Important Club Policy Changes for Fall 2022
SIPASA is so excited to support club programming this academic year. As your student government, we want to help YOU create successful, accessible events that demonstrate leadership, boost your resume, and maximize your time at SIPA. In return, your organization's efforts enrich the student experience, highlight SIPA to potential employers, and bring the community together.
Please read this email in its entirety as we have changed multiple policies over the summer.
All student officers are required to attend the Student Leader Refresher Q&A on Zoom on September 21st between 1-2pm to go over policies and prevent confusion when planning and hosting club programs. REGISTER HERE for this required training.
How to join a student organization as a member
Use CampusGroups to join student groups you are interested in by clicking on the Groups tab and clicking “join”. This allows you to recieve club and department emails containing important membership information, job offers, and event details. You can also see a list of WhatsApp groups for specific interests on this spreadsheet.
How to become a student officer
Officer terms run from Spring to Spring, which means clubs are recruiting for new officers at the end of this semester. Some clubs host elections, while others use an application process. To become a student officer, ask the current club officers how their process works and read their constitution. All student orgs must re-register their incoming board of officers with OSA by the Monday after Thanksgiving of each Fall term. Read the Student Org Handbook for more information.
How to start a new club
We strongly recommend that students become an officer of an existing club first; many of our 70 student organizations will be eagerly looking for new officers during SIPAFest! If you are sure you want to start a new club, instructions to start a new organization are here. The deadline to submit a new club proposal is September 14th.
SIPAFest: Important Club Rush Information and Deadlines
Your first step as a student group for Fall 2022 is to host a table at SIPAFest, our club rush. SIPAFest this year is September 29th; you must register your student group here by September 26th to receive a table.
Receiving funding for Fall 2022
Please read the entire Student Organization Handbook, attached here, and complete your group re-registration if needed before submitting a Budget Request here. Budget requests will be considered on a rolling basis until September 30th.
How much money can SIPASA give to each organization?
SIPASA is generally able to offer $300-$2000 to each registered student organization. This amount is determined on the number of student organizations requesting aid, SIPASA's existing budget, the club's member numbers, and the feasibility of each proposed event. Funding over $2000 will be approved only after all clubs have a chance to submit their budget request. OSA also offers a few $100-$250 organization grants per semester at this application for events relating to (1) Health and Well-being; (2) Networking and Community Building; and (3) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Climate, and Engagement until funding runs out. Clubs are expected to cooperate with other clubs and do their own fundraising by reaching out to departments, concentrations, and specializations for additional funds. Please email these departments to begin a collaboration.
How long does planning for an event take? When should we start?
Events at Columbia University require quite a bit of coordination, more than you might have experienced at other organizations. For this reason, SIPASA recommends you begin planning and requesting permissions for your event at least 4-6 weeks in advance. This will ensure that your location, food/drinks contracts, funding disbursement, and administrative permissions go through with enough time to advertise your event.
Once your semester budget has been approved, you should immediately begin submitting CampusGroups Event Requests for each of your events.
Even if your event has a pending date or location or other details which may change later, your first step is always to submit an event request on CampusGroups for approval. Then, OSA will help you with your next steps, including space reservations and food/vendor requests.
What are the steps to hosting an event?
-
Before the September 30th deadline, submit a budget request and have it approved by SIPASA to begin planning any events. Read the entire Student Org Handbook to expedite approval of your budget request and familiarize yourself with the new policies.
-
Submit each of your events for the entire semester on CampusGroups for OSA approval. All events must be posted on CampusGroups and be approved before you are allowed to reserve a location or advertise.
-
Once you have submitted your event, OSA will reach out to ask for more information and help you reserve your event location. If this is an event on campus, you have four options: rent a classroom in IAB, use the Publique Cafe, apply for the 15th floor, or use the outdoor tents or Columbia campus area. If your event is off-campus, you will need to use an approved vendor or pay out of pocket in advance and receive a reimbursement.
-
After your event has been approved, reach out to the Business Office to process any event expenses. SIPA works on a voucher system based on a list of approved vendors, which you can view here. Using approved vendor vouchers is the only way to avoid out-of-pocket expenses. Submit vouchers at this link. If you want to use a company from outside our vendor system, contact the Business Office and give them 2-3 weeks to set up a new contract with the vendor or verify with the business office that you can pay out of pocket and be successfully reimbursed. Business Office approval is required to ensure that any SIPASA funding you were granted will be disbursed and reimbursed properly.
-
Finally, you are able to print posters, tell your friends, and arrange any decorations or activities during your event. Officers are responsible for showing up to events one to two hours early to help set up and direct any facilities or services ordered.
Thank you for following these procedures and for making Fall 2022 a fun and encouraging experience for everyone! We look forward to seeing you at SIPAFest this year and at our after-event party, the Goodbye Summer Welcome Party! (register here!)
Please contact sipasa@columbia.edu if you have any questions or concerns. But please read the entire Student Handbook first; we spent a lot of time writing it to answer all the most common questions :)
Best,
Ô£¿Your SIPA Student AssociationÔ£¿
|
