Student Organizations

Requirements, Privileges, and Helpful Information

What it means to be "In Good Standing"

Requirements: To be in good standing as a Registered Student Organization (RSO) with the Student Involvement Office (SIO), each organization must:

  • Have an organization profile on OrgSync and update it by the 3rd week of each semester
  • Maintain an updated constitution and members list, with designated officers, on OrgSync; Club sports must include a roster of players, including coaches; SLUs must include updated Moderator information
  • Have an advisor from OWU faculty or staff
  • Send two members from your organization to attend the OWU leadership seminars. (fall: GO! OWU and spring: The Summit)
  • Send the Treasurer to attend the mandatory trainings as determined, one which is held during GO! OWU
  • Abide by the rules and regulation of OWU; Any conduct violations may lead to a forfeit of privileges, see below

Privileges

The privileges of recognition by the SIO and of being In Good Standing are the ability to:

  • Reserve rooms on campus
  • Request WCSA funds
  • Place orders through Print Services
  • Register Events
  • Access Housekeeping and Facilities work orders
  • Reserve vehicles for transportation
  • Reserve lodging arrangements
  • Use resources and services through the Student Involvement Office (in this Guide)

Advisor Information 

It is up to the organization and the advisor to set the parameters of involvement. Some organizations have a pool of advisors to assist them with different aspects of the organization (financial, scholarship, programming). Some advisors have a high level of involvement with every aspect of the organization, others have a very limited role.

 

Advisor functions 

Maintenance:
  • Providing continuity with the history and tradition of past years
  • Heading off situations that might cause poor public relations
  • Providing advice when called upon
  • Clarifying university policies
  • Arbitrating any intra-group disputes

Group Growth:

  • Teaching the techniques and responsibilities of being a good leader
  • Coaching the officers in the principles of good organizational practice
  • Teaching the elements of effective group operation
  • Developing procedures and plans for actions
  • Keeping the group focused on its goals
  • Stimulating or even initiating activities and programs

Program Content:

  • Introducing new program ideas
  • Providing opportunities for the practice of classroom-acquired skills
  • Helping the group to apply principles and concepts learned in the classroom
  • Pointing out new perspectives and directions to the group
  • Supplying expert knowledge and insights of experience

Responsibilities of Student Organization to the Advisor

Responsibilities of Student Organizations to their advisor include, but are not limited to…

  • Establishing and sharing a job description for the advisor that clearly defines his/her responsibilities and lines of communication anticipated
  • Notifying the advisor of all meetings, activities, and Establish an organization meeting attendance schedule, which is mutually agreed upon by the advisor and the student organization
  • Providing copies of meeting minutes in a timely manner
  • Meeting regularly with the advisor to discuss organization matters
  • Consulting the advisor prior to making significant changes to the structure of the Organization
  • Consulting the advisor when any significant organization policy changes are made
  • Showing respect and value for the advisor
  • Considering all advice and guidance provided with an open mind and a sincere interest for improvement of daily operational and special event/activity needs

Responsibilities of the Advisor to the Student Organization

The responsibilities of Student Organizations to their advisor include, but are not limited to…

  • Communicating clearly which meetings, activities, and programs you will be
  • Consistently checking in with student leaders to ask how to be
  • Staying connected and updated on the budget of the student
  • Responding to concerns from any member of the Student Involvement
  • Respecting and keeping an open mind while providing feedback to students
  • Serving as an advocate or students in the organization as they are
  • Providing resources for event planning including creating awareness of university, state, and federal laws to consider when event
  • Reporting any students of concern (mental, physical health) to the appropriate departments.

WCSA Funding 

  • The WCSA Budget Committee allocates money to Student Clubs and Organizations who are In Good Standing with the SIO
  • At the end of each semester, groups may submit a budget proposal for the upcoming semester through the spring and fall funding process
  • The Budget Committee holds weekly meetings for groups with supplemental funding needs
  • Each Club or Organization is REQUIRED to attend the Budget Management System training prior to submitting for semester funding

Budgetary Guidelines

Questions can be e-mailed to wcsabc@owu.edu

How To Request Supplemental Funding:

  1. Create a new budget request in the Budget Management System in OrgSync for the correct budget period. This must be at least four days prior to the weekly Budget Committee meeting and three weeks before the event.
  2. The Budget Committee will review your request.
  3. You will be invited to attend the weekly Budget Committee meeting to answer possible questions regarding your budget request submission.
  4. The Budget Committee will present their recommendations before the full body of WCSA and WCSA full body will vote your request based on the recommendations.
  5. If passed, funds will be allocated based on a majority vote of the full body.

Guidelines for Budget Requests:

  1. Student Clubs/Organizations must be In Good Standing with the Student Involvement Office in order to receive funding from WCSA.
  2. WCSA shall allocate student Clubs/Organizations semesterly budget for each academic Additional requests are heard on a weekly basis.
  3. All Spring and Fall Funding requests must be submitted using the required Spring or Fall Funding Request Form established by WCSA. It must be submitted by the deadline established by the Budget Committee.
  4. WCSA is not obligated to provide any funds The following factors are taken into consideration for each request: balance in funds, scale of impact to the campus community, cost effectiveness, need and availability of event.
  5. If an organization fails to send a representative to the request meeting hearing, WCSA has the right to recommend $0 for the funding request.
  6. Officers of a student organization are personally responsible for use of WCSA WCSA is not liable for any debt or obligation incurred by a student organization and reserves the right to pursue appropriate action against individuals who misappropriate WCSA funds.
  7. The Budget Committee may remove funds from any student organization account that has posted no transactions for a period exceeding 3 months, unless such Clubs/Organizations whose proposed events are set to occur later in the academic year.
  8. At the end of the academic year, all funds remaining in student Clubs/Organizations accounts shall be removed and placed back in the WCSA general allocation account.
  9. WCSA maintains very strict and precise guidelines governing the allocation of funds to events political in The Budget Committee and WCSA shall make judgments regarding events (1,2,3)
    1. WCSA may fund on-campus events of a political nature if such events are primarily educational in purpose, beneficial to the student body, non-injurious to the University community, and judged to possess merit and value. WCSA will not fund on-campus events of a political nature if such events are solely partisan in nature and bereft of educational value.
    2. WCSA will not fund student transportation to or participation in off-campus events of which the central purpose is: Partisan advocacy; Fundraising for a political party or candidate(s) for political office; Any activity in which participation manifests itself primarily through action of any type reasonably expected to influence government officials or hinder the enforcement of any law or regulation of the United States, respective states or their political subdivisions, or any foreign state in which the event may take place.
    3. WCSA may fund student transportation to and participation in political events in which: Participation is primarily through the consumption of information presented by a third party; The main focus, is in either an observational or philosophical context, is primarily educational, service, religious, cultural, career oriented, or of immediate and verifiable benefit to the community.
  10. No WCSA funds will be allocated for the purchase of food items unless it is essential to the function of the event or organization.
  11. No more than three off-campus conferences or competitions will be funded by WCSA per organization per year, with some exceptions.
  12. WCSA will fund up to 50% of conference or competition registration fees, with the exception of club sports.
  13. WCSA will not allocate funds to any organization that maintains an off-campus bank account. WCSA will allocate funds only by transfer to a University student organization account through the Student Involvement Office.
  14. WCSA may allocate funds to student Clubs/Organizations for uniforms if they are an integral part of the activities of the organization, but such an allocation can be made only once every four years and uniforms must be stored in the club sport storage cage located in HWCC at the end of each season.
  15. WCSA will only allocate funds for events in advance, and will not reimburse any organization for any expense that was not approved beforehand by WCSA through the provisions their Guidelines.
  16. WCSA will not allocate funds to honorary societies, academic departments or their subsidiaries, or university athletic programs with the exception of club sports.

Reimbursements and Check Requests

  • Reimbursements and check requests must be completed through the FORMS section in OrgSync. You must be logged into your organization's portal in order to submit. Please make sure that the forms are completed with full descriptions in order to not delay processing. Also, you must provide original documentation to the SIO as per accounting requirements once your form has been submitted.
  • Reimbursements under $75.00 are processed in cash. All cash processing takes about 10 days and will be sent directly to your personal OWU mailbox. Any amount above $75.00 requires the SIO to submit a check request, which will take about 2 weeks for processing and will be sent directly to your personal OWU mailbox.

 Student Involvement Office Credit Cards

  • The Student Involvement Office offers you the opportunity, if you are in good standing, to purchase items or supplies using the office credit card. If you would like to use the credit card, please contact the SIO office manager to set up an appointment. When purchasing from the web, make sure you have the website and information ready to go before arriving for your appointment.
  • The Student Involvement Office also has available additional credit cards for those clubs that will be travelling. These cards are specifically for gasoline, tolls or parking charges only. These cards have a limit and have specific restrictions attached to them. Please stop by the Student Involvement Office for more information regarding the usage of these credit cards.

Event Planning

10 Steps to a Successful Program