Student Group Leader Transition Meeting

Student Group LeaderTransition Meeting January 26, 2010

Agenda • Introduction/What can groups do? • Student Senate/AWOME coordinators • COFO rules and training • Student Senate constitution • Resources • Wrap-up

Introduction • Roles • Friends of Feinberg • Privileges of a Senate-recognized Organization • The ability to reserve rooms on campus • Listing in the student organization directory online • Automatic participation in the activities fair • The ability to request tax exempt forms for events • The ability to request special parking passes and mugs for speakers • Privileges of a Senate-funded Organization • All privileges as listed above for a Senate-recognized Organization • Funding from the Student Senate

Student Senate Income Statement

Budget Requests • Student org budget requests far exceed available funds • Initial budget requests >$120,000 • Available funds ~$20,000 • Please keep this in mind when developing budgets – be reasonable

Managing Your Group Student Senate AWOME COFO You

Coordinators for Student Group Activities • Coordinator for Student Activities, Student Programs & Professional Development: Jennifer Langland (j-langland@northwestern.edu) • Office is in the AWOME (across from Galter Library) • Senate Treasurer: Shuo Song (shuojing-song@md.northwestern.edu) • Senate Student Organizations Chair: Terrance Lee (TL@md.northwestern.edu) • Any of these coordinators are available by email for questions/concerns/suggestions

COFO (Chicago Organizations Financial Office) • All student organization accounts are with COFO • Use COFO for all reimbursements and deposits • Open Monday, Tuesday, Friday 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM • Abbott Hall, 7th floor, 705 • Your primary contact is Tikky Hes • j-hes@northwestern.edu • Phone: (312) 503-1365 • Fax: (847) 491-7353

Financial Responsibilities • Update your contact details & group paperwork with COFO • Get COFO trained • Turn in receipts/utilize tax exempt status • Maintain an account ledger • Submit spring funding requests by February 5th • Submit 2010-11 academic year budget request by June 30th • Transition leadership to M1s by January 2011

Getting COFO Trained • Two leaders (President and Treasurer) of each group must be COFO-trained • COFO will NOT allow new officers to be trained without emails from former officers notifying COFO of the transition • Three-step process: • Review the “COFO Treasurer Manual” online – goes through the entire process and how it all works: www.northwestern.edu/studentaffairs/cofo/ • Take the online “Officer Quiz” and turn in the paper document to the COFO office. • Each president and treasurer must fill out a signature card with COFO. You must go to the COFO office to sign the card.

Receipts / Tax-Exempt Status • Tax-exempt forms are available to all groups and should be utilized whenever possible – they can be obtained from COFO or Jennifer Langland • Sales tax will NOT be reimbursed! • Original itemized receipts for all expenses must be submitted along with a voucher for each transaction • Receipts older than 90 days are not accepted • Tobacco and Alcohol purchases will not be reimbursed • Questions? Email Shuo Song • (shuojing-song@northwestern.edu) or Tikky Hes • (j-hes@northwestern.edu)

Maintaining an Account Ledger • Every Treasurer needs to maintain an up-to-date ledger • Facilitates additional funding requests • Allows smooth transitions from year to year Example

Initial Budget & Funding Request • Your academic year budget request is due June 30th– the goal is to have funding finalized and disbursed to you before school begins mid-August • Budget request forms will be posted online • The link to these forms and instructions for completing them will be sent out in an email later this year

What is Funded?

Applying for Additional Funding • Additional funding requests are typically reserved for new groups, although any group can apply • Requests are due by February 5th. • The budget request follows the same process as in the Fall, except: • Only ADDITIONAL events will be funded… • … and ONLY if you’ve already done everything you said you were going to do in your Fall request. • Far less money is available for Spring disbursement – only around $1,500

Senate Constitution • Eligibility (Section D): • In order to be Senate-recognized, an organization must meet the following characteristics, to be outlined in the constitution and evaluated by a majority vote by the Student Senate: • Demonstration of a goal or activity that directly interests and/or benefits the student body and is distinct from that shown by other organizations • Be related to one point on the FSM Competency Compass • Participation in the organization’s activities is open to any member of the student body • The group must not condone segregation based on race, class, color, age, background, and level of education; must not promote violence; and through its activities cannot directly cause any physical or emotional pain.

Senate Constitution • Responsibilities to the Senate (Section E): • To retain its Senate recognition, an organization must continue to meet criteria (1-7) outlined in below. To retain its Senate funding an organization must continue to meet criteria (1-9) outlined below. • Mandatory attendance at January Orientation/Finance Meeting • Officers transitioned and reported • Participation in the Orientation Activities Fair • 2 events publicized and organized in fall term • 2 events publicized and organized in spring term • Maintenance of the organization’s online calendar by submitting a calendar entry before every event. • If the student group announces the event on med-all without putting it on the calendar, the student group leaders will receive a warning email. • After the warning, if the event is not up within 24 hours, the group will be in violation of this criterion. • A group can accrue a maximum of 3 warnings, after which it may be subject to loss of recognition. • 7. Completes misc. requests from the Student Organizations Chair and Treasurer • 8. COFO completed and/or updated • 9. Annual budget submitted on time at the end of the spring term

Senate Constitution • Loss of Senate Funding (Section F): • Failure to attend the annual Orientation/Finance Meeting will result in the freezing of that organization’s Chicago Organization Finance Office (COFO) account until the organization appears at a Senate meeting. At that time, the organization’s account shall be unfrozen. • Failure to meet all 9 of the responsibilities for a funded organization will result in freezing of that organization’s COFO account until the organization appears at a Senate meeting and accounts for the missing requirements. • Loss of Senate Recognition (Section G): • Failure to meet eligibility requirements as outlined in Section D at any time will result in a vote to remove the student organization’s recognition. • Failure to meet all 9 of the responsibilities for a funded organization as outlined in Section E for two or more consecutive years will result in a vote to remove the student organization’s funding and recognition. • Failure to meet all 7 of the responsibilities for a non-funded organization as outlined in Section E for two or more consecutive years will result in a vote to remove the student organization’s funding and recognition.

Your Responsibilities • From the Senate Constitution: • Mandatory attendance at January Orientation/Finance Meeting • Officers transitioned and reported • Participation in the Orientation Activities Fair • 2 events publicized and organized in fall term • 2 events publicized and organized in spring term • Maintenance of the organization’s online calendar by submitting a calendar entry before every event. • Completes misc. requests from the Student Organizations Chair and Treasurer • COFO completed and/or updated • Annual budget submitted on time at the end of the spring term NOW LATER LATER LATER NOW/LATER NOW LATER

Your Responsibilities: Current Transition • Transition responsibilities: • Your group’s positions, names, and contact information • Faculty advisor and contact information • Constitution (following groups already have them on file): • AMSA • APMIG • DIG (dermatology) • ENT • Health Disparities Taskforce • HepB Alliance • Nanotech • NuSIGN • Optho Interest Group • RSIG • Q&A

Your Responsibilities: Resources www.infoplex.northwestern.edu • Google Calendar • Every event must be posted here • Avoid days that are event-heavy • Students are able to import the calendar, simplifying scheduling and increasing attendance • Student Organization Resources • Links to reserve rooms, request mugs, request tax exempt form • Officer and group directory

Your Responsibilities: Reserving Rooms • A word on reserving rooms: • http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/AWOME/Current_Students/Student_Organizations/roomreq.html • If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Wittig via e-mail at wittig@northwestern.edu • Keys: For rooms and AV access must be signed out during business hours from the Dean's Office, Rubloff 12 Floor. Students are required to pre-arrange a time to pick up keys by emailing Shirley Scurlock; s-scurlock@northwestern.edu • Clean up after yourselves or you will get fined!

Your Responsibilities: Transitioning Next Year • You must transition to new leaders during Winter Break/early January – the mandatory meeting for new group leaders is generally held at the end of January • This deadline ensures that groups remain active during Winter session (as M2s begin to focus on Step 1), as well as simplifying the transition • New leaders are elected according to the guidelines in your group’s constitution

Any questions?

Student Group Leader Transition Meeting