ADVISOR'S ROLE In Student Organizations at BSU

Consultation
Provide Continuity
Leadership Transition
Counseling
Interpretation of Policy
Supervision
Organizational Records
Recruiting New Members
Discussion Guidelines for Advisor Role Definition
Advisor Contract

CONSULTATION
It is crucial that communication between the organization members and the advisor is maintained and frequent.This will be much easier for you as advisor if you have a genuine interest and concern for the organization and its goals.You should expect to be consulted regularly by officers or chairpersons about their plans for activities and programs.You should attend meetings regularly and be aware of what projects or events are being planned and offer ideas or suggestions.You must be cautious not to control the meetings or the program planning process.

PROVIDE CONTINUITY
Supplying continuity is an important responsibility for the organization advisor.Officers and members will come and go; therefore the organization advisor is often the only constant link that the office of the Hobson Memorial Union Associate Director has to any given student organization.With this in mind it is very important that you contact the Associate Director (755-3760) if you will be on leave or no longer wish to serve as an organization advisor.If you do not contact us we will continue to send communications to you, assuming that you still serve as organization advisor.This can often create some interesting communication problems.Another way in which you, as advisor, can provide continuity to the group is by orienting new officers and members to the history of the group and help them to build on it.Continuity implies a link with the future and you will play an important role in helping to develop long-term plans for the future of the organization and in communicating these plans to succeeding generations of members.

LEADERSHIP TRANSITION
As an advisor it is often hard to see the leaders that you work with graduate or pursue other opportunities outside of the organization.It is a busy time of the year as students, staff and faculty alike try to survive the ast flurries of finals and projects.As an advisor, part of your responsibilities includes setting up expectations for the group that some type of formalized leadership transition will take place.Some of the benefits to you and the group in establishing some type of program are as follows:

• provides a scheduled time for the old and new leaders to meet and share ideas for the future of the organization
• gives the old officers a chance to process how much they have learned over the year
• provides a sense of closure for the old officers
• provides the new officers a chance to ask questions in a safe environment
• provides an opportunity for the old officers to pass on needed materials and traditions
• increases the confidence and knowledge of incoming officers
• increases the chances that the momentum of the group will continue
• the officers start the year ready to go and you have to spend less time orientating them to their roles in the organization.

 
At this point in the academic year you should have a sense of what type of gathering would work best for your particular organization.  The old officers and the new officers should get together and go over the responsibilities of the positions.  Some questions you may want to have the old and new officers discuss are:

1. What are the major duties of the positions?
2. What goals were accomplished last year?
3. What projects were started this year and will continue over to the next school year?
4. What projects/goals were thought of for next year?
5. What are three things that the old officers wished they would have known before they took office?
6. What are the three top concerns of the new officers?

During this meeting, time should also be spent going over the organization constitution and past minutes and correspondence.  The new officers should also be introduced to the various forms and procedures which they will encounter in their duties for the following year.  It is always a good idea to hold one more meeting of the organization before the end of the school year.  This gives the new officers a chance to ask any questions which they may have come up with after becoming more familiar with the operations of the organization.  This meeting may be used as a chance for the new officers to lead their first meeting under the guidance of the experienced officers.  This also gives any graduating officers or members a chance to say good-bye to the group.

The leadership transition process usually starts as soon as the new officers are elected.  If your group does this after spring break you will have plenty of time to get this process completed before finals.  By completing this process in the spring your organization will be well organized in the fall and more prepared to recruit new members.  This is also a good opportunity to fill out the Intent to Be Active form for the following year.  These will be available during the latter part of the Spring semester.  Your role as advisor is to encourage your students to set up a transitional leadership meeting and to provide them with advice on the format of such an exchange.

COUNSELING
As an advisor, counseling students is necessary because you know how the members of the group interact in informal settings.  You have a unique opportunity to identify students having problems in their personal lives that appear to affect their work or effectiveness within the group.  It is up to you to find an opportunity to speak privately with the student to determine what you may be able to do to help if a problem does exist.  You also have the opportunity to observe the group dynamic and serve as a moderating force in the group if necessary.  Making appropriate referrals to other campus resources may be necessary depending on some situations.

INTERPRETATION OF POLICY
As a representative of the University administration to the organization, you will be in a constant position of interpreting the institution's policies and regulations about student organizations.  This is why it is so crucial that you read and respond to mailings or email you receive from the HMU staff.  We will do our best to explain university policies to you; all you have to do is let us know any questions or concerns you may have.  As advisor, you should see that the group and its officers know what the policies are, why they exist and the channels to follow to obtain exceptions or revisions of these policies.  Feel free to consider the office of the Associate Director as your first resource in this process.

SUPERVISION
Although your major responsibility is not regulatory or disciplinary, as a member of the University staff, you have a responsibility to keep both the institution and the organization's best interests in mind.  In a well-run organization an advisor's supervisory role may be small, but you may need to remind the group of proper University regulations and/or intervene to prevent the organization from violating public or institutional policies.  Whenever possible you should work with the officers of theorganization to maintain standards which are consistent with those of the institution.  Advisors are role models.

ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS

The committee reports and group records are an important part of the organization's history on campus.  These records contain valuable information for future officers.  An advisor should see that the officers maintain adequate records and minutes of the group's activities.  The group should keep a copy of these records in a permanent file in the advisor's office and in the organization's office, if one is available.  Student organizations can also request storage space in H2O: Center for Student Involvement for storage of items.

Although financial record keeping responsibilities are delegated to the officers of the organization it is your duty as advisor to monitor the organization's accounts.  All correspondence concerning organization finances is sent to you directly, as opposed to the treasurer, in order that you may be aware of the organization's financial situation and prevent the organization from incurring a negative account balance.  Organization finances are an area in which your role of providing continuity to the organization is very important.  We ask that you take it upon yourself to make sure that the names of authorized officers are changed with the bank, for off-campus accounts, as officer changes occur.  Remember, as officers come and go, you remain our one contact.  Therefore it is important that you are familiar with your organization's account.  Please note that any organization being organized must have their account on campus.  No off-campus accounts are allowed with the exception of the current organizations.  There are a few returning organizations that did establish an off-campus account and they are allowed to maintain the account at this point. 

RECRUITING NEW MEMBERS
As the group's advisor the students will look to you for suggestions on how to get more people to join the organization.  The following questions should be asked of the group and the answers recorded.  The answers to these questions will suggest ways the organization can attract new members.

• How did you join the group?                   
• How did you first hear about the group?
• What did you hope to gain from your involvement?       
• Why did you initially join the group?
  

After you have written down the answers to these questions you will be able to see what attracted current members to the group and what the organization's strengths are.  These strengths can be used as a focus for recruitment posters and other forms of publicity such as announcements in pertinent classes or flyers. Recruiting new members goes beyond just getting new people to the meeting; they must feel welcome when they get there.  It is also important that newly recruited members are informed of what the organization is currently doing and what it hopes to do in the future.  The new member needs to know that their participation is valuable to the organization and that each member has something he/she can contribute to the existing organization and also acquire skills through participation in the group.

Discussion Guidelines for Advisor Role Definition
Listed below are some possible expectations student leaders may have of their advisor.  The advisor and leaders should each respond to the following items then discuss answers and resolve differences.  For some items, which are determined not to be the responsibility of the advisor, it would be valuable to clarify which officer will assume that responsibility.

For each of the statements, determine whether the function is:

1 - Essential for the advisor to do

2 - Helpful for the advisor to do

3 - Nice, but advisor does not have to

4 - Would prefer the advisor not do

5 - Absolutely not an advisor's role

The Advisor Should:

____1. Attend all general meetings.

____2. Attend all executive committee meetings.

____3. Call meetings of the executive committee when he/she believes it is necessary.

____4.  Explain College policy when relevant to the discussion.

____5.  Explain College policy to the executive committee and depend on officers to carry them out through their leadership.

____6.  Explain College policy to the entire membership at a general meeting once a year.

____7.  Assist the president as needed with the agenda for each meeting.

____8.  Speak up during discussion when he/she has relevant information.

____9.  Speak up during discussion when he/she believes the group is likely to make a poor decision.

____10.  Take an active part in goal formation of the group.

____11.  Initiate ideas for discussion when he/she believes they will help the group.

____12.  Be one of the group, except for voting and holding office.

____13.  Attend all group activities.

____14.  Require the treasurer to clear all expenditures with him/her

               before commitments are made.

____15.  Request to see the treasurer's books at the end of each semester.

____16.  Check all official correspondence before it is sent.

____17.  Get a copy of all official correspondence.

____18.  Inform the group of infractions of their bylaws, codes, and

              standing rules.

____19.  Mediate interpersonal conflicts that arise.

____20.  State what his/her advisor responsibilities are, or as he/she sees them, at the first meeting of the year.

____21.  Let the group work out its problems, including making mistakes and "doing it the hard way."

____22.  Take the initiative in creating teamwork and cooperation among the officers group.

____23.  Represent the group in any conflicts with members of the College staff.

____24.  Be familiar with College facilities, services and procedures which affect group activities.

____25.  Recommend programs, speakers, etc.

____26.  Take an active part in the orderly transition of responsibilities between old and new officers

                at the end/start of the year.            

____27.  Cancel any activities when he/she believes they have been inadequately planned.

Please add any other expectations you have for the advisor's role:

Adapted from: "Organization & Advisor Manual," California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo & "The Student Organizational Manual-Supplement for Advisors," Simmons College, Boston, MA. 

Student Organization Advisor Contract 2007-2008