Bring ERI to your school.
An ERI chapter is a club at your school that prepares for the competition together. You need five students and one adviser. It is free.
What chapters are for
Prepare together
Weekly or biweekly sessions, mock Case Room and Boardroom rounds, shared study of the five events.
Host local activities
Debates, guest speakers, or a case day at your school. The chapter decides.
Compete for recognition
Chapter results count toward chapter recognition at Nationals once the points system is operational.
Build a community
A group at school that likes arguing about economics.
What you need
- Students
- At least 5
- Adviser
- One faculty or staff member
- School
- Permission to operate as a club
- Constitution
- From the ERI template
- Cost
- Free
- Forms
- C-01 through C-05 to charter
From application to activation
| Step | Form | Who | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | School permission | You | Confirm your school allows the club. |
| 2 | C-01 Chapter Application | Founding student | The form on this page. |
| 3 | C-02 Adviser Confirmation | Adviser | ERI emails the adviser directly; they confirm the role. |
| 4 | C-03 Member Roster | President | At least five founding members. |
| 5 | C-04 Constitution | Officers | Adapt the ERI template. |
| 6 | Review | ERI | Packet review; follow-up on anything missing. |
| 7 | Charter | ERI | Charter certificate and Chapter ID issued. |
| 8 | C-05 Activation | President | Chapter goes active; directory listing appears. |
Chapter application
Chapter Application · C-01
Takes about five minutes. Have your adviser’s school email ready.
Application status
Expect a review, not instant approval. We confirm the adviser first, then request the roster and constitution. ERI's service target is a decision within 15 business days after a complete packet is received. An incomplete application remains pending for 30 days after our latest request for information, then closes without prejudice; the school may reapply.
Required documents
- Constitution built from the ERI template, sent with form C-04 after your application is received
- Evidence of school approval, if your school issues one
What chartered chapters get
- A permanent Chapter ID and a charter certificate for the school.
- A starter packet: first-meeting agenda, semester template, officer roles, and the operations manual (student edition publishes with the first charters).
- Approved logos, the ERI / SCHOOL naming system, and social templates.
- The practice cases and mock Boardroom instructions.
- A public directory listing, and eligibility for chapter recognition at Nationals once the points system is operational.
What an adviser does
- Attend or sanction meetings under your school's club rules, confirm the roster once a year, and be ERI's point of contact for the school. You don't need an economics background.
- The chapter is a club of the school and runs under the school's policies. ERI charters it and supports it; the school governs it.
- Nationals is online, like every ERI round, so there is no travel. If you have access to live competition items, you can't advise competitors in that event.
- Adviser changes go in with form C-08, any time. A chapter doesn't lose its charter when an adviser leaves.
Common questions
My school already has DECA or FBLA. Can we still start an ERI chapter?
Can ERI be an umbrella club or a branch of an existing club?
What if the adviser changes?
Is there a fee?
Do chapter members get early access to competition content?
Can we start midyear?
Chapter forms C-01 to C-10
| Form | Name | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Chapter Application | Founding student submits the charter application. |
| C-02 | Adviser Confirmation | Faculty or staff adviser confirms the role directly with ERI. |
| C-03 | Member Roster | At least five founding members. |
| C-04 | Chapter Constitution | Built from the ERI template; names officers and meeting rules. |
| C-05 | Activation | Chapter ID issued; chapter goes active for the season. |
| C-06 | Semester Plan | Meeting and activity plan for the term. |
| C-07 | Activity Report | Mid-year summary of meetings, prep sessions, and events. |
| C-08 | Leadership Change | Officer or adviser change. Accepted at any time. |
| C-09 | Year-End Report | Membership, activity, and competition participation. |
| C-10 | Renewal | Annual renewal to keep the chapter active. |
Due dates for C-06, C-07, C-09, and C-10 will be posted under renewal as a single annual calendar. Until the forms portal is live, send C-08 and C-10 through the contact form, choosing “Chapters”. We confirm by email.
Renewal
Chapters renew once a year with form C-10. The date is to be announced. Renewal is free. It asks for the current officers and adviser of record, expected membership for the coming year, confirmation of activity (the C-09 year-end report covers this), and continued school recognition.
A chapter that misses renewal is marked inactive, not deleted. It keeps its Chapter ID and can reactivate by submitting C-10 with a current adviser and roster. Graduation, adviser turnover, and a quiet year are normal; they are not grounds for losing a charter.
Before the last month of school: elect next year's officers, submit C-08 for every officer and adviser change, hand over the Chapter ID, charter certificate, constitution, and this year's C-09, book the first meeting of next term, and introduce the new president to the adviser and to ERI by email.
Using the ERI identity
- Chapters are named ERI / SCHOOL or ERI / CITY, for example ERI / WINDERMERE. No separate chapter logos or colors.
- A chapter may say it is a chartered ERI chapter and cite its Chapter ID. It may not say that ERI endorses a school, a product, or a political position.
Run your first meeting
A 50-minute plan using the rideshare-fee practice case. Any group can use it. Choose a facilitator and invite your faculty adviser. Use the same exhibits for everyone. The scenario is fictional.
| Minutes | Activity |
|---|---|
| 0–5 | State the decision: should the city adopt the fee? Identify the two exhibits and their limitations. |
| 5–20 | Read and calculate independently. Write a recommendation before discussing it. |
| 20–30 | Compare calculations in pairs. Explain the $20,000 budget shortfall and who bears the fee. |
| 30–40 | Two volunteers defend different recommendations. Ask what evidence would change each view. |
| 40–47 | Use the public practice rubric. Identify one strength and one missing step in each argument. |
| 47–50 | Choose the next case, a facilitator and a meeting date. |
For a practice Boardroom, give each volunteer three minutes to present and two minutes for questions, using the case’s follow-up challenge. Ask about evidence and assumptions, not presentation polish. For feedback, record one piece of evidence and one improvement for each rubric category. Do not turn informal club scores into official ERI results.
Next four meetings: economic policy (a budget forecast versus a causal claim), business strategy (profit under three pricing options), finance (cash flow versus accounting profit versus debt service), entrepreneurship or markets (test an assumption before committing the budget). Pick cases from the practice cases.
Directory
No activated chapters are listed yet for the 2026–27 season. A listing is added only after school permission, adviser confirmation and activation are complete. The directory shows the school and status, not individual students.