Faculty/Staff Advisors provide:

Subject Matter Expertise.   When students are unsure of the types of programs that they should do on campus or participate in, we often direct them to their Faculty/Staff advisor.  In their selection of a Faculty/Staff Advisor, we encourage students to find someone with advanced knowledge of the direction in which they would like to take their organization.

Community Connections.  As a subject matter expert, Faculty/Staff Advisors often have connections on campus or in the community that can assist the students in achieving their goals for the organization.

Support & Advice.  Whether it’s an internal quarrel among organization members or a rivalry with another student organization, student leaders will often come to their Faculty/Staff Advisor first.  Their advisor can act as a resource, moderator or point students in the right direction if something is outside the scope of the advisor’s role.

Student Activities Advisors provide:

Logistical Expertise.  Student Activities will help students secure space on campus for their meetings, programs and events.  We will also help them with any support services that they may need.  General event planning as well as the process for reserving space on campus are covered in the Student Activities 101 and 102 workshops offered at the beginning of each semester.

Financial Management Assistance.  Managing the finances of any size organization can be difficult as revenue does not always match expenses.  For those organizations with accounts on campus, Student Activities can facilitate any transaction with the funds directly from the organization’s account.  The skills that students will need to manage finances as well as information on the variety of forms needed for certain transactions are taught in the Financial 101 and 102 workshops offered at the beginning of each semester.

Campus Connections.  Helping more than 200 student organizations plan events on campus has helped Student Activities to foster relationships with almost every office and department on campus.  We work closely with certain individuals in these offices and help our students to facilitate relationships with them as well.

Together Student Activities Advisors and Faculty/Staff Advisors provide:

Advocacy.  All of our students have passions, wants and needs for which they sometimes cannot find the proper outlet.  Both Student Activities and Faculty/Staff Advisors can help advocate for the things our students are most passionate about.

Mediation.  When conflicts arise in an organization, either the Student Activities Advisor or the Faculty/Staff Advisor will be involved.  Together, the two advisors can help the organization to work out their disputes and help to alleviate tensions.

Communication.  Open communication between Student Activities, Faculty/Staff Advisors and student leaders should be the first priority of all three parties.  When questions go unanswered or there is a perceived lack of support, Student Activities and the Faculty/Staff Advisor can help to address issues before they become serious problems.