Student Group Guide

Student Group Guide

The SOJC Student Group Guide is a great resource to you navigate student organization registration, policies and resources. The information below will help SOJC students get organizations up and running, manage their needs and create the great experiences the SOJC is known for!

If you have any questions please reach out to the Student Experiences Coordinator, Tessa Freeland at sojcstudentgroups@uoregon.edu or 541-346-4260.

Registration

Group Registration 

In order to be formally recognized by the SOJC both new and existing student groups will need to register their organization annually. This will ensure your group’s information is up to date and make your group easier to find for new members. 

Student groups can renew their registration or apply for registration during the first five weeks of Fall Term.

How to Register a New Group 

If you’re interested in starting a new student group and want to be affiliated with the SOJC start gathering the information listed below and reach out to the Student Experiences Coordinator if you need assistance. 

Required Information:

  • Names and contact information of at least two student leaders and the faculty advisor 
  • Name of the proposed group 
  • Description of the group including its common purpose and by-laws
  • Proposed meeting times and location 
  • Any graphic or image representing the organization 
  • Any social media presence

When you’re ready to start the registration process submit the above information to this form, it’ll be reviewed by the Student Experiences Coordinator and they’ll reach out to you with the next steps.

If you have any questions please reach out to the Student Experiences Coordinator, Tessa Freeland at sojcstudentgroups@uoregon.edu or 541-346-4260.

Funding

Budgeting 

Only student groups earning revenue such as membership fees or services to clients are required to submit a budget during the beginning of the academic year (preferably by November each year).  The budget allocated to each non-revenue earning group for the fiscal year will be $200.00, unless accounting states otherwise.

Expenses 

All expenses must be approved in advance, unless one of the following exceptions is true:

  • Fundraised foundation funds will be used for the expense,  
  • The student group budget was approved at a higher amount than $200.00 and this request will not exceed the total budget, or  
  • The spending request is less than $200.00 and the YTD spending including this request will not exceed the student group’s budget.

If approval is needed please have your faculty advisor and student group leaders reach out to the Student Experiences Coordinator with a funding request.

Reimbursement Requests 

If a student or advisor makes a purchase and would like to request reimbursement, the Student Group Reimbursement Form must be filled out and submitted with the original receipt and funding approval email (if applicable). If a student is going to be reimbursed, the following information must be included on the form:  

  • Student’s full name  
  • 95-number  
  • Mailing address  
  • And whether the student is a non-resident alien  
  • Include a good business purpose which meets all requirements.  
    • The business purpose should be descriptive enough to clearly answer any questions about the necessity of the expense and the benefit to the UO. There should be supporting documentation to back up the business purpose, for example receipts, and agendas when acceptable.  
      • Who – Who is benefiting from this expense?  
      • What – What are you purchasing?  
      • Why – Explain the necessity of the expense.  
      • When – Provide the date(s) of when the expense took place. 

Purchase Order Requests 

To request a purchase order (PO), please email sojcbusiness@uoregon.edu, Cc lhope@uoregon.edu, and include the following information:  

  • The business purpose of the request  
  • The index to charge if using Foundation funds or a specific student group funding source  
  • A quote provided by the vendor, if available. Otherwise describe the item(s) and price(s) in the body of the email.  
  • Funding approval email (if applicable)  

Please send these requests at least 2 days in advance of when the PO is needed. Student groups should instruct vendors to forward all invoices to sojcbusiness@uoregon.edu. If the invoice can be paid with a credit card, please see the Procurement Card Requests section below.

Procurement Card Requests 

If a purchase can be paid for online or over the phone with a credit card, please email (sojcbusiness@uoregon.edu, and lhope@uoregon.edu) and include the following information:

  1. description of the item(s) to purchase 
  2. the index to charge 
  3. the business purpose 
  4. the item link, if applicable

Vendor Invoices 

If a purchase is made without a purchase order and a vendor sends the student group an invoice, it should be turned in to the SOJC Accounting Office with the following documentation:  

  • Business purpose  
  • The index to charge if using foundation funds or a specific student group funding source  
  • The advisor’s signature of approval on the invoice  
  • Funding approval email (if applicable)

Travel

How to submit a Travel Request 

Group travel requests must be initiated using the Student Group Travel Funding Request Form. The student group advisor must make sure the form is complete including: the proper Index, all involved students’ names, 95#’s, and the amount each should receive for travel expenses. The Request Form and all supporting documents must be signed and submitted to the Student Experiences Coordinator: Tessa Freeland.

Each student travelling will need to complete a Waiver of Liability Form. If we don’t have the waiver, the student WILL NOT be allowed to travel. The travel dates are the day the form is filled out until the last day of travel for the academic year. After the travel dates have passed, the student will need to complete a new form. Please submit a copy of the Waiver of Liability Form for each student traveling with the Group Travel Funding Request Form.

Please do not make any reservations until you turn in your completed travel funding request form with waivers of liability for each student and the faculty advisor’s approval, to the Student Experiences Coordinator.

Please submit your travel forms here.

Hotels 

If your group is planning to stay at a hotel, please first call the hotel to see if they can bill UO directly. If not, the student group should request if the hotel is able to provide a block agreement. If the answer to both questions is no, please add estimated hotel expenses (including taxes) on page 2 of the Student Group Travel Funding Request Form to students who will pay for the rooms on behalf of the group. By doing so, the selected students receiving funding to cover lodging will either be reimbursed or be paid by UO up front and are expected to use these funds to cover the lodging costs. If the student needs to be paid up front, please reach out to the Student Experiences Coordinator (tessanf@uoregon.edu) and Finance Manager (lhope@uoregon.edu) as soon as possible.

Vehicles

Flights may be booked by UO directly on the students’ behalf, and to do so please contact the Student Experiences Coordinator at sojcstudenttravel@uoregon.edu. 

If you’ll drive a motor vehicle for travel, individuals are required to have a valid driver’s license and a UO driver certification card. To be driver certified a driver must meet minimum driver and driving requirements, complete an online form and be certified prior to your travel. Student and faculty advisor drivers must pass a Driver Certification. The certification is good till September each year. Please attach a copy to each Group Travel Funding Request Form. 

If you are using your personal vehicle for university-business travel, you must submit a completed Personal Vehicle Use Form when you turn in your Student Group Travel Funding Request Form. This form is good for each academic year. Please attach a copy to the Group Travel Funding Request Form. 

If you are using a State Motor Pool Van, you must complete the driver certification along with the Online Van Training.

If you have any questions please reach out to the Student Experiences Coordinator, Tessa Freeland at sojcstudenttravel@uoregon.edu or 541-346-4260. 

Risk Management

Every student traveling as part of an SOJC activity is required to submit risk management forms including emergency contacts and a waiver. If you are unsure if your activity or trip requires a risk waiver please reach out to the Student Experiences Coordinator or refer to the Safety and Risk Services page.

You can find the Waiver of Liability PDF here. Or fill it out online here.

You can submit your risk waiver, emergency contacts, flight itinerary and other documents in this form.

Travel Incident Reporting

To report an incident during a School of Journalism and Communication sponsored trip, either with students or otherwise on UO business please fill out this form.

A student-sponsored trip is generally related to an SOJC class or co-curricular organization or project.

An ‘incident’ can be anything that would be considered outside of normal. Examples might include: illness, accident, theft, harassment, or a significant logistical problem with a hotel or airline.

 

Leadership Resources

Leadership Workshops and Trainings 

The Holden Center offers a variety of coaching and workshops to help students grow as leaders. Check out their workshops or request one-on-one coaching.

Leadership Transitions

Good transfers of group leadership are key to keeping your organization running from year to year. Creating a good transition process can help give your groups new leaders a solid starting foundation. Below are some good practices and a checklist for successfully transferring leadership of your student organization. 

Pass on:

  • Any binders/folders/notebooks/drives or emails 
  • Records of the organization’s structure/workings, such as the group constitution, bylaws or mission 
  • Group calendar 
  • Important contacts 
  • Any usernames and passwords for group accounts 
  • Update officer names and positions on any official websites or documents 
  • Create a write-up from old officers with suggestions or advice 
  • Encourage new officer shadowing and conversation

Building Use

Allen Hall 

Building Hours: 

Throughout the school year, when school is not in session, but the university is open, hours: 

  • MTWRF – 7 am to 6 pm 
  • Locked over the weekend 

When school is in session (Fall, Winter & Spring) hours: 

  • MTWR – 7 am to 10 pm 
  • F – 7 am to 8 pm 
  • SU – 7 am to 6 pm 

When school is in session over Summer hours: 

  • MTWRF – 7 am to 7 pm 
  • Weekends – 7 am to 6pm

U of O holiday (university is not open) – Building is locked. When building is locked, access is by PROX card only.

Office and Room Reservations 

There are a variety of spaces and rooms that student groups can reserve for their events and meetings. These include:  

  • Small unlocked meeting spaces in Allen Hall: Student groups can directly reserve many of the small meeting spaces. Go to https://webcheckout.uoregon.edu. When reserving spaces, please note the following usage guidelines:  
    • Student group member must be a current registered SOJC student to make reservations.  
    • Reservation needs to be made at least 15 minutes before needed.  
    • Two-hour maximum for reservation time.  
    • Two active reservations allowed within two weeks. 
  • Allen Conference Seminar Spaces: To reserve any of SOJC conference seminar spaces (Writing Central (106), Immersive Media Lab (115), Social Media Lab (130), Winter Room (211), Allen 314 and the Allen Room (307) you must have your student group’s faculty advisor request the room for you through the Faculty Services Office. These spaces are locked, and your advisor will be responsible for unlocking and locking the door for your student group. Once you have determined your reservation needs, you will need to email your student group’s faculty advisor to confirm and request through sojcfacultyservices@uoregon.edu. Information to include is the begin/end times, seminar room, date and purpose. 
  • Production spaces: Student groups can directly reserve production spaces in Allen Hall. Rooms available are: Edit Bay (114), Podcast Studio (116), Studio (133) and Control Room (131). Go to https://webcheckout.uoregon.edu. When reserving spaces, please note the following usage guidelines:  
    • Student group member must be a current registered SOJC student to make reservations.  
    • Reservation needs to be made at least 15 minutes before needed.  
    • Two-hour maximum for reservation time.  
    • Two active reservations allowed within two weeks. 
  • Reserving larger general classrooms in Allen (101, 140, 141 or 221) or elsewhere on campus will need to be coordinated by your advisor. 
  • Collaborative public spaces in Allen: A variety of collaborative spaces in Allen are reservable. Examples are the Aaron Lounge, Hearth Area, the first floor Atrium, the second floor Gallery, the third floor Gallery and a variety of tables and other areas located in Allen. 

If you’d like to book a room for the term or would like to book a larger classroom or collaboration space, please email the Student Experiences Coordinator at sojcstudentgroups@uoregon.edu.

 

Promotional Materials

Promotional Support  

The SOJC Communications Office has available resources to promote your event: 

  • If you need help designing promotional materials use the SOJC Digital Asset Library 
  • You can submit promotional material to the Digital Displays in Allen Hall. Please email your graphics (jpg or pdf files) to sojc@uoregon.edu. Files for the digital displays must be sized 1920×1080 pixels and include all pertinent information. Please double-check your work for typos and accurate information before submitting.  

Contact the Communications Office before using any UO or SOJC logo to assure proper adherence to logo and graphic standards. 

Reach out to the SOJC Publishing and Exhibitions Coordinator (mlazaro@uoregon.edu) if you would like assistance with creating promotional materials,  publishing or printing materials.

If you have any questions please reach out to the Student Experiences Coordinator, Tessa Freeland at sojcstudentgroups@uoregon.edu or 541-346-4260.