BOOKING ROOMS

All spaces on campus that you use in an official capacity need to be booked in advance, including for meetings. See the Forms & Resources page for the form. If you have questions, email events@westmoreland.edu. The only space that doesn't require this form is the student organization meeting room (SAC 455), which requires permission from Student Life.

FOOD / CATERING

All on-campus catering must go through our on-campus caterer, AVI. Email them at catering@westmoreland.edu and let them know which group is requesting the food, the date and location, and how many people to expect. Your group needs to have the funds to cover these expenses.

FUNDING / SPENDING

All student groups have an account to store funds. Yes, even yours. There is no annual budget so know that if the group wants to spend money, they have to bring in the funds first. Additionally:

• Student Government has a small budget to allocate to student organizations for specific projects that help fulfill a group's expectations. You can request money from this fund at any General Assembly meeting.

• Money raised through fundraising is typically in cash or sometimes in checks. That money must be deposited immediately through the Student Life office. Money cannot be taken directly to the Accounting Office. Electronic means, like CashApp or Venmo or PayPal, are not accepted at this time.

• Gambling, including raffles, has an entirely different process. Reach out to Student Life to get started.

• Purchasing of items should go through Student Life as they can ensure to avoid taxes (our groups are considered tax exempt). Just prepare for enough time for the order to be made.

INVITING PEOPLE TO CAMPUS

Anyone who isn't affiliated with the college who is invited to participate in a group activity must first be approved. That includes family of members, guest speakers, other community organizations, etc. To get the approval process started, reach out to Student Life. The staff there will determine if additional permissions are required (i.e. from the Director of Campus Safety).

TRAVEL / TRANSPORTATION

Approval is required if your group wants to organize a field trip or off-campus activity. The first step is to reach out to Student Life and then you will receive a form that begins the process to get authorization. Give four to six weeks to plan for off-campus trip.

Note that any off-campus activity, in order to be deemed official, requires approval, even if transportation is not provided. Unofficial off-campus activities cannot count towards your group's requirement and should not have the college's or student group's name associated with it.

LEADING EFFECTIVELY

Being a leader of a group can be exciting but also intimidating. Here are some things you should know:

• Make sure you know the basics of everything found on the Officers Academy Checklist.

• Be careful to communicate, that includes using the email addresses on your group roster.

• Know when to step up or step in. Not every decision needs to be approved by a majority vote.

• Know when to step away or back down. If you don't leave room for other members to contribute, they'll stop wanting to contribute.

• Communicate often. Remember that each recognized student organization has a D2L page.

Membership AND RECRUITING

The biggest challenge all our groups face is membership: How to recruit and how to motivate. Even groups that are academically-affiliated or based on inductions can still struggle. Some advice: 

• Always be recruiting. Make connections.

• Provide personal invitations, including offering to take on leadership roles.

• Show new members they are welcome and appreciated immediately after they join.

• Give people the chance to have a say in the group and contribute. If they can't attend meetings, maybe they can do something else from home?

MEETINGS

Meetings are often the first experience a new member has with your group. Here are some ways to make them effective:

• Create a welcoming atmosphere and request feedback or opinions and ideas.

• Try not to scare people away with too much business in a first meeting. 

• Provide a chance to get to know other members.

• Have someone take notes and share them so that people who couldn't attend are up to date.

• If no one is showing up to meetings, stop having them! Find other ways to communicate with members (like the group's D2L page)

SCHEDULING ACTIVITIES OR EVENTS

Some tips to make your events and activities more successful include:

• Find a time that will work for both your membership and potential participants not already in your group. There's no "perfect" time but there are certainly times that are better than others.

• Avoid overlap with other big programs or activities, regardless of who is running them! Even if the programs aren't intentional in competition, people will have to choose which to commit to.

• Schedule with plenty of advance notice. 4 to 6 weeks is a good window from the brainstorming phase to execution.

• Spread the word! Don't have the mentality "if we build it, they will come." Market, use word of mouth, get info on calendars, etc.