Students have the right and are encouraged to join organizations formed for any legal purpose.
- Student organizations are required to comply with this code and with BAMSI policies, rules, and regulations and are subject to revocation of registration or other discipline for violations of same.
- A student organization shall not use the name of the Institute, or abbreviations thereof, as part of its own name except in accordance with BAMSI regulations and with written consent from administration.
- A registered student organization may state that its membership is composed of students of the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute, but shall not indicate or imply that it is acting on behalf of the Institute or with its approval or sponsorship.
- Student organizations, whether or not registered, may take positions on issues if they expressly state in so doing that they are not necessarily representing the views of the Institute or its student body.
- A student organization must subscribe to its stated aims and meet its stated obligations without prejudice, and shall achieve and retain the status of a registered student organization.
- Approval or disapproval by the Institute of the aims, objectives, and policies of any student organization is not to be inferred or implied from the registration or nonregistration of such organizations.
- Registered student organizations may be accorded the use of certain BAMSI facilities without charge under approved policies and procedures.
Further provided that the following student organizations, whether or not registered, are not entitled to receive such financial support, nor are they entitled to receive indirect financial support, in the form of stationery, supplies, telephone, reproduction services, secretarial service, or otherwise:
(i) Organizations: An organization is a political organization if it is empowered to or does devote more than an insubstantial part of its activities to attempting to influence legislation by propaganda or otherwise. For this purpose, an organization will be regarded as attempting to influence legislation if the organization contacts, or urges its members or the public to contact members of a legislative body for the purpose of proposing, supporting, or opposing legislation; or advocates the adoption or rejection of legislation. The term “legislation,” as used, includes action by any local council or similar governing body, or by the public in a referendum, initiative, constitutional amendment, or similar procedure.
An organization is a political organization if it participates or intervenes, or encourages its members to participate or intervene, directly or indirectly, in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. The term “candidate for public office” means an individual who offers himself/herself, or is proposed by others, as a contestant for an elective public office, whether such office be national or international. Activities that constitute participation or intervention in a political campaign on behalf of or in opposition of written or printed statements or the making of oral statements on behalf of or in opposition to such a candidate.
An organization is a political organization if it has the following two characteristics:
(1) its main or primary objective or objectives may be attained only by legislation or a defeat of proposed legislation; and
(2) it advocates or campaigns for the attainment of such main or primary objective or objectives as distinguished from engaging in nonpartisan analysis, study, or research and making the results thereof available to the public.
An organization is not a political organization solely because it invites as a speaker a candidate for public office or a person attempting to influence legislation, if it extends an equal invitation to opposing candidates and persons with opposing views regarding such legislation.
Other Unsupported Organizations: Nonregistered student organizations and other organizations whose activities are not deemed entitled to receive financial support, including those that are empowered to or do devote more than an insubstantial part of their activities to any one or more of the following:
(a) Solicit or invite or encourage their members or others to solicit or invite the attendance at any function or activity on college property, except a theatrical or musical performance, intercollegiate athletic event, or other recognized competitive event of more than an insubstantial number of persons who are not members of the BAMSI community or members of their families.
(b) Insult or derogate or encourage their members or others to insult or derogate any other person or group on the basis of prejudice.
(c) Create or encourage their members or others to create disturbances interfering with or disrupting the educational processes of the Institute, or the peaceful conduct of the faculty, administration, or other students on the campus or programs, meetings, or activities of BAMSI or other student organizations, or which interrupt guest speakers and others in addressing lawful assemblies.
(d) Use or encourage their members or others to use techniques disturbing the atmosphere of free and responsible discussion and of intellectual exploration on the campus.
(e) Engage in or encourage their members to engage in discourteous conduct to others.
(f) Otherwise engage in activities or encourage their members to engage in activities inappropriate to an academic community.
(g) In deter mining whether an organization has the characteristics of a political, or other unsupported organization, all the surrounding facts and circumstances, including the constitution, bylaws, and all activities of the organization, are to be considered.