day with a power of 910 watts, which covers the Rochester area.
