a) Objective of IGs

The purpose of SUSS IGs is to create vibrant learning communities that serve to bring like-minded students together and hone a common interest that leads to purposeful learning and impact to the wider community. Under no circumstances should IGs be carrying sensitive agendas such as politics, sexual topics, religion, or be set up for personal gains or to advance one’s personal business.

b) Types of IGs

There are 2 types of IGs that Student Life (STL) manages, namely General IGs and Major-Based IGs. 

i. General IGs 

General IGs are IGs which students of any SUSS discipline may join. There are 3 categories of General IGs, namely “Arts and Community”, “Outdoor and Sports*” and “Professional Competency”. Students may refer to this link for the various types of Interest Groups offered at SUSS. 

ii. Major-Based IGs 

Major-Based IGs are IGs which serve to build a sense of community amongst students of specific SUSS majors. It serves to bring students of the same major together, under the mentorship of a faculty staff mentor. Major-Based IGs provide students with opportunities for networking, industry-based learning journeys, workshops by industry experts and serve as a platform for students to build a sense of belonging by forging lasting friendships with other students of the same major. 

Note: From 2024 onwards, SUSS Student Life will not endorse Interest Groups related to sports. Students who are keen on pursuing sports (both recreational and competitive) may approach the respective Competition Group (CG) teams via email (click here for email list) OR consider setting up a CG (click here for more details) if it has not yet been set up. 

a) Member Size

1. • An IG shall have a group size of at least 20 members. The 20 members may include the leaders of the IG (IG Leaders), which can consist of and not limited to the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, General Secretary and Finance Secretary. The number of IG Leaders shall not exceed 20% of the number of IG active members. 

b) Application

1. • An application to form a new IG must be submitted by the stipulated deadline, for approval by STL. The application form is available on the "New IG Application" here.

c) Types of Support Provided by STL

General IGs

General IGs that are approved will be notified by STL.

1. • Approved General IGs will also receive support and guidance by STL staff for the following:

i. Publicity and outreach (refer to "Publicity Guidelines" here for details); 

Note: This only applies to university-wide events which are open to all students.

ii. Creation of IG Gmail account, Instagram, and joint bank account;

iii. Booking of licensed Zoom accounts for online meetings;

iv. Booking of SUSS facilities for all kinds of IG meetings and IG approved activities/events (subject to availability); and

v. Funding for activities, events and items (subjected to further approval). The total amount of funds provided annually will be based on individual IG performances and evaluated using the SUSS IG Sustainability Evaluation Framework (Tiered Funding Model). 

Major-Based IGs

Major-Based IGs that are approved will be notified by STL.

1. • Approved Major-Based IGs will also receive support and mentorship by STL staff for the following:

i. Publicity and outreach (refer to "Publicity Guidelines" here for details);

Note: This only applies to university-wide events which are open to all students.

ii. Creation of IG Gmail account, Instagram, and joint bank account (only if IG has club funds collected from fund-raising   campaigns, e.g. SUSS Giving Day campaigns);

iii. Booking of licensed Zoom accounts for online meetings;

iv. Booking of SUSS facilities for university-wide IG events that are open to all students (subject to availability); 

Note: All expenses of Major-Based IG events and activities (e.g. food catering, venue bookings, logistics) will be budgeted, funded and approved by the schools accordingly. 

d) Guidance & Support by STL & Faculty Staff Mentors

General IGs

1. • A staff mentor from Student Life (STL) will be assigned to all General IGs that are endorsed officially by the Office. The staff mentor will guide EXCOs along in their leadership journey on leading the IG, and how to plan and allocate resources effectively. 

   • The STL staff mentor will also be the point of contact for all IG admin queries that the EXCOs/Members have. The STL staff mentor will also be responsible for reviewing and approving the submitted IG constitution, event and activity proposals and risk assessment documents. 

Major-Based IGs

1. • A staff mentor from Student Life will be assigned to all Major-Based IGs that are endorsed officially by the Office. The staff mentor will guide EXCOs along in their leadership journey on leading the IG, and how to plan and allocate resources effectively. The STL staff mentor will also be the point of contact for all IG admin queries that the EXCOs/Members have. 

   • For Major-Based IGs, an additional faculty staff mentor from the respective School will be assigned. The faculty staff mentor will provide the Major-Based IGs with ideas to run events and activities relating to their programme majors, share industry contacts to facilitate student-organised industry-based learning journeys, arrange talks and workshops conducted by industry experts and provide guidance on academic matters as an advisor. 

   • The STL staff mentor can assist in the reviewing of the submitted IG constitution, event and activity proposals and risk assessment documents. However, the final approval of the above-mentioned items shall come from the faculty staff mentor. 

a) University Reputation

Each IG is a representation of the University. All students involved in IGs shall act in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the SUSS Student Handbook. Any conduct by students involved in IGs that may tarnish the university’s reputation can lead to the termination of the respective IG. 

b) PDPA Undertaking

From 2024 onwards, all EXCOs of each IG shall sign and submit the PDPA undertaking form within 2 weeks of receiving it. The form serves to ensure that all EXCOs comply with the principles, rules, regulations, procedures, and policies of the University relating to confidentiality and the provisions of the PDPA. The PDPA undertaking exercise will be conducted on an annual basis. 

c) Acknowledgement of Risk, Consent and Release, Insurance and Waiver of Liability 

All IGs shall ensure that the “Acknowledgement of Risks, Consent and Release, Insurance and Waiver of Liability” clause is included in each of their event and activity registration form for the event or activity to be considered officially endorsed by the University. Participants shall agree to the mentioned clause before they are allowed to attend the event or activity that they have registered for. 

d) Financial Accountability

All members of the IG own the responsibility for financial transparency and accountability of the IG. Should membership fees be collected, the purpose of the collection must be clearly justified and agreed upon by all the IG members. 

For claims that are made under the funding support given by SUSS, the claim must be supported with appropriate receipt(s) and acknowledged by the member who has made the payment within 3 months from the earliest receipt date. Small purchases may be accumulated to $200 for a consolidated claim. 

e) Sustainability

IG Leaders shall be responsible for organising activities or meetings at least twice a month to engage members. If budget permits, IGs may book SUSS or external facilities, equipment and training spaces that are necessary to facilitate the activities and meetings. 

The IG Chairperson(s) is required to map out a 3-year activity plan in the proposal to show sustainability and intention of creating an IG with viable outcomes. 

The endorsement of an IG will be in effect for one year. A biannual review of the IG will be conducted by STL with the submission of the IG progress report. An official handover to the new IG EXCO is required if changes in leadership are expected. Terms and conditions of IGs will be reviewed on an annual basis. Should the IG not be able to sustain its active membership and events, STL will (1) remove all funding and support for the IG, or (2) close the IG. 

To ensure leadership continuity and sustainability of the IG, the EXCO should plan for an Election with its active members based on the stated term in the Constitution. The number of EXCO members shall not exceed 20% of the number of IG active members. Each EXCO member is required to serve a minimum of 1-year term. Alumni are not eligible to run for EXCO positions. Final year students are eligible to run for EXCO positions under the following conditions: 

i. If the final year student is graduating during the term, he/she must commit to the EXCO position for the entire period of the term. 

ii. He/she should not run for the Chairperson position.

iii. The number of final year students in the EXCO should be capped at 20% of the number of EXCO members. 

Note: All event proposals are to be submitted to STL staff mentors (General IGs) and Faculty staff mentors (Major-based IGs) for clearance at least 2 months before the event date. This timeframe allows for registration, publicity, and ample time for staff mentors to review and approve the proposals. Please note that staff mentors retain the right to decline clearance for proposals that do not adhere to this timeline. 

f) IG Exco Term

From January 2024 onwards, the terms of all existing IG EXCOs shall be from the start of January to end of December of the academic year for a typical 1-year service term. 

For new IGs that start during mid-year (i.e. Jul/Aug of the year) the new EXCOs shall serve a 1.5 years’ service term. This is to ensure that for future EXCO changeovers, the new EXCOs will serve from the start of January to end of December of the academic year for a typical 1-year term. 

All EXCOs who have completed at least a 1-year service term and are deemed to have contributed meaningfully to the IG will be issued an SSC e-certificate to acknowledge their contributions. The issuance of the e-certificate will be in January of the following year. 

g) Constitution & Safety

General IGs

Upon confirmation of the IG, a Constitution of the IG and RAMS evaluation form should be submitted to the STL staff mentor for approval prior to commencement of IG activities. 

The constitution shall cover key processes and structures to run the IG well (e.g. conduct and attendance of members, membership fees) and the RAMs evaluation will cover risk assessments of all the activities planned by the IG. 

Extra-ordinary activities will require a separate RAMS document to be submitted at least 2 months before the activities commence. Each year, at least two IG representatives will be required to attend the Advance RAMS workshop. 

Major-Based IGs

Similar to the above, however, the approving party for both the Constitution and RAMS will be the faculty staff mentor. STL staff mentor can assist in the reviewing of the documents, but the final approval will come from the Faculty staff mentor. 

h) Report Submission

Every year, STL mandates that all IGs submit both a mid-year and end-year report, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of the progress and performance of each IG. IGs failing to meet performance standards for the year might receive a warning from STL, which could lead to a review of the allocated funding or, in severe cases, result in the mandate to disband the group. 

The mid-year and end-year report submission each year shall include the following documents: 

1) Progress Report Excel Tabulation Template (PRETT, Excel Sheet) 

2) IG Progress Report (Word Doc) 

3) Latest Bank Statement (if applicable) 

Note: All IGs should also run through their inventory list with their respective staff mentors and also handover the list to the next batch of EXCOs, where applicable. 

i) IG Leaders’ Mandatory Trainings & Workshops 

STL organises relevant training sessions and workshops to upskill all student leaders in handling IG administrative processes and having the awareness to manage emergency situations. 

All IGs shall send at least 2 representatives from the incoming batch of EXCOs to attend the training sessions and workshops per year. The Office reserves the right to review the funding provided to IGs if they fail to meet the “2 representatives” requirement for these training sessions and workshops. 

The above-mentioned training sessions and workshops are listed below. However, they are just not limited to the below, i.e. there may also be other new training sessions and workshops implemented over the years. 

1) Student Leaders’ Baseline Training Workshop 

2) Standard First Aid Workshop 

3) Advance Risk Assessment Method Statement Workshop 

4) Counter-Radicalisation Workshop