NAVIGATING THE BLUE TAPE

Student Org Mandatory TrainingFall 2012

INTRODUCTIONS

Office of the Dean of Students Student Activities

JJ Boggs, Associate Dean of Students for Student Activities and Orientation

Special Interest, Political & Activist Orgs

David Kloepfer, Program and Events Manager

MCAB, A Capella Groups, Visual & Performing Arts Organizations

Derek Doucet, Director of Outdoor Programs and Club Sports

Club Sports, Recreation Organizations

Sophie Esser-Calvi, Food & Farm Educator

Organic Farm, Food Organizations

Jessie Jerry, Office and Budget Manager

Debate Organizations

Barbara Ofosu-Somuah, Programs Intern

Residential Life Doug Adams, Associate Dean of Students for Residential Life and Student Life Policy

Media Organizations, Social Houses, Inter-Commons Council

Karin Hall-Kolts, Residential Systems Coordinator

Superblocks

INTRODUCTIONS

Cluster Managers Ashley Calkins, Community Engagement Coordinator, EIA

Service Cluster Board

Lyn DeGraff, Senior Graphic Designer, Reprographics Publications

Jennifer Herrera, Special Assistant to the Dean of the College/Senior Advisor for Diversity Initiatives, Dean of the College

Cultural Organizations

Laurie Jordan, Chaplain, Ellen McKay, Administrative Program Coordinator, Chaplain’s Office

Religious and Spiritual Life Organizations

Sarah McGowan, Special Assistant to Academic Affairs, Academic Affairs Academic Organizations

TBD, Social Events Coordinator, Dean of the Students Gamut Room, Bunker, Senior Committee, Feb Committee

AGENDA

Registration ProcessFunding FundraisingResources PoliciesOther Helpful Information

REGISTRATION: MIDDLINK

Your primary contact and student org email account have received an email from Student Activities with instructions on how to register in MiddLink You must complete the registration process by October 1st

Include an up-to-date roster for your org List all leaders including the president, treasurer, and

advisor Provide an inventory list of your supplies

Equipment and supply purchases must be inventoried and have storage space secured; the Finance Committee may review your inventory if your organization is audited

If you have not received an email, simply log into MiddLink go/middlink, find your organization, and click the “Register” button

FUNDING: SGA FINANCE COMMITTEE

SGA Finance Committee is responsible for management of the Student Activities Fee

Peter Mattson – SGA Finance Committee Chair sgafc@middlebury.edu

For Finance Committee guidelines, go/sgafc

The committee meets weekly in the Crest Room in McCullough, check go/sgafc or email sgafc@middlebury.edu for the schedule

FUNDING: ALLOCATION

Each recognized student organization is eligible to receive a portion of the annual Student Activities Fee (SAF)

You all have an operating account - this is where your allocation is deposited and where most of your expenses will be charged

Your account has been assigned an index code (SOXXXX) Check your folder for a list of your index code(s) and for a copy

of your organization’s allocation for the year If you do not see your allocation in your folder, then it is very likely that

your org did not submit a budget proposal to the FC last spring

If your org was allocated funding, you will receive half of the funds in September and the other half in January

Delayed registration in MiddLink could affect your allocation.

Unused funds are returned to the SGA reserve at the end of the fiscal year

FUNDING: BUDGETING

Typically, budgeting occurs in the spring or upon approval as a new organization

If your org didn't request a budget in the spring, schedule a meeting now with the Finance Committee at go/sgafc

Proposed budgets should consist of planned events and purchases Be prepared to provide the Finance Committee with details

The SGA Finance Committee allocates an overall budget Allocated funds can be spent at the organization’s discretion

Organizations can change their plans but must always adhere to the Finance Committee guidelines and the mission of their organization

Groups can always request additional money but should spend what they have first and demonstrate a reasonable need

Each student org is granted $200 discretionary funding These discretionary funds are specifically allocated for

advertising, supplies, and general operating expenses Purchases must adhere to the SGAFC guidelines and the mission of the

organization

FUNDING: NEW MONEY

Groups interested in requesting new funds will be required to attend a Finance Committee meeting to discuss the request

To schedule a meeting, visit go/sgafc, click “Book a Meeting,” and follow the instructions

New money requests should be made well in advance; orgs should plan to present a well organized and thorough proposal

If a new allocation is granted, it is understood that it may only be spent on the item or activity for which it was granted – new money is not discretionary

If approved, these funds will be added to your operating account

No handouts, giveaways, prizes, clothing items, etc. If it benefits an individual, it can’t be purchased with SGA funds. If it benefits the

whole group and/or is inventoried, it can be purchased with SGA funds.

No alcohol, tobacco, firearms/ammunition, or animals Commons Councils will not fund student organizations.

Do not go to the Commons Councils to ask for money!

Organizations cannot use Student Activity Fee funds to pay coaches or advisors

Organizations cannot use Student Activity Fee funds to pay student wages (student DJs and bands are exceptions)

Typically, alumni, relatives, or other members of the College community cannot be paid to speak/perform unless it is their sole profession; it is required that clubs notify the Finance Committee in advance if funds will go to relatives of or members of the Middlebury College community

Purchases can be made during the summer in preparation for the upcoming school year but need approval (talk to Student Activities)

Appeals to Finance Committee decisions can be filed through the SGA Appeals Committee

FUNDING: FAQ, RESTRICTIONS & SPECIAL CASES

FUNDING: ACCESSING FUNDS

When in doubt, check with the guidelines; be sure your items can be covered by the Student Activities Fee

The budget is yours; spend it the way the members of your organization think would be most valuable

Treasurers Must approve and track all purchases Must sign all purchase vouchers submitted by members of your

organization

Receipts Must be submitted for ALL purchases (including

reimbursements and charges) or your budget could be frozen Must be submitted within two weeks of the purchase

FUNDING: FINANCIAL LIABILITY

Treasurers take on responsibility and liability for student organization funds

All Treasurers must sign a Treasurer Agreement Treasurers are responsible for knowing the guidelines and are

liable for purchases that do not fall within the guidelines Monitor your budget and share the index selectively

The Finance Committee will audit 10 randomly selected groups every 2 months and all groups at the end of the year

Violations will result in group or individual consequences depending on the infraction

We recommend that you create a shadow budget to track every expense that is made

Keep in mind that somecharges can take months to actually hit your budget -track your purchases

FUNDING: SPENDING MONEY

FUNDING: SPENDING MONEY

There are several ways to spend funds: Out-of-pocket – Submit a receipt for reimbursement Local charges – Many local vendors and departments on campus

will accept your index (but not Hannafords) SA credit card – For phone and online purchases Invoice or bill – To pay with a check or credit card Transfer money between campus accounts – If you receive

co-sponsorship, let Student Activities know Contracts – Any time you need to pay a person for a service, be

sure to contact Student Activities at least 2 weeks in advance

Receipts are critical!!! Make sure you turn them in to Student Activities in a timely manner!

Fill out the SA voucher go/savoucher, attach to the receipt, and get your treasurer’s signature for all purchases

FUNDING: SPENDING MONEY

go/savoucher Complete the online form Print the form Click the “Submit Form”

button on the upper right Write your name, ID & index

on the receipt/invoice Attach receipt or invoice to

the completed voucher Get the treasurer’s

signature Submit to Student Activities It’s important to submit

both a hard copy and digital copy

We need the hard copy for accounting purposes and the digital copy for the database

FUNDING: BUDGET REPORTS

To receive a summary of your budget to date for this fiscal year

go/budget?so Includes all income and expenses A report in pdf format will be sent immediately to your

student org email account Please remember that these reports do not include a

starting balance; this can be confusing when it comes to gift accounts See your folder for your gift account balance We are working on getting the starting balances to show on the

reports – stay tuned! Remember that charges may not appear on your budget

for quite awhile This is why it's good to use a shadow budget to keep track

of your expenses!

FUNDING: LOANS

The SGA Finance Committee will on occasion offer loans to organizations

It is necessary for the Treasurer to co-sign the loan on behalf of the student organization, as well as an additional member of the organization

Contact the SGA Finance Committee for more information Outstanding debt affects an organization’s ability to

receive a loan

FUNDING: MCAB SPEAKERS COMMITTEE

Apply for MCAB Speaker’s Committee funds to bring a speaker to campus You cannot use your student organization budget to host a

speaker on campus MCAB has significant funding available for this purpose

If you’d like to apply for speaker funding, you must attend a Host a Speaker training; training dates and times will be posted shortly

Check out go/mcabspeak for more information

FUNDRAISING: POLICY

Any student group sponsoring a fundraising activity must obtain a permit from Student Activities

Student groups are not allowed to solicit donations or gifts from local merchants, alumni, and parents

Groups must receive permission from Dining Services to sell food on campus; typically only pre-packaged food will be approved

FUNDRAISING: EXCESS EVENT FUNDS

When student organizations charge a set amount (eg: ticketed event, $1/item, etc) the organization can keep any money raised after the costs have been covered

These excess funds may be used at the organization's discretion (within Finance Committee guidelines) or deposited into the organization’s gift account

If the price is suggested, the organization deposits all revenue and does not have to pay back the costs NOTE: price has to really be suggested, no guilt tripping or

denying entry even if the customer doesn’t pay

Allocated funds cannot be used for donations to charitable organizations or the purchase of gifts However, excess event funds can be used for this purpose

Proceeds from initiatives may not be used as direct or indirect contributions to political campaigns

FUNDRAISING: GIFT ACCOUNTS

Student organizations cannot have off-campus accounts Gift accounts are for donations, dues, or excess event

funds from fundraising efforts Some student organizations already have separate

gift/fundraising accounts When you have cash or checks to deposit into a gift

account, stop by Student Activities; we can also accept credit card payments

Each organization uses the funds in their gift accounts differently; please work with your leadership and advisor to determine how best to use this money

The balances in these accounts rollover from year to year (see the Banner report in your folder for current gift account balances)

TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES: PRINTING

PaperCut Your org is eligible to print using your student org username through PaperCut;

printing expenses are deducted from your account monthly, so be sure to monitor printing!

Reprographics Offers a variety of printing services on campus Located in FIC For general photocopying, allow for 3 days For design work, allow for 1 week Return white copy of the order form with your account information to Student

Activities

Publications Work with Lyn DeGraff in Reprographics at the beginning of each semester

(early Oct. & Jan./Feb.) to avoid issues with Reprographics’ schedule All publications must be ready-to-distribute by April 1 at the latest Publications with a distribution date after April 1 will be denied assistance

TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES: MIDDLINK

The benefits: Share group photos and documents (budgets, inventories, constitutions,

etc.) Advertise events on the community bulletin board Assign tasks to specific members of your organization Hold elections Create events and invite people Advertise to all first years – all have a MiddLink account Send messages to the most current members of your group

It is important to check the prospective students tab under “manage roster” because we will be advising students to sign up for your group through MiddLink

A user guide on the Student Activities website shows you how to liven up your page and how to use all of the unique features; check out go/studentactivities

TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES: BLOGS

Student Activities recommends creating a blog for those organizations who want a web presence

go/blogs No permissions needed

The other alternative is to use your MiddLink page Wall, News, Events, Photos!

TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES: EMAIL ACCOUNTS

Every student organization has been assigned an email account (ex. studentorg@middlebury.edu)

It is your responsibility to get the email password from last year’s leadership team or from LIS

LIS will only give the password to those listed in leadership positions in MiddLink

Check this email regularly - Student Activities will communicate with you through this email and through MiddLink; it is also the contact information we give to prospective members and collaborators

To change your password: Log into WebMail Click on Options (in the upper right) and then click on Change

Password

CAMPUS RESOURCES: TRANSPORTATION

College cars, 7-passenger vans, and 15-passenger vans are available for student org use; reserve vans well in advance as they are in short supply

Requests submitted less than 7 days in advance will be denied, no exceptions

The cost is $15.00/day and $.40/mile Check out the online reservation form at go/vans

Be sure to check off the appropriate College affiliation

You must complete a Trip Departure Form when you pick up the keys at the Vehicle Reservation Office

For after hours pick-up and drop-off, please note that the entrance to the Heating Plant is the set of doors closest to the windows of the Biomass facility

CAMPUS RESOURCES: TRANSPORTATION

Student organizations wishing to travel 300 miles or more from campus are required to submit a travel plan to Student Activities (SA) for vetting. While every effort will be made to work with student orgs to devise an acceptable plan, SA reserves the right to deny approval for any such travel should it be deemed necessary to do so for risk management or other reasons.

Plans must be submitted to SA a minimum of 1 month prior to the departure date. Plans submitted less than 1 month prior to the departure date will not be approved.

Groups may drive a maximum of 300 miles, or not more than 6 hours total driving time, per travel day. Hotel or camping receipts, or other documentation of an overnight stop, may be checked upon return to campus.

Groups must have a minimum of 1 College-licensed driver for every 150 miles, or 3 hours of anticipated travel, and switch drivers when these limits are reached.

“Caravanning” (traveling in convoy) is not permitted. When multiple vehicles are involved, departure times should be staggered to avoid such travel.

Drivers may not use cell phones when driving.

CAMPUS RESOURCES: DEFENSIVE DRIVING TRAINING

Required to drive a College vehicle. There is no cost for the class, but a valid state license is required. Class time is about two hours.

Individuals wanting a 15-passenger van license must have 3 years of driving experience and go through a one-hour driving orientation (on the road)

Check out go/trainings for training dates Email Ed Sullivan at sullivan@middlebury.edu if you have any

questionsSeptember Sept 12  9:00am - 11:00am   Sept 24  4:00pm - 6:00pm   

October 9  9:00 - 11:00am - 5:00PM April 9th    9:00am - 11:00am

November 7th    9:00am - 11:00am May 9th     9:00am - 11:00am

December 12th  9:00am - 11:00am June    TBD

January 9th       9:00am - 11:00am July       TBD

February 12th    12:00 pm - 2:00pm August TBD

March 4th  6:00pm - 8:00pm

CAMPUS RESOURCES: YOUR ADVISOR

In a recent survey of Middlebury College advisors: 23% (almost 1 in 4) said they were unclear of their organization’s

expectations of them 17% (about 1 in 6) said they would like to be more active with the

organizations they advise Find the right advisor for your organization, establish clear

expectations (perhaps even a written contract), and establish clear lines of communication

Take the time to appreciate your advisor’s hard work and contributions

You should inform your advisor of what you are doing and invite him/her to events you organize, if appropriate

CAMPUS RESOURCES: CATERING

Options: Off campus caterers Store-bought items Take-out from off campus Grille catering or take-out

Must contact an outside caterer 21 days in advance Some events can be accommodated in Atwater,

McCullough, Proctor, and Ross

go/catering

CAMPUS RESOURCES: E-NEWSLETTER

Sent to families and alums The Alumni Office will assist with sending one e-

newsletter per org, per year to alums and family members

Glenna Emilo at emilo@middlebury.edu is your contact in the Alumni Office

The newsletters must be fully edited and ready to send upon being received by the Alumni Office

This is NOT a resource for you to fundraise or solicit donations; it is intended for you to circulate information about your organization among the wider Middlebury community

CAMPUS RESOURCES: MCCULLOUGH

Photocopies can be made in Student Activities for $.06/page

Art Space Located in the Upper Crest Room Contains supplies to make posters, projects, and to

decorate Available for activities Email student_activities@middlebury.edu to schedule

time to use this space outside of its normal open hours

CAMPUS RESOURCES: FILM SCREENINGS

Recommend starting this process 1 month in advance Contact Sue Driscoll at sdriscol@middlebury.edu to inquire about

availability & cost Check your budget for funds Submit a space request to Tammy Grant at

tgrant@middlebury.edu Email Jessie at jjerry@middlebury.edu with the following

information: Name Email Phone Organization Index Film Title Screening Date Start Date Location Special Instructions

Contact the Help Desk for tech assistance (if needed) Pick up your film at the Circulation Desk in the library the day of

your event; return the film promptly to the same location

CAMPUS RESOURCES: SCHEDULING

Scheduling events may involve communication with both Student Activities and Event Management

Requests should be submitted using the online form found at go/scheduling

Tammy Grant will help you with all scheduling (x3147) go/25live

Tells you about spaces on campus (availability, capacity, and accommodations)

Important note: If you are planning an event that requires any type of support from Facilities or the use of equipment, your request MUST be submitted at least 7 days prior to your event.  Adjustments cannot be made after the 7-day window has closed. 

Crowd Manager Required for activity involving more than 50 attendees or participants Training is done with Ed Sullivan (x5736) go/trainings

POLICIES: HAZING

Hazing is defined as any act committed by a person, whether individually or in concert with others, against a student in connection with pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, participating in, or maintaining membership in any organization or team affiliated with Middlebury College; and which is intended to have the effect of, or should reasonably be expected to have the effect of, humiliating, intimidating or demeaning the student or endangering the mental or physical health of the student. Hazing also includes soliciting, directing, aiding, or otherwise participating actively or passively in the above acts.  The College will use a “reasonable person” standard when evaluating

such conduct and its potential effects Hazing occurring on or off the Middlebury College campus may lead to

disciplinary proceedings against individuals Hazing may also lead to the probation, suspension, or termination of a

student organization Check out go/hazing for more info

POLICIES: COLLEGE TRADEMARK

You need to obtain permission to use the College's name and images for promotional purposes; please contact Student Activities whenever you plan to use a trademark (including Middlebury College, Middlebury, or the panther)

The Assistant Treasurer and Director of Business Services Office (at x5504) is responsible for monitoring the use of these trademarks and protecting the College's registrations; Student Activities will work closely with this office when approving the use of trademarks

POLICIES: NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY

Middlebury College prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, place of birth, ancestry, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, service in the armed forces of the United States, positive HIV-related blood test results, genetic information, or against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability and/or any other status or characteristic as defined and to the extent protected by applicable law.

Membership, tryouts, and participation must be open to all individuals

Events and activities cannot exclude any student

POLICIES: CONSTITUTIONS

Constitutions must be updated every 3 years If your organization’s constitution is due for review, you

will be contacted by the SGA Constitution Committee

Dan Tenner is this year’s Constitution Committee Chair; he can be reached at sgacc@middlebury.edu

An organization’s most recently approved constitution must be uploaded to MiddLink

POLICIES: POSTING FLYERS

Post only in designated areasDo not post on painted and glass surfaces without permission from the person in charge of the space or you could face a fee for removal/repair

Remove your posters after the event/activity

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

Student Activities Open Office HoursTues. & Thurs. 4-6pm

Email student_activities@middlebury.edu or call 443-3103 with any questions

Upcoming trainings: watch your student org email account for more information

The Student Organization Resource Page on the Student Activities website has more detailed information about your student organization's rights, responsibilities, resources, and policies

go/leadermanual