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Student Organization
Advisor Hanbook
Fall 2013
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Welcome to Student Organizations The Department of Student Activities desires to support and encourage all organizations, student leaders, and advisors at Baylor University. We achieve this goal through personal relationships, training sessions, and additional materials. As a student organization advisor, it is paramount that you are well versed in the topics in this guide to lead your organization properly and achieve both the group’s mission and intended goals. Inside you will find information regarding practical topics include signature approvals, advisor presence, goal setting and team building, and relevant policies. Additionally, the Student Organization Policies & Procedures Guide can be found online and includes a variety of additional information relevant to your role as an advisor. If you have any questions, please come by our office on the first floor of the Bill Daniel Student Center (the SUB) or call us at 254.710.2371. We look forward to partnering with you this coming year.
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Table of Contents
Important Dates……………3
University Departmental Guide……………4
Online Roster System……………5
Event Registration……………15
Online Event Approval……………16
Expectations of Advisors……………21
Advisor Roles……………22
Responsibility of an Advisor……………23
Advising Tips……………26
Risk Management for Advisors…………..28
Event Expectations & Policies……………29 On-‐Campus Events……………30
Off-‐Campus Events……………31
Finances & Funding……………32
Academic Eligibility……………33
New Member Education…………….33
Hazing……………34
Constitutions……………34
Frequently Asked Questions……………35
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Important Dates 2013-‐2014
Event or activities may not be scheduled during the following:
v Dead Week or Final Examinations (December 8-‐18, 2013 & May 4-‐13, 2014) v Official University Holidays v Home Football Game Dates (Two Hours Prior to Start Time and Until Three Hours
After Start Time)
Scheduling during the following All University events is prohibited:
v Welcome Week (August 22-‐25, 2013) v Family Weekend (September 20-‐21, 2013) v Steppin' Out Days of Service (November 2, 2013 & April 5, 2014) v Homecoming Week (October 14-‐19, 2013) v Bearathon (March 22, 2014 -‐ Without agreement from Student Foundation) v Diadeloso (April 10, 2014 -‐ Without agreement from Baylor Chamber of Commerce)
Events may not be scheduled during the following times:
Sunday-‐Thursday past midnight for on-‐campus events and off-‐campus events. After 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. On Sundays before 1 p.m. 2013 Home Football Schedule:
• August 31st – Wofford • September 7th – Buffalo • September 21st – Louisiana-‐Monroe (Family Weekend) • October 5th – West Virginia • October 19th – Iowa State (Homecoming) • November 7th – Oklahoma • December 7th – Texas
Online Rosters are due September 15th and February 1st in the fall and spring semesters, respectively.
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University Departmental Guide Department of Student Activities Office Location: Bill Daniel Student Center, First Floor, Suite Number 101 One Bear Place #97074 Waco, Texas 76798 254.710.2371 [email protected] Baylor Dining Services Office Location: 2100 River Street, Suite 101 One Bear Place #97106 Waco, Texas 76798 254.710.4762 www.baylor.edu/dining Campus Living and Learning Office for Collegiate Licensing Office Location: Penland Hall Office Location: Robinson Tower, Suite 507 One Bear Place #97076 One Bear Place #97084 Waco, Texas 76798 Waco, Texas 76798 254.710.3642 http://www.baylor.edu/licensing www.baylor.edu/cll Institutional Technology Services Office Location: Moody Library, G14 One Bear Place #97268 Waco, Texas 76798 254.710.2711 http://its.baylor.edu Office of Risk Management Office Location: Dutton Parking Garage, 1111 South University Parks Drive, Suite 135 One Bear Place #97046 Waco, Texas 76798 254.710-‐4285 www.baylor.edu/risk_management Student Conduct Administration Office Location: Robinson Tower, Suite 400 One Bear Place #97084 Waco, Texas 76798 www.baylor.edu/studentconduct
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The Online Roster System
The Online Roster System was created to:
v Provide membership contact information within the organization; v Receive valuable information from the Department of Student Activities; v Update the Student Activities website links to your organization’s website; v Communicate easily and effectively with your membership through Blackboard
Roster Updates are due once a semester from student organizations on September 15th and February 1st. Accessing the Roster System Advisors have permissions to view and approve roster changes for each group they advise. To access the Online Roster, use the following link: https://www1.baylor.edu/onlineroster/ OR visit the Student Activities website (http://www.baylor.edu/studentactivities /) and click on “Current Students”. Once the page refreshes, use the “Tools/Resources” toolbar on the right of the screen and click on the “Update Your Roster” link.
You will then be redirected to a secure location, where you may type your Bear ID and password. You need your Bear ID and password to enter the system.
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Once inside the Online Roster system, you will be presented with the “My Organizations” which will display a list of the organizations you advise. If you currently advise an organization, but it is not listed, please contact the Coordinator of Student Organizations & Leader Development.
To access the roster for a specific organization, click on the organization name.
This is the “View Roster” tab. The roster shows the names of members for the semester. Please notice the information tabs that appear when you click on a specific organization name. These additional tabs will be utilized for other organizational business which will be
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discussed later in these instructions. A variety of useful information is available on the View Roster tab.
The organization’s advisor(s) and his/her contact information, meeting times, and website are posted in the upper-‐right corner of the View Roster tab. Next to each member’s name, you will find the member’s Status. Members will appear as “Approved” or “Pending.” Members who are approved are those who have been approved for membership by the organization and advisor(s). Members who are pending are those who have not yet been approved by the organization’s advisor(s). If you have members who should have been approved, contact your advisor(s) to complete the roster process. Updating Membership (Re-‐Enrolling, Assigning Roles & Adding Members) To update the membership for your organization, click on the Re-‐enroll link at the top of the screen in the yellow navigation bar.
For those members returning to your organization for the semester, make sure the box next his/her name is checked. To remove a student who has graduated or is no longer a member, simply uncheck the box next to his/her name.
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You must check the yellow box indicated that a representative from your organization has read and understands the current Student Organization Policy and Procedure Guide before the submit button will appear. To complete the re-‐enrollment process, click on submit. Upon submitting the updated roster, an e-‐mail will be sent to your organization’s advisor(s). Advisors are required to approve your updated roster. Please note that students are not allowed to delete members of organizations. If you have a student who should be removed from your roster, please contact Student Activities.
As you update your organization’s membership, you should assign the roles
associated with the organization’s roster management and leadership. There are seven roles that can be assigned through the online roster system: Roster Manager, Calendar Manager, Web Master, Contact, Service Chair, President and President-‐Elect. These roles are delineated by abbreviations: RM, CM, WM, CT, and SC.
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Typically, the President (or equivalent) serves as one of the contacts for the
organization, while the Secretary or Vice President (or equivalents) serve as the Roster Managers, and so on. There are no limits to the number of roles that can be assigned to one member. Similarly, there are no limits to the number of member who may be assigned a particular role. Each organization must have at least one Contact and Roster Manager. Members assigned the roles of Contact, Roster Manager and/or Service Chair will receive e-‐mail communications from the Department of Student Activities. It is pivotal that each organization have members to act as liaisons between Student Activities and the organization. Please note that only the Roster Manager has permission to adjust membership. Only assigned Roster Managers may add new members and/or re-‐enroll membership.
Additional roles may be indicated through the online roster system. For example, you could indicate your organization’s President, T-‐Shirt Chair, etc. by typing the appropriate title next to the student’s name in the Officer column. You have a further option of providing a contact number for the officers or any member. This feature is purely optional, though it is frequently used by those organizations who have taken advantage of it! Additionally, the Department of Student Activities frequently uses this contact information to connect your organization with prospective members.
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Adding New Members Only organizations that have already updated their roster (Re-‐Enroll) for the current term may add new members. Once you have re-‐enrolled your returning membership, you will see that two new tabs appear: Add Members and Add Bulk Members. Only the assigned Roster Manager(s) may add new members to your organization’s roster. To add members, click on the Add Members tab.
. When adding new members to your roster, it is essential that you accurately enter the students’ exact Baylor ID. Once you have finished entering the new members’ Bear ID’s, click on “Submit.” If you enter an invalid Baylor ID, the Online Roster System will notify you that your entry is not recognized. The Online Roster System will return you to the Add Members page with the invalid names now printed in red for your easy identification. Be sure you have the correct Baylor ID (i.e. John_Baylor1 rather than J_Baylor) and re-‐submit.
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If you need to enter more than 20 members, click on the “Add>20 Members”
button at the bottom of the page. Enter the names of your new members, separated by commas. Click Submit to notify your advisor that you have added new members. Your advisor will review the submission and approve, question, or deny your new members as appropriate.
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Removing Members As a general rule, members should not be removed or deleted from a student organization’s roster. Rather than deleting a member from your roster, a Roster Manager should simply avoid clicking on the checkbox next to a member’s name when performing a “re-‐enroll” function. Students may not remove members from rosters. In the rare event that it becomes necessary for a member to be removed from your roster (the student leaves Baylor, the organization removes the member for judicial reasons, etc.), the organization must notify the Department of Student Activities of the member to be removed including the reason for removal. A member of the Student Activities staff will delete the member from the roster on behalf of the organization. Registration Form
To adjust the information on the View Roster tab (meeting time, day, website, etc.), click on the Registration Form tab. Please note that students may not change advisors in the online roster system. For an advisor change, you must contact the Department of Student Activities.
Fill in the appropriate information and click Submit. Upon clicking submit, students
may have to click away from the Registration Form tab for the information to refresh elsewhere in the system. It is important to keep this information up to date as the Department of Student Activities uses it to refer prospective members to student organizations. Also, the Student Activities website student organization lists are populated with the information you provide here regarding your organization’s website address. If your website address changes, you can be sure that the Student Activities link to the group’s website is accurate by updating the information on the Registration Form tab.
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Grade Release Organizations needing GPA information for reports must submit a a Grade Release form each semester so that the Department of Student Activities may check members’ academic eligibility for participation. To submit your Grade Release form, click on the Grades tab.
The Grades tab is designed to provide the members’ names, student ID numbers and
a blank on which you must secure your members’ signatures. Simply print out the Grades tab and present the document to your members at a meeting. Once you have secured signatures for all members, turn in the form to the Department of Student Activities. Please note that this is not a requirement! Your organization’s members will have their academic eligibility checked regardless of whether or not they sign this form. By submitting this signed form, your members are giving permission for your organization and its leadership to view their actual GPAs. GPA information will not be released without this signed form! If you have any questions regarding roster management, please contact the Coordinator of Student Organizations and Leader Development.
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Event Registration
Type of Request: v Event– Students should use this to register all events. They can register events as a
single occurrence or multiple occurrence (common for meetings) v T-‐Shirt/Products – Students should use this to register all t-‐shirts and products.
Events and Products should be registered separately so that they may each be judged on their own merit. Please refer to the Student Organization Policies & Procedures Guide for additional t-‐shirt and product expectations.
Event Categories: Fundraiser/Solicitation
v Any event that includes the soliciting of funds or goods from students or businesses. v A Sales & Solicitation form should be submitted to Student Activities to accompany
the Online Event Registration. v Advisors must sign all Sales & Solicitation Forms. v If soliciting off-‐campus businesses, a list of those businesses must also be submitted
for approval. Meeting
v If meeting multiple times over the course of the academic year, students have the option to submit one event registration form with multiple occurrences.
Mixer v In order to have a mixer among two or more organizations, at least one advisor rom
each of the involved organizations must be in attendance at the event. v Advisors from each organization participating must approve the mixer.
New Member Education
v Student organizations participating in a recruitment and new member process must submit a New Member Education plan.
v Advisors must be present at initiation ceremonies. v New Member Education events must follow additional time guidelines.
Overnight/Retreat
v Two overnight activities (one social, one retreat) per organization will be permitted each semester. One of these trips may include two nights with advisor approval.
v Expectations for student conduct and behavior for the duration of an off-‐campus event may be established by the organization advisor. These rules should not conflict with established rules for conduct and behavior set by the Baylor University policies and procedures.
v If travel is involved (more than 30 miles from campus), travel & driver forms must be filed with risk management.
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Service Activities v Service activities do not have to be registered with Student Activities.
Social
v If any social activity is held off-‐campus, an advisor must be present. Other
v Use this category if the event does not fit any of the above. Students should provide as many details as possible.
Online Event Approval Instructions To log into the secure Online Event Registration/T-‐Shirt Request Form system, go to www.baylor.edu/studentactivities. Click on the link “Event Registration”
Click the “Continue” button to move forward with event registration.
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You will be asked to log in to the secure server. Your log-‐in information is the same as the log in you use to check your Baylor e-‐mail. After entering your information select “OK”.
Within the event registration system please click the “View My Request” link at the top left.
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Find the event in need of approval and select it by clicking on that event name.
Review the event information contained in the form and make apporiate changes.
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Please note, advisors have the opportunity to insert a comment regarding the event in the “Note to Advisor” comment box.
After reviewing the request click on the “Accept” button. Please note that if you make changes to the event form, then please click the “Summit Update” button.
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After you have accepted the request you will be informed of the remaining steps in the event approval process.
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Expectations of Student Organization Advisors The role of the Student Organization Advisor plays within an organization is pivotal to the success of that organization. Expectations of advisors should be discussed between the advisors and the leadership of the organization. A clear understanding of expectations of all parties will be instrumental for the current and future success of the organization. A student organization advisor is a full-‐time faculty or staff member who is requested to provide support and guidance to officers and members of a student organization. The advisor not only serves as a representative of the group in an official capacity, but as an advocate as the group. The Role of an Advisor
v To provide guidance for understanding Baylor University policies and procedures and to provide leadership for the adherence to those rules by the organization.
v To review and approve requests for organization events, activities, publicity, and t-‐shirts/products.
v To act as a consultant in the areas of goal setting, problem solving, policy making, and upholding guidelines and purposes. This includes attendance at organization and officer meetings as deemed appropriate.
v To attend, as the University representative, all off-‐campus and overnight activities providing guidance and support and assuming leadership in the event of an emergency. In cases where an event is not for the entire membership (such as service projects, delegation to meetings, etc.,) the advisor may use discretion about whether or not advisor attendance is required.
v Float build sites and SING/Pigskin rehearsal locations: Advisors are not expected to be present during float construction or rehearsals for SING/Pigskin at off-‐campus locations, though they are encouraged to go to the location occasionally to check progress and provide encouragement to the organization membership.
Substitute Advisors If the primary advisor is unavailable to attend an off-‐campus or overnight event, one or more substitute advisors may attend in his or her place with appropriate notice to and approval from the Department of Student Activities. Substitute advisors may be current Baylor faculty, staff, or graduate students with sufficient knowledge and experience serving in an advisory role. Appropriate notification includes submitting a written request to Student Activities to have a substitute advisor and appropriate approval is the receipt of a written response from Student Activities approving the request.
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Advisor Roles by Dunkel & Shuh Mentor Dunkel and Shuh (1998) describe mentoring as a one on one learning relationship between an older person and a younger person based on modeling behavior and an extended, shared dialogue. They identify five qualities that characterize good mentors:
v Good mentors have been successful in their own professional endeavors v Good mentors behave in ways worthy of emulation v Good mentors are supportive in their work with subordinates. They are patient,
slow to criticize, and willing to work with those who are less well developed in their careers.
v Good mentors are not afraid to delegate tasks to colleagues and are not threatened by others who exhibit talent and initiative. They provide support for protégés who have been unsuccessful and provide plenty of praise for those who have been successful.
v Good mentors provide periodic, detailed, and honest feedback to the protégé. Supervisor There are many similarities between advising and supervising and many of the skills and styles are transferrable. Dunkel identifies the components this style as a supervisory cycle many of which are transferrable to effective advising. The six stages of the supervisory cycle are team building, performance planning, communication, recognition, self-‐assessment, and evaluation.
v Team building: in team building, your role is to work with the president and executive board soon after their appointment or election. Team building establishes relationships that will enhance the ability of the organization’s leadership, members, adviser and to work together.
v Performance planning: this includes writing position descriptions, determining and listing expectations, and setting goals.
v Communication – the third stage of supervision is regular communication which includes transferrable knowledge and feedback. Keep in mind that communication comes in many forms and is both verbal and nonverbal.
v Recognition – As an advisor, you many participate in meetings with individual students. These students may express a wide range of emotions, and to respond effectively in unexpected situations, a working knowledge of these characteristics and backgrounds can be helpful. Some situations may require documenting the incident for your protection and the protection of the institution. Written documentation should include the specific nature of the exchange, the date and time, the individuals involved, and the outcome of the exchange.
v Evaluation – The sixth and final stage of supervision is formal evaluation. Some institutions, national organizations, or oversight bodies require students to complete various evaluations. You should know that forms the students need complete as a part of the duties of their office or in order to fulfill all of their requirements. A formal evaluation is an opportunity for you to provide feedback to the organization or to individual members. Your participation in the evaluation
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process should be understood early in your relationship with the organization so as not to come as a surprise to the students.
Teacher You should be aware of two considerations as you assist students in their success and the success of their organizations and communities. First, the greatest influence on student success on a campus is the level of involvement the student has with the faculty. Second, as Astin put it in 1993, “the lack of student community has stronger direct effects on student satisfaction with the overall college experience than any other environmental measure. Additionally, the lack of student community also produces negative indirect effects on satisfaction with faculty.” Leader One reason many students get involved in groups and organizations is to develop their leadership skills and abilities. Clearly, leadership ability can be interpreted broadly. Numerous publications, tapes, conferences, and presentations are available on leadership development, organizational development and organizational skills. In Leadership Challenges, 2002, Woodward (1994, pp. 96-‐97) recommends guidelines for the planning of leadership development opportunities including:
v Theory – exposing students to different organizational and leadership theories v Values clarification – developing an understanding of the values needed to lead in
society v Skills development – developing such areas as social activism, conflict resolution,
collaborative learning, decision making, judgment, and communication. v Societal issues – exposing students to major societal challenges v Experience – providing students with opportunities to try their leadership you
should understand that although the student leaders of your organization may possess a different set of motives for their involvement, they require guidance and direction as any student organization would for success.
Follower The characteristics of followers are important for you to understand in your work with student organization leaders. If the followers in an organization choose not to follow, the leadership of the organization must take the problem seriously. Followers have expectations of their leaders. You can assist the student leadership in developing activities to identify follower expectation of them. Working with executive board, you can assist organizational members in the development of basic understanding of leaders and followers. Material taken from: Dunkel, N.W., & Shuh, J.H. (1998). Advising student groups and Organizations. San Fransisco: Jossey-‐Bass.
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Responsibility of an Advisor Good advisors keep the following three sets of responsibilities in mind while working with student organizations:
v Responsibility to individual group members v Responsibility to student organizations v Responsibility to institution – Baylor University
Responsibility to Individual Group Members
v The advisor may help the students find balance in between their academic and their co-‐curricular activities
o Student leaders often have the tendency to burn the candle at both ends and will overextend themselves if not guided to balance these various responsibilities. The advisor has a unique opportunity to mentor students through their academic obligations and personal needs.
v The advisor may encourage each individual to participate in and plan group events. o Some students fade into background if not effectively encouraged. Being a
member of a student group can provide students with valuable interpersonal and/or leadership skills, but these are best developed when the student is involved.
v The advisor may encourage students to accept responsibility for specific roles within the group.
o The advisor may help them understand the importance of these roles. From officer positions to committee members, each student should feel invested in and accountable for their specific role.
Responsibility to the Student Organization
v The advisor may assist the group in developing realistic goals for the academic year. o This will contribute to the education and personal development of the
students involved. It is often a positive experience when the advisor takes an active role, rendering advice and counsel as circumstances allow.
v The advisor may be aware of all plans and activities of the group and inform the group of institutional policies that may affect these plans.
o The advisor may recommend that the group and its officers know where the policies are listed, what the policies are, why they exist, and the channels to be followed for changes, revisions, or exceptions to policies.
v The advisor may encourage collaboration and shared governance within the organization, and also encourage quieter students to take initiative
o Eager leaders may occupy the limelight more often than appropriate. This can lead to resentment by some members or pressure others into silencing themselves. The advisor can help provide a balance by pointing out such concerns in one-‐on-‐one setting with the students or the organization leadership.
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v The advisor may need to refer students to counseling. Invariably, during interaction with the group’s members, the advisor will encounter students with personal problems.
o The counseling role might require individual consultation on a personal level or referral to the student counseling service.
v The advisor may provide continuity within the group and should be familiar with the group’s history and constitution.
o Membership turnover in student organization is high and often the only link with the immediate past is the advisor. The advisor can steer group members clear of mistakes and help them avoid the proverbial reinventing of the wheel. Serving as the group’s memory and continuity link, the advisor can help new officers build on history and develop long-‐term plans for the future of the organization.
v The advisor may offer ideas for projects and events. o The advisor will perform his/her greatest service by providing opportunities
for the students to exercise initiative and judgment and to enjoy a proper measure of autonomy in self-‐directed social, educational, recreational, cultural, and spiritual activities. Advisors may help the group understand a program’s complexity and discuss the necessary steps that need to take place in order for the program to be successful. Ultimately it is the responsibility of the active members to operate the organization; however, advisors are vital to the learning that occurs during this important educational experience.
v The advisor should assist the group in evaluation. o This includes evaluating individual programs as well as doing a complete
evaluation at the end of the academic year. The advisor must be willing to give constructive criticism when necessary and offer words of praise for work well done.
Responsibility to the Institution – Baylor University
v The advisor may work with the group, but not direct its activities o Although the advisor’s role is not regulatory or disciplinary, the advisor has a
responsibility to both the institution and the organization to keep their best interests in min. At times, the advisor may need to guide the organization to operate within the institutional policies so that violations do not occur. The advisor may also work with the organization’s officers to establish and maintain internal group standards and regulations for conduct.
v Occasionally, an advisor can help an organization during an emergency. o Although this type of intervention is rarely necessary, the advisor’s good
judgment can be the saving grace in the event of mishaps, internal conflict, or personal crisis. Assisting the group’s president as a spokesperson or serving as the main contact for the University can help in these cases.
Adapted from the Resource and Policy Manual, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the Student Organization Advisor Handbook, University of South Florida.
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Advising Tips Advisors for student organizations have three main functions: 1. To help with the growth and development of students. 2. To add to the continuity of the group as members graduate. 3. To assist in the area of program content and purpose. Advisor roles may differ depending on the student organization, but the role is always an important one. Some advisors play very active roles, attending meetings, working with student officers, and assisting in program planning and development. Others maintain a more distant relationship with the organization. It is our hope that as an advisor you will maintain regular contact with the organization. An advisor accepts responsibility for remaining informed about the activities of the organization and for advising officers of the organization on the appropriateness and general merits of policies and activities. It is helpful for advisors to be both accessible and interested and provide whatever counsel a group or its members might seek. Several factors determine the nature of the advisor's role, such as the effectiveness of organization members, organization activities, and the availability of the advisor. However, advisors are encouraged to avoid being only a signature on registration forms. Most advisors have significant knowledge and experience that can be applied to student organization goal-‐setting, conflict resolution, and group effectiveness. It is often the advisor that maintains the continuity of the organization and helps it grow. In short, a good advisor helps nurture an organization's success. The following is adapted from Lenoir-‐Rhyne College's Advisor Handbook: • In the beginning of the advising relationship, agree on clear expectations about the role of the advisor and the role of the student organization. Discuss philosophies and reach a consensus. • Read the constitution of the group, get to know the members, attend events, and generally make yourself seen so that they know who you are. • Assist in the establishment of responsibilities for each officer and member. • Develop a strong relationship with the president or chairperson and other officers. This is key because these students will be your main contact with the group. • Discuss concerns with an officer's performance in a one-‐on-‐one setting. Whenever someone does something extremely well, be sure to let others know. • Maintain a sense of humor – it's college, not rocket science. • Be honest and open with all communication. The students need to feel that you are just in your dealings with them. • Realize that you have the power of persuasion, but use this judiciously. The students sometimes need to learn how to fail.
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• Help them see alternatives and provide an outside perspective. • Remember: praise in public, criticize in private. • Find a balance between being the strict naysayer and the laissez-‐faire friend. The students must feel that you are supportive of them and yet that you will hold them accountable. Advisor Expectations Given the myriad of purposes, activities, and objectives of various student groups, the role of the advisor will vary to some degree between groups. As organizations vary in their expectations and needs, it is important that you, as an advisor, develop an understanding with the organization you are to represent as to the nature of your involvement. The advisor and group should agree on a set of expectations of one another from the onset. Some initial questions you may consider asking your organization each year/semester:
v How much involvement is expected or needed? v How often does the group meet? v How many major activities does the group plan per semester? v How experienced are the student leaders? v How do your skills match the needs of the organization? v What are some of the problem areas that your organization specifically needs
advisory assistance in dealing with? Ask for past examples. v What are some of the ways the advisor can be more helpful to the group? v Will the advisor be a silent observer at meetings or an active participant? v Should you interrupt during meetings if you think the group is getting off track?
How? When? v If things get unruly, should you interrupt or remain silent? v Is the advisor expected to give feedback? How? When? v Are there areas of the organization that are "hands off" to the advisor? v Does the national organization (if applicable) require an affiliated advisor? If so,
what is their role?
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Risk Management for Student Organization Advisors
All Baylor University student organizations are required to send representatives to the mandatory risk management program, offered in conjunction with the Student Organization Summit several times each semester. Representatives must include, but are not limited to, the organization president, risk management officer, and organization advisors. The program is open to all students and advisors of student organizations. Advisors serving multiple terms with an organization must attend their first year of service and at least once every three years thereafter in order to familiarize themselves with changes and/or updates deemed appropriate by University officials. The Department of Student Activities will notify advisors when it is the appropriate semester to renew their training. The Student Organization Advisor Summit is also held several times at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. Student organization officers must demonstrate attendances at a minimum of one risk management program for the duration of their term in elected (or equivalent) office. Report to Organization In accordance with Texas state law, student representatives are expected to report to a meeting of the full membership the content of the risk management program. This report must be conducted in a timely manner no less than three weeks following a risk management program. The Department of Student Activities may ask the student representatives and advisor(s) to verify the report was given. Additional resources and past presentations of Risk Management for Student Organizations is available online via the Department of Student Activities website.
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Event Expectations & Policies
What is an organizational event? The Department of Student Activities recognizes events and activities that meet any or all of the following criteria as being student organizational activities:
v Events or activities paid for by student organizational funds; v Events or activities approved by the Department of Student Activities via the Online
Event Registration Form; v Events or activities that use the Baylor University name or trademarks in the event
or activity name, advertising, or marketing; v Events or activities which serve as recruitment activities for the organization
Time Regulations Please encourage students as they plan events to remember that events may not be scheduled during the following times:
v Sunday-‐Thursday past midnight v After 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday v Sundays before 1 p.m. v Official University Holidays v During protected all-‐university events
o Organizations may plan events during appropriate and designated times during Parents Weekend and Homecoming Week with expressed written permission from event organizers.
v After the last day of classes unless otherwise noted by the Department of Student Activities
v Home football game dates o Events are prohibited two hours prior to the start time and until three hours
after the start time unless the event is in conjunction with the football game. Publicity Student Organizations are permitted to publicize their events on campus through a variety of advertising options. Students should designate their plans for publicity on the Online Event Registration form. Additional information on publicity can be found in the Student Organization Policies & Procedures Guide.
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On-‐Campus Events
Speakers An organization must submit the Online Event Registration form to the Department of Student Activities to have the activity approved. Students should include in the notes box that Speaker Approval Request from would also be submitted for approval. The form should be turned into the Department of Student Activities no less than two weeks prior to the event with advisor signature. (Please note events may not be approved until the Speaker Approval Request form and accompanying rider has been approved.) Films Please remember that no film with a greater than PG-‐13 rating or with excessive foul language, nudity, or violence may be shown on campus. Unauthorized public performances refer to any showing of a movie without first obtaining the rights required from the copyright owner. In some instances, it is not required to obtain a movie license when exhibiting copyrighted materials such as DVDs. This typically applies in classroom settings where the teacher is in attendance; the showing is a critical piece of the curriculum. For additional information on license requirements, students are encouraged to visit www.mpaa.org. Food Services Policy By contract, Baylor Dining Services shall provide, or provide and serve, all food items on the Baylor campus. Student groups are not allowed to sell or distribute any food items on the campus unless special written permission has been granted by the Director of Baylor Dining Services. Baylor University, in partnership with Baylor Dining Services, has extended the catering options on campus to include off-‐campus and on-‐campus vendors. Although Baylor Dining Services still remains the preferred provider of all food and beverage for the campus community and is still recommended for any catering function or affair on campus, approved off-‐campus caterers may be used. Please check the Baylor Dining Services website for the most up-‐to-‐date approved catering list. Fundraising & Solicitation Student organizations desiring to solicit, advertise, or sell a product or service on campus in the community, or through the campus mail service must comply with the Campus Facilities Use and Campus Solicitation Policy and obtain approval through the Department of Student Activities. An online event form and a student organization solicitation request
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form (provided in this guide) must be submitted and approved before the activity may be held. Special Events Some student organization on-‐campus events may require additional approval from the Special Events Committee convened through the Office of Risk Management. Organizations facilitating events requiring Special Events Committee approval must submit a Special Event Request Form. Submission of the Special Events Request form must occur no later than 30 days prior to the event.
Off-‐Campus and Overnight Events
Off-‐Campus Venues Prior to approval, an off-‐campus facility is to be identified and a non-‐binding hold placed for the function. Venues where alcohol or other prohibited activities are the main attraction may not be approved. Private residences may not be used for off-‐campus activities/events (including overnight stay). However, the residence of the advisor may be used if the advisor is present throughout the event. This includes members’ local apartments, family homes, and private venues of similar nature. Overnight Activities Two overnight activities (one social, one retreat) per organization will be permitted each semester. One of the trips may include two nights with advisor approval.
• Club Sports may travel (including overnight events) for recognized athletic competitions as often as deemed necessary by the Assistant Director of Campus Recreation.
Travel Policies Baylor University travel policy supersedes organizational travel policy except with the organization’s policy is more restrictive. Additional information regarding travel can be found at www.baylor.edu/risk_management.
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Miles from BU Campus
1-‐49 Miles
50-‐125 Miles 126+ Miles 350+ Miles
Number of Participants and/or Guests
1-‐25 Participants
Personal Vehicles
Personal Vehicles Commercial/Chartered Vans
Commercial/Chartered Vans
26-‐50 Participants
Personal Vehicles
Personal Vehicles Commercial/Chartered Vans
Commercial Air or Chartered Bus
51+ Participants
Personal Vehicles
Commercial and/or Chartered Vans or Bus
Commercial and/or chartered Vans or Bus
Commercial Air or Chartered Vans or Bus
Additional information regarding event registration can be found in the Student Organization Policies & Procedures Guide.
Finances and Funding
Student Government Allocation Fund The Student Government Allocation Fund (SGAF) is a financial resource available to those seeking to create a University-‐wide impact through campus improvement projects, social events, educational causes and charitable endeavors. It is the purpose of the SGAF to be used in a way that promotes the interests of the student body and ensures that the needs of Baylor students are met. Student Senate allocates the SGAF each semester on a merit basis to Baylor-‐affiliated students and organizations who are able to effectively demonstrate that their project, event, educational cause or charitable cause will benefit the Baylor campus.
The fund amounts to about $90,000 a semester. Student Senate has sole appropriating power as to whom this money is to be allocated. To apply for these funds, please visit www.baylor.edu/sg. Additionally, you may contact the Internal Vice President, Dominic Edwards in the Student Government office (located in the Student Union Building) or by emailing [email protected]. Banking Student Organizations may open bank accounts with off-‐campus banks at their discretion. Please note that if a student organization opens an off-‐campus bank account, the bank will ask for the organization’s tax identification number, also called the Employer Identification Number. If the organization has been deemed tax-‐exempt by the IRS or the organization is able to use the number of the parent organization, then the tax-‐exempt number should be used. Registration with and official recognition by Baylor University as a chartered
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organization does not give a student organization the right to use Baylor’s tax identification number. Additional information regarding student organization finances can be found in the Student Organization Policies & Procedures Guide..
Academic Eligibility Organizations may have higher academic standards than those set forth by Baylor. Such student organizational academic eligibility expectations for active membership should be outlined in their approved constitutions.
Membership Status GPA Leadership
Cumulative 2.5 or higher and
Current 2.0 or higher Active
Cumulative 2.25 or higher and
Current 2.0 or higher Inactive
Cumulative 2.24 or lower Current 1.99 or lower
The Department of Student Activities will notify organization presidents and advisors of all names of all individuals within the organization who have been declared inactive members or are on probation based on their academic performance. Students’ grade point averages are not disclosed due to the Family Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Reports are sent at the conclusion of the fall and spring semesters. Inactive students are also notified of their status individually and may appeal their status to the Department of Student Activities. Additional information on academic eligibility can be found in the Student Organization Policies & Procedures Guide..
New Member Education Student organizations that participate in any formal recruitment or new member education process should be purposeful in guiding their new members through meaningful experiences. These organizations should submit a new member education plan no less than 4 weeks prior to accepting new members. A sample plan can be found online. Plans should include:
v Specific goals for the new member education program v Expectations of new members and active members v Review of the organizations mission or purpose statement
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v Team-‐building or icebreaker games to encourage new members to get to know one another and other active members of the organizations
v Scholarship emphasis – academics must be a priority for new members v Review of leadership opportunities on campus v History of the organization v New member retreat (if applicable) v Description of an effective and/or typical meeting v Risk management – new members should be educated on how to reduce risks for
themselves and for the organization v Career services v Academic counseling v Service – if there is a service component to membership expectations, new members
should be made aware of those expectations and provided with opportunities to meet those expectations
v Diversity awareness v Conflict resolution – new members should be educated as to how the organization
copes with conflict and the appropriate behavior that corresponds v Communication v Various activities
Hazing Baylor University abides by the standards set forth in the Texas Education Code that prohibits hazing at an educational institution and has elected to apply these standards to students in attendance at the University. All student organizations have access to this information and are expected to have a clear understanding of all policies, including the following regarding hazing. Additional information can be found in the Student Organization Policies & Procedures Guide.
Constitutions Every student organization is expected to have an up-‐to-‐date constitution and/or by-‐laws on file at the Department of Student Activities and to operate within their constitution and by-‐laws. These documents are required to contain:
v Name of organization (and any national affiliation) v Concise statement of purpose, goals, direction, etc. v Clear definition of membership requirements including minimum GPA of 2.25 (see
Academic Eligibility for more information) v List of officers, their duties, and requirements v Meetings and quorum for conduction business v Process for assessment of dues and other finances
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v Amendments to the constitution v Advisors
Organizations with questions about the content of their constitution or any revisions may contact the Coordinator of Student Organizations and Leader Development to further discuss and review any amendments. To submit a constitution amendment for review, the student organization should submit the following items to the Department of Student Activities in person in hard copy form:
v A revised constitution with signatures from the organization president and advisor v A document highlighting the revisions made from the previous constitution
The Director of Student Activities, Dean for Student Development, and/or the Vice President for Student Life will review the documents and provide a confirmation decision to the organization via e-‐mail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Online Roster Troubleshooting The organization does not show up under “My Organizations.” If your organization does not appear when you login, it is likely because you are not listed as an advisor to the organization. Contact the Coordinator of Student Organizations and Leader Development via e-‐mail to add an advisor. The roster manager graduated but did not assign a new roster manager before leaving. How do I edit this? Contact the Coordinator of Student Organizations and Leader Development. The Coordinator can help you establish a new roster manager as well as assign roles to other officers as appropriate. Some members left the group but they are still on the roster. Can advisors remove them? If you need anyone removed from the roster after the re-‐enroll function has been performed, please contact the Department of Student Activities with the names of the members who need to be removed as well as the reason each person should be removed (graduated, left Baylor, depinned, etc.) I got an e-‐mail asking me to approve the roster, how do I do that? Access the Online Roster System (within the body of the e-‐mail you received, you will see a link that will take you directly to the Online Roster System – in some e-‐mail systems, you may have to copy the link and paste it to your web browser). Once in the system, select the appropriate organization. Click on the tab at the top of the page titled “Advisors”, The list of requests appears in chronological order. Click on the roster updates that appear in green
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text under the heading “Requests”. Review the updates to the roster then choose to accept, deny, or question the updates. Click on the appropriate button. An e-‐mail will be sent to the organization’s roster manager informing him/her of your action. General Questions Am I required to be at every event? While advisors don’t have to attend every on-‐campus event, you are asked to attend every off-‐campus event. We encourage you to work with your organization to set up reasonable boundaries and timelines that are functional for both you and your organization. I cannot go to an off-‐campus event. Can I send someone in my place? Yes! You can identify “substitute” advisors to attend events in your place. Substitute advisors may be current Baylor faculty or staff or current graduate students (may not be a member of the organization). The Department of Student Activities must approve any substitute advisor attending the event. I’m trying to approve an event online, but I’m receiving an error message. How can I resolve this? Typically we have to pass these along to ITS for resolution. We recommend you screen shot the error message if possible and send the image to the Coordinator of Student Organizations & Leader Development. Is it my responsibility to notify members they are academically ineligible? The Department of Student Activities will notify students of their eligibility status each semester. You will receive a grade report each semester from the Department of Student Activities as well. We encourage you to discuss the letter with the organization’s president and be aware of policies regarding participation when students do not meet academic expectations. More information on this can be found on page 6 or in the Student Organization Policy and Procedure Manual. I didn’t receive an e-‐mail asking me to approve roster changes/an event. What do I do? We encourage you to first check your junk e-‐mail folder. Occasionally, emails generated automatically will be filtered by the e-‐mail system. If this is the case, please add our server-‐based e-‐mail to your safe sender list. If you have not received any e-‐mail, please contact the Department of Student Activities for additional support. I cannot remember the last time I attended the Student Organization Advisor Summit. Who should I contact? Contact the Coordinator of Student Organizations & Leader Development. The Department of Student Activities keeps an accurate listing of attendance of both advisors and students.
