 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RSO Advisor Information and Tips | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Role
of Advisor - All student organizations must have one faculty/staff
advisor. This advisor must be a faculty or staff member of the
University. When the membership exceeds twenty-five, organizations
are urged to obtain additional advisors. A secondary advisor may be
selected from the community, but only if the organization already has a
faculty/staff advisor. An organization that does not have an
advisor will immediately become inactive until one is obtained.
Any faculty or staff member who agrees to the request of a
student organization to serve as its primary advisor thereby accepts
responsibility for seeing that the student organization's purposes,
activities, and projects are within the limits of the university
policy. Therefore, advisors should be familiar with: 1. This policy and other university regulations pertaining to
student organizations; 2. The constitution and purpose statement of the student
organization they are advising; and 3. The activities and projects of their organization. A
faculty/staff advisor is expected to attend business meetings of the
organization and actively participate in the organization. All
actions of an organization are subject to review by the advisor and/or
the University. Before
making a selection, keep in mind the following: (a) find someone
who will take the role willingly and seriously; and (b) find someone who
will commit the time. When
approaching a potential advisor for the first time, make sure that he or
she has a clear understanding of the organization's purpose, as well as
what would be required pertaining to the duties and time involved. Allow the person a reasonable length of time to consider a decision.
THE ADVISOR The
out-of-class life of the college student represents a rich educational
resource. It is rich
because students actually practice or live what they have learned. As in traditional classroom learning, the key to learning in
the co-curriculum activities lies in the hands of the faculty/staff
members. Faculty/staff
advisors are important segments of organizational development because
their presence and influence in extracurricular activities can make the
difference between student activities as random, non-purposeful,
pleasant experiences and group participation related to educational
objectives in a meaningful way. With
the faculty advisor's guidance and involvement with an organization, its
activities can and should enlarge and extend the student's horizons,
skills, value systems, poise and actual knowledge - all desirable
outcomes. While the
influence of the advisors is necessary and valuable, they are not
responsible for the actions of the individual members or the
organization as a whole. The
extent to which advisors are involved in the activities of the
organization will depend upon their time, inclination, or the needs of
the group, but their influence can make the difference between a
stereotyped, routine program and one that is educationally purposeful
and relevant. Teaching:
It is in this area that the advisor can be most helpful by:
To
teach effectively in a co-curricular situation, advisors must
participate actively, not just waiting to be called upon but also making
contributions when they feel it is called for by the
circumstances. Consultation
on Programs:
Advisors should expect that they would be consulted regularly by
the officers concerning the development of activities and programs.
They should know what projects or events are being planned and
should offer their ideas and suggestions freely.
If they are not being consulted they should insist that it be
done. We recommend the
advisors to sign the minutes of all organization business meetings. Providing
Continuity: The
turnover of officers and members in a student organization is continual
and often the only link with the immediate past is through the advisor.
Student organizations often possess a rich history of
accomplishment, ritual, or traditional programs and responsibilities
that endure from year to year because they are meaningful to the
members. The advisor can
orient new officers and members to this history and help them to build
on it. The organization should not be handicapped in its creativity
by confining itself to traditional activities, and there is little need
for it to repeat past mistakes or errors in judgment if the advisor can
point out the failures that existed in the past. Counseling
Individual Students: The
sympathetic interest in an individual student is a traditional role of
the advisor and one that has had a long history in higher education.
The relationship between the advisor and individual organization
member may be among the most rewarding experience of the faculty/staff
member and the students. Interpretation
of Policy: As a
representative of the University of Central Arkansas to the
organization, the advisor is constantly in the position of interpreting
the institution's policies and regulations pertaining to student
organizations. They should
see that the organization and its officers know what the policies are,
why they exist, and the channels to be followed to obtain exceptions to
or revisions of these policies. The
advisor is responsible for reporting all possible University infractions
as stated in the Student
Handbook (5) school days to the Division of Student Services,
Bernard Hall, Room 108, 501-450-3416. Supervision:
Although the advisor's major responsibility is not regulatory or
disciplinary, the advisor, as a member of the University of Central
Arkansas community, has a responsibility to both the institution and the
organization to keep their interests in mind. In a well-run organization, their supervisory role may be
minimal or non-existent but, as a representative of the institution,
they may need to remind the group of appropriate University regulations
or, on occasion, actually step in to prevent the organization from
violating public or institutional policies.
An advisor should never be placed in the position of condoning
violations of institutional policy even though his/her relationship with
the organization may be jeopardized if he/she does not.
Whenever possible the advisor should work with and through the
responsible officer of the organization to maintain standards and
control individual misbehavior. Most
problems can be identified for the officers to handle and procedures can
be established to deal with them. Responsibility
for self-discipline and internal regulation is in itself a learning
experience for the officers and the organization and an important step
in maturation. Social
Activities Supervision:
The faculty/staff advisor is responsible for supervising
"official" social functions.
"Official" social functions are those activities/events
held on UCA's campus. In regard to an organization's program/event (to
be held on campus) the faculty/staff advisor must: a)
sign the request for the reservation of space; b)
agree that he/she will be present throughout the scheduled
activity acting both as an advisor and as the University's
representative at that particular event; and c)
agree that in the event of an unforeseen emergency that prevents
him/her from attending, an acceptable substitute faculty/staff advisor
will be secured and will have the approval of the Vice
President for Student Services or the President of the University in
advance of the activity. Failure
of the advisor to attend or failure to secure an acceptable substitute
will force the cancellation of the event.
If
an organization sponsors an event off-campus, the organization cannot
contract in the name of UCA or the name of the organization and, must
contract as individual citizens. A
group seeking official sanction as a UCA organization at an off-campus
program/event must receive such status from the Vice President for
Student Services, Bernard Hall, room 108. Financial
Supervision: (Where
each organization has its own treasurer.)
The advisor should spend some time in supervising the treasurer's
work. The advisor should be
aware of the nature, extent, and pattern of the group's expenditures and
income, and introduce corrective measures when necessary.
Particular attention should be paid to the accounts receivable,
the current balance, and the prompt payment of bills. Organization
Meetings: The
advisor should attend all regular and special meetings of the
organization in order to keep informed and to be available for
consultation or to introduce ideas and suggestions. Scholastic
Aspects:
The advisor should have a general idea of the scholastic
achievement of the members of the group and should know the specific
standing of those members who carry time-consuming responsibilities.
Advisors may influence those with academic problems to curtail
their activities with the organization if the problems seem to be
activity-related. Membership
in organizations may be detrimental to the academic well-being of some
students, and an advisor should be alert to recognize this and be
willing to advise curtailment of activity with the organization. Advisor
Needing Grades: To ensure eligibility, nominate organization
members for awards, and complete national/regional reports, advisors may
obtain grades by contacting the Assistant
Dean of Students' Office, room 207, Student Center. The office will
require: student's full name, I.D. number, and written permission
from the student to obtain their academic records.
(Grade point averages). Organizational
Records: The advisor should see that the treasurer and the
secretary maintain adequate records and minutes of organizational
activities. The files and
records of the organization should be located in a central, easily
accessible area such as the advisor's office.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
