Dear Student Organization Leaders and Advisors:
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy, and safe new year!
As we begin this semester, I am writing with a few reminders and important updates for our Student Club & Organization Program.
- Student Leader GPA Review: As stated on Page 20 of the Student Organization Policy Manual, student leaders must hold a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher to serve in an elected or appointed role in a student organization.. The Office of Student Engagement will conduct a GPA review of all current elected or appointed student leaders of record in the next few weeks. If a student leader does not meet the 2.5 cumulative GPA requirement, then a separate email correspondence will be sent detailing all necessary steps required to move forward.. All information will remain confidential within the Office of Student Engagement.
- Student Involvement Fair: As you know, the Student Involvement Fair was originally scheduled for Thursday, January 13. Since the University has implemented remote learning and working during that time, the Office of Student Engagement has opted to move the date to Thursday, January 27 from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. The Student Involvement Fair will still take place in-person in the University Center Atrium. The deadline to sign-up has been extended to Thursday, January 13. You may register here.
- If you haven’t submitted your Annual Recognition (https://widener.presence.io/form/annual-recognition-form) or Character Clause Forms (https://widener.presence.io/form/student-leader-character-clause-form) yet (if you just had elections in fall) please do so ASAP! If you’ve had changes but hold elections in Spring, please submit the Student Organization Update Form (https://widener.presence.io/form/student-organization-update-form) to make sure everything is up to date! You can check the club directory here to see if you’re missing any important updates: https://sites.widener.edu/rso/recognized-student-organizations/
- Pride Night Program Funding Application: We’re super excited to be rolling out our newly revamped Late Night and Weekend Programming, Pride Night. We’re looking for RSO’s like you to get involved! Ever have a program you wanted to put on but couldn’t afford to do it or not have the resources you needed to execute it? Well, look no further – we’re here to help! For a new event idea, your RSO is able to receive of a minimum of $1,000 towards your program as well as gain a Pride Night Advisor to help you through the process! You can also choose a Pick-A-Program and have all the items supplied for you and gain an additional $500 towards the event. There’s a limited number of spots so submit your application soon! Any questions can be directed to the Assistant Director of Campus Engagement & Student Programs, Sarah L McGuckin, at slmcguckin@widener.edu. Here is the link to apply: https://widener.presence.io/form/pride-night-program-funding-application
- Spring 2022 Semester Timeline and Key Dates: To ensure your organization’s success, I have created a document that houses all of the important dates and deadlines for the spring semester, including a section full of helpful resources. This timeline will be a resource for you this semester. It will live on Presence and the RSO Site, but I strongly recommend keeping a copy accessible. This living document is subject to change, but you will be notified if we need to adjust. Spring 2022 Semester Timeline and Key Dates
- Spring 2022 Semester Requirements: The Spring 2022 requirements can be found on the RSO Site (https://sites.widener.edu/rso/semester-requirements/) and are listed below.
SPRING 2022 SEMESTER REQUIREMENTS
All student organizations are required to follow all University policies, procedures, and requirements to remain in good standing each year. Inactive status will be issued to any recognized student organization that does not meet the requirements outlined below. All recognized student organizations will have the flexibility of participating in a tiered recognition process based on each organization’s level of active participation and need for funding.
LEVEL 1 – Organizations receiving no SGA funding
- Hold a minimum of one meeting per month or three meetings per semester. This requirement is in place simply to ensure your organization is active.
- All executive board members must attend one Presence Training session offered throughout the spring semester, unless previously attended in fall.
Gain pre-approval for all events, programs, and meetings using the Event Approval form located in Presence. This is the form you will utilize to reserve spaces on campus. - Send a minimum of one executive board member to attend the RSO Policy Training.
- Submit any changes to your executive board that occur after your annual transition through the Student Organization Update Form located in Presence.
- Complete the Annual Recognition Form by April 1 for all Fall-Spring organizations and November 1 for all Spring-Fall organizations.
- All new executive board members must complete the Student Leader Character Clause Form by April 1 for all Fall-Spring organizations and November 1 for all Spring-Fall organizations.
- All advisors must sign the Advisor Agreement by April 1 for all Fall-Spring organizations and November 1 for all Spring-Fall organizations.
LEVEL 2 – Organizations receiving SGA funding
- Meet all of the Level 1 requirements.
- All executive board members must attend RSO Presence Training (unless previously attended in fall) and all treasurers must attend SGA Finance Training.
- Send a minimum of one Active Member (this could be an executive board member, committee member, or active general body member) to represent your organization at ONE additional workshop of your choosing. All workshops are listed in the Spring 2022 Semester Timeline and Key Dates document.
- Send a minimum of one Executive Board Member to the RSO Fall Calendar Planning Session on Wednesday, April 13 at 6:00 p.m. in Lathem Hall.
- Update your active membership list using the Active Membership Roster Template in Presence by February 25.
- Maintain at least one organization member to act as the SGA Representative and COR member at SGA Town Hall Meetings.
- Complete the SGA Service Requirement – minimum of two service projects with a minimum of 5 people (unless otherwise approved by the Director of Student Organizations). THIS DOES NOT APPLY FOR SPRING 2022.
Fraternities and Sororities will adhere to a modified version of requirements based on their individual chapter involvement in their respective Governing Council or National Headquarters.
All Club Sports Organizations will adhere to the requirements listed, in addition to all guidelines and policies issued by the Pride Recreation Center and each organization’s professional association.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out!
Best,
Victoria
______________________________________
Victoria Dean
She / Her / Hers
Director of Student Organizations
Office of Student Engagement
Widener University
One University Place, Chester, PA 19013
p: 610-499-4570 | f: 610-499-1275
vndean@widener.edu
