Student Organization Activity Fund

Student Organization Activity Fund is sponsored by University of Southern Indiana. Registered student organizations at the University of Southern Indiana may be eligible for funding for promotion, programming, and general operating costs. Funds are available to be spent annually from August 1 to May 15.

Organization Requirements - University of Southern Indiana Question/Comment is required USI Student Organization Requirements Student organizations are groups in which the membership is (1) composed of current University students, faculty and staff; (2) entirely responsible for the conduct of various sponsored activities as well as the daily affairs of the group.

The inclusion of faculty and staff is defined in the role of an advisor, not a voting member. The University registers three types of student organizations. Registered independent student organizations successfully complete the registration requirement, engages in sustained activities and/or programs and use facilities on a regular basis and receives no annual financial assistance.

Recognized University student organizations successfully complete the registration requirements and receive annual financial support from University sources. A “temporary” independent student organization is one that will exist for a specified period of time or has a purpose that has a definite timeline and has completed the appropriate registration requirements.

Example of temporary student organizations include political campaigns groups for specific candidates. Additional regulations for the establishment and operation of fraternity and sorority groups are available in the USI Policies for Fraternity and Sorority Life.

“Registered” and “Recognized” student organizations are eligible for the following benefits: Use University facilities Be listed in University publications and newsletters Apply for and expend University funds as distributed through the Student Government Association or University departments Apply for storage space in the University Center Establish and utilize an accounting fund through the University Use technology resources (i.e. Engage USI Portal) Apply for University recognition for organizational achievement Student organizations should maintain a minimum of 5 currently enrolled USI students as members.

Exceptions to this may be granted by the Student Life Office. Only enrolled USI students are permitted to be members of student organizations. Faculty and staff who are enrolled in classes are not considered students in this case.

Student organizations are able to establish their own criteria for membership. However, student organizations should not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its membership criteria.

It is the responsibility of the organization to maintain an accurate roster. Club Sports are required to submit rosters to the Recreation, Fitness and Wellness Center. Fraternity and Sorority Life are required to submit rosters to the Student Life Office.

All other organizations must update rosters via Engage USI. Rosters are used, among other things, to calculate insurance costs for student organizations so your rosters must accurately contain your current members, officers, and advisors.

Each student organization is required to designate on their roster at least one currently enrolled student as President (or some lead executive officer) and at least one, different student as Treasurer (or some lead finance officer). These two officers represent their organization and will often serve as points of contact for university officials.

Advisor(s) must be full-time employee(s) of USI and not seeking a degree while holding the role of advisor. Advisors must complete an Annual Advisor Agreement and Campus Security Authority training. In case of severe hardship, the Student Life Office is authorized to waive this requirement for a reasonable period of time.

Advisor Vacancy: Organizations will have 60 days to fill vacant advisor positions. If the advisor position is not filled within 60 days, the organization will lose their status as a registered organization until an advisor is identified. Activities of the organization may be limited during the time the organization is without an advisor.

Organizations may choose to have an off campus entity serve as an a advisor in addition to the required on campus advisor. The majority of student organizations at USI have an on campus fund. To have a fund, the organization must have a financial manager.

A financial manager is a full time employee of the University who has been assigned responsibility for one or more fund/org combinations by the Vice President of Business Affairs. Most student organization advisors also serve as the financial manager for the on campus fund. Financial manager responsibilities include the following activities.

Reviewing financial activity for accuracy and conformance with budget constraints Ensuring that financial transactions comply with University guidelines and any external restrictions including grant limitations and federal, state, or local regulations Approving charges to assigned fund/orgs Granting permission to others to view activity in assigned fund/orgs Alternate financial managers have the same responsibility and authority as primary financial managers.

Constitution, Bylaws, and Governing Documents Student organizations are required to maintain and follow one or more sorts of governing documents (e.g. constitution, bylaws, standing rules, etc.). These documents set up structure for your organization that will help provide continuity throughout the years.

These documents must: Establish your organization’s name Establish your organization’s purpose, mission, or objective Establish membership and organizational structure Not permit discriminating in membership as specified above Receive an approval from the Student Life Office before becoming official and binding A bylaws template is available on the Student Life Office webpage for organizations who need a place to start.

Engage USI will be referenced consistently throughout your work with student organizations. Engage USI is the online platform that the University of Southern Indiana uses to organize and streamline community engagement. It is also a tool student organizations can use to recruit new members, maintain administrative functions, and collect useful data.

Our office use an off-campus entity called Engage to provide the online platform. When you get emails notifying you or asking you to approve something, the emails will come from Engage USI. The Engage USI platform can also be accessed here: https://engage.

usi. edu . Governing Bodies and Additional Groups Residence hall, fraternity and sorority governing bodies are considered “registered” student organizations and are expected to complete the registration process before facilities other than their own specific living unit can be used.

Additional regulations for the establishment and operation of fraternity and sorority groups are available in Policies for FSL. To be a recognized fraternity or sorority at USI, the organization must be affiliated with a national Greek organization and have received approval for inclusion in the fraternal system from one of the Greek governing boards or Student Life Office.

(Federal law through Title IX permits fraternities and sororities to remain single gender organizations provided there is equal opportunity to join similar organizations.) Each student organization must meet specific requirements to become and remain registered. No organization is considered registered until the Student Life Office approves the registration and notifies the organization of the decision.

Anti-Discrimination Statement Membership in student organizations shall be open to students of USI without regard to any federally protected class. This will require all organizations to re-upload their constitution in the renewal process.

Student organizations will not engage in or encourage others to participate in activities that constitute hazing, abiding by applicable law, the Code of Student Conduct, and the University of Southern Indiana's hazing policy. Student Rights and Responsibilities USI Hazing Policy University Center East 1244