Campus CenterRegistered Independent Student Organizations (RISO)

Get Registered

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Welcome to the RISO ʻOhana!

Here at UH Hilo, RISOs are an integral part of our campus life, providing places for our students to gather, make new friends, and find community.

You will find all of the documents you need to register as an official RISO at UH Hilo here.

Please note that we do have a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page that answers many questions that come up when filling out the RISO application. We recommend that you first check to see if your question has already been addressed in the FAQs page before reaching out to the RISO Corrdinator. If you still need assistance, the UH Hilo RISO coordinator can be reached at uhhriso@hawaii.edu.

Before you begin, you will need to read the UH Hilo RISO Handbook which can also be found on the RISO Policies webpage. You will need to identify if you are a new RISO registering for the first time or if you are a returning RISO who is renewing your registration for the current academic year. Returning RISOs are defined as RISOs who have registered with in the last two academic years. However, due to COVID-19 we have extended that to three academic years so that groups who were not able to register in the 2020-2021 academic year aren't penalized.

Please follow these steps for registration

  1. Decide you would like to start or renew your RISO registration.
  • If you are a new RISO you will need to find 5 other UH Hilo Students who would like to join ( Reminder: you need a minimum of 6 UH Hilo students).
  • If you are returning you will need to identify who will be your 6 RISO officers.
  1. Create or review your Constitution and By-Laws.
  • If you are a new RISO you can find an example on the resources page. You will need to have your President and Advisor sign and date the final copy and submit with your registration pack. Additionally, you will also need to submit minutes from your RISO showing your organizational approval of your Constitution and By-Laws. This is to ensure that the document being turned in is official and approved by the organization. Starting in the 2018-2019 academic year, the RISO office will be checking past Constitutions and By-Laws on file to ensure that they meet this standard.
  • If you are a returning RISO, you can reach out to the RISO office for the currently approved copy of your Constitution and By-Laws for review if you do not have a copy. During registration you will be asked if you have reviewed them and if you have any changes to make.
  1. Advisors
  • If you are a new RISO: Find a UH Hilo Faculty or Staff member who is willing to be your advisor. For more information on RISO advisors please visit the RISO advisor page. We highly encourage you to send your potential advisor a link to the page so that they can be fully informed. You will need to have your advisor sign the agreement form and turn it in as part of your final RISO pack. This form only needs to be filled out once, unless your advisor changes. They will also need to have taken an online Title IX course from the university. If they have not yet completed this training, they can access their portal here to begin this process. If they have finished the training they can download their certificate of completion to be included in the registration pack.
    • If you are having trouble finding an advisor you can fill out this google form to let us know and we will do our best to help connect you with someone.
  • If you are a returning RISO who needs to change your advisor please follow the steps above.
  • If you are a returning RISO with no changes to your advisor then there is nothing you need to do.
  1. Fill out the 2024-2025 Registration Pack (note this form changes every year)
  • Please be sure that your registration pack is complete before turning it in. Any incomplete documents will be returned. This means that you have all supporting documents attached and the form is completely filled out.
  • 2024-2025 Registration pack reminders & changes:
    • Both the new & renewal packs have been combined to one form. In the form you will be asked which your RISO best fits and the questions after that will be tailored to your RISO to ensure we get the information we need.
    • We will not be requiring a signature page this year. In lieu of the signature form our office will send your RISO officers an email after your form is turned in to have them acknowledge their position. Please note that delay in responding to this email will delay your registration approval.
    • This year we will not be requiring an attached membership roster UNLESS your RISO has more than 15 members.
    • If you have 15 members or less the names and emails can be entered directly into the google form.
    • If you have 16 or more we ask that you email or attach a separate membership roster.
    • We do have a sample roster that you can make a copy of here and a tutorial on how to make a copy if you need here .
  • Please review the 2024-2025 RISO Registration Guide if you’re having trouble filling out this form or would like to preview it.
  1. Complete a mandatory Orientation Training with an accompanying quiz. The RISO President, Advisor, and one other officer must attend. This training is to introduce you to the policies you are required to follow and services available to you as a RISO for the current academic year.
  2. Turn in your application for review. You will receive an email notifying you of the status of your application within 10 business days of its receipt. Please note that any incomplete information in your application will cause a delay in your approval process.

We are working to go paperless! Please support us in this effort by submitting your documents to the google registration form. If you need any assistance please contact uhhriso@hawaii.edu.

RISO Registration Checklist

2024-2025 Registration Pack If you need any guidance or would like to preview the Registration Pack, please review the 2024-2025 RISO Registration Pack Tutorial .

Attachments:

Online Required Trainings:

What if my club membership changes after registration?

That’s a great question. You will need to inform the RISO coordinator if any of your six officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Members at Large) change, or if your Advisor changes.

To notify our office about any officer or authorized representative changes, please fill out this RISO Member Change Google Form . The RISO office will email the incoming and outgoing officers, along with a club officer to confirm those changes. Note that your RISO has to be approved for the academic year. If your RISO is not approved, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.

If you have a new advisor, please email the RISO office with a new Advisor Agreement Form, along with their Title IX certification. Both forms should be submitted to the RISO office no later than 10 business days from the change.

These notifications are to ensure that our records are current and that we know the proper people to contact. If you have any questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page or contact the RISO office.