The Off Campus Student Union (OCSU) will not be considered for provisional status as a student group this semester because of failure to submit the correct paperwork on time.
The union, which was a major goal of last year's USG executive branch, has seen its share of difficulties in trying to organize. The union still has not found permanent office space and will continue to operate out of the USG office, 223 HUB.
Paul Cronin, union president, originally submitted the organization's member lists and constitution to the USG Supreme Court in March, but its case was never heard. On Sept. 7, Cronin said he expected to receive a hearing date from the Supreme Court "within 30 days."
Cronin had to resubmit the member list because the minimum membership requirement was raised to 20 members this year.
Because USG town senators are involved in OCSU, this year's high resignation rate has caused the union's membership to change frequently, making it difficult to meet the requirement. Currently, two town senate seats are still open.
"I'm concerned about getting enough membership to get projects done," he said. "That seems more important: to help the students first."
Constitutional changes restructured the union's executive board, meaning a new constitution also had to be given to the Court.
At the USG Senate meeting Tuesday night, court clerk Julia Graham informed the body that the union would not be considered this semester by the Court because it failed to resubmit its paperwork by Oct. 10.
Cronin said he was disappointed by the decision, but said the group will not stop functioning. He added he hopes to resubmit the information some time this week.
An e-mail message seeking information for the OCSU housing guide will be sent to students next week. Students will be able to rate their apartments, and the ratings will be included in the guide. Cronin said it should be available to students by the end of the semester.
"We're here because we want to do service for students. This is a delay, but it is only a delay," Cronin said.
USG President Ian Rosenberger told the Senate he was uncomfortable making OCSU a permanent department within USG, but said he wanted to continue supporting the group until it could function independently.
"If ... by bringing them back into the organization, we can stimulate that growth, then that's what we're going to do," he said.
USG Supreme Court Chief Justice Taylor Rhodes did not return phone calls seeking comment yesterday. Evan Yudell, an associate justice, said the Court had no comment regarding OSCU.
