How to start a student organization at Ivy Tech Indy

When Gabrielle Thompson attended the Green and White Gala at Ivy Tech Indianapolis last spring, she expected to enjoy an evening of music, dancing and celebration – which happened – but she did not expect the experience to inspire a new student organization.

Thompson was dancing when she realized how much she missed performing. Nearby was her best friend, with whom she had participated in choir and theater since middle school. Thompson encouraged her to join the dance floor, but her friend felt uncomfortable dancing in front of so many people.

That moment gave Thompson an idea.

“I thought, what if there were a space where you could freely express yourself through the things you enjoy doing?” Thompson said. “I thought it would be pretty cool if we could have a space where it felt like there was no judgment.”

Now, the 19-year-old aspiring nursing student is working to create that space at Ivy Tech Indy through a new Performing Arts Club.

Recognizing a need & acting on it

Thompson participated in choir beginning in sixth grade. At Decatur Central High School, she performed in every production offered by her theater troupe, spent all four years in show choir and eventually became an advocacy officer for her school’s International Thespian Society troupe.

Although she plans to pursue nursing as a career, the performing arts remain an important part of her life.

“I’ve always liked science. It’s always been a passion of mine, and I enjoy caring for people,” Thompson said. “But I’m also very passionate about performing.”

After settling into her first year of college, she began thinking about how she could bring the sense of community she experienced through the performing arts to Ivy Tech Indy.

Instead of waiting for someone else to create it, Thompson decided to take the first step herself.

While still at the Green and White Gala, she approached an Ivy Tech faculty member and shared her idea for a Performing Arts Club. One introduction led to another until Thompson was connected with members of the Office of Student Life.

That initial conversation turned her idea into a plan.

Finding officers, members, and an advisor

Student Life provided Thompson with a list of requirements for registering a new organization. She needed to recruit members, identify at least one additional student officer, find an eligible advisor and develop a constitution for the club.

To find interested students, Thompson began contacting people she had met in her classes.

“I pretty much messaged every person whose phone number I had through all of my classes,” she said, chuckling. “I asked, ‘Would you be interested in joining this club? If so, would you be interested in holding an office?’”

A student from one of Thompson’s anatomy classes was the first to respond. The two met at a coffee shop and wrote the organization’s constitution together, then sent it to Student Life for review.

“When it comes to paperwork, I’m very ‘measure four times, cut once,’” Thompson said. “I didn’t want to fill anything out until I had at least one other person to go over everything with.”

Finding an eligible advisor required additional persistence. Thompson initially found someone interested in the position but later learned the person was not a full-time Ivy Tech employee.

With the registration deadline approaching, Thompson visited the downtown campus advising offices twice to try to meet with an Ivy Tech fine arts advisor. When he was unavailable, she followed up by email and phone.

“I’m a very determined person,” Thompson smiled.

Her determination paid off, and the fine arts advisor agreed to serve as the club’s advisor.

Recruiting the minimum number of members proved to be the most challenging part of the process. New student organizations must have at least five members, but many of the students Thompson approached said they did not have time to join—even though they liked the idea.

“For the first few weeks, I wasn’t sure if it would come to fruition,” Thompson said. “There was no one really knocking down my door.”

She continued introducing students to the club at campus events, including Coffee Talk Connections. By the time of her interview, the developing organization had grown to approximately eight members.

Student Life helps guide the process

Throughout the process, Thompson worked closely with members of the Office of Student Life.

Student Life broke the registration process into manageable steps. Thompson would complete a task, contact the team and ask what she needed to do next.

“[Student Life] would send me a list of things to complete, and then I would complete them and ask, ‘What’s next?’” Thompson said.

Attending Student Life events also gave her opportunities to ask questions face to face, meet leaders from other student organizations and begin discussing possible collaborations.

For Thompson, having people available to answer her questions made an unfamiliar process feel more approachable.

“I ask a lot of questions, and I want to make sure everyone is on the same page and everything looks right before I move on to the next step,” she said. “They’ve been ready to answer every single one, and I’m very grateful for that.”

Thompson initially thought receiving approval for campus programs and workshops would be nearly impossible to manage on her own. While starting an organization requires time and several forms, she found that support was available whenever she needed it.

“It’s not an easy process, but it’s definitely not as hard as I thought it would be,” Thompson said. “There’s always someone ready to answer my questions or help me fill out the paperwork.”

Moving toward official recognition

Because Thompson developed the idea after the spring registration period, she and Student Life decided to work toward registering the Performing Arts Club during the fall semester.

At the time of this writing, Thompson had submitted the club’s registration application and was preparing to complete its budget and travel forms. Once the remaining requirements are approved, the organization can establish its official presence on IvyLife.

Although the process was not yet complete, Thompson and the club’s members were already making plans. The group was preparing for its first meeting and discussing the possibility of holding an open mic night in November.

Thompson hopes the club will also offer singing and dancing workshops with one of her former high school classmates, who is beginning a music career and previously served as a show choir dance captain.

Once the organization is officially registered and its IvyLife page is active, Thompson plans to create a welcome video introducing the club to the campus community.

Creating a place to perform and connect

Thompson envisions the Performing Arts Club as an inclusive space for people interested in singing, dancing, acting, creative writing, scriptwriting, and other forms of creative expression.

Students will not necessarily have to commit long-term to participate. Thompson hopes many of the club’s workshops will be open to the entire campus community, including faculty and staff.

“I want it to be somewhere people can come and do things they love,” she said. “It would be awesome for anyone who likes dancing, singing, creative writing or scriptwriting to come together, meet people who also enjoy those things and maybe make friends and build connections.”

For Thompson, the importance of that community is deeply personal. She said choir and theater helped her through difficult moments in high school and introduced her to some of her closest friends.

“I really don’t know the kind of person I would be without the community I had through performing arts,” Thompson said. “I feel like it partially formed my personality and who I am.”

She hopes the new club will give other Ivy Tech students the chance to experience that same sense of belonging.

“It’s not only a space where you can express yourself and find something you didn’t know you were passionate about,” she said. “It’s also a place where you can find new friends and people you would never have met if you did not join the club. I think that’s beautiful.”

Leading the organization has also helped Thompson learn more about herself. She believes student leadership gives students a place to recognize their strengths, identify areas where they need support and prepare for future leadership opportunities.

“It’s important to know where you’re doing great and where you need help,” Thompson said. “Everyone needs help sometimes, and pretending you don’t would be a grave mistake.”

Her advice for students with an idea for an organization is simple: Pursue it.

“If it’s something you think you would enjoy and other people would enjoy, I say go for it,” Thompson said. “As long as it’s something you and at least five other people would enjoy, do it.”

TLDR How to start a student organization at Ivy Tech Indy

Students interested in starting a new organization should first connect with the Office of Student Life for guidance by emailing indianapolis-StudentLife@ivytech.edu. Once the organization’s registration is available in IvyLife, student leaders will need to complete the following steps:

1. Update the organization’s IvyLife profile. Provide all available information relevant to the group and upload a profile picture.

2. Add at least two officers and one advisor. Ivy Tech email addresses are required to add officers and advisors to the organization’s roster.

3. Add at least five members. All student members must be Ivy Tech students, and their Ivy Tech email addresses are required.

4. Upload the organization’s constitution. Student Life recommends also saving a copy in the organization’s Files tab on IvyLife.

5. Submit the registration for review. After the required information is complete, the Student Life officer will review the organization’s submission.

Fall 2026 new student organization registration is open through Dec. 18, 2026.

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions,” Thompson said. “Ask as many questions as possible, and be ready to make connections and meet new people.”