Resources

See our New Org Check-list to make sure you are completing all the steps necessary when creating your Graduate Student Organization.

Your organization's Mission Statement is an opportunity for you to define what your organization strives to do and who you are as a group. This will help your organization develop objectives and will allow prospective members to better understand your organization and what they can expect upon joining it. Your Mission Statement should be as brief as possible; try not to exceed four sentences.

Setting goals will help your team stay focused. You will want your organization's goals to be reflective of your mission statement - what will your group do to work toward your mission?

Not sure where to start? Check out this goal setting worksheet.

Bylaws define the procedures and practices of your organization.

If you are starting a new organization, you may want to work off of a template to build your bylaws. This template is not required, but it may act as a starting point or a document of reference as you develop your own bylaws. If you are re-registering an organization, you should read through the current bylaws of your organization and consider any updates that need to be made.

Updates or new bylaws should be voted on by your voting members, as laid out in the bylaws. It is a good practice to distribute your organization's bylaws to all of your members on an annual basis.

When completing annual organization registration, you will need to submit a copy of the most recent bylaws for approval.

View the bylaws of the Graduate Student Government Bylaws as a sample, although these bylaws are more in-depth than most student organizations will require.

All graduate student organizations and associations must register annually in order to remain active and be recognized by the University. Registration allows the organization to 1) Reserve event/meeting space on campus, 2) Request funding from the Graduate Student Government, 3) Be listed on the Graduate Student Life website, and 4) Advertise your organization around campus.

See the Student Organization Registration page for the registration form and more details.

When recruiting new members, consider your target market. Who does your organization want to be involved and who might be interested in joining your organization? For instance, a student organization for students who will be educators will likely want to recruit from SOLES.

There are many practices for recruiting members, including:

• Word of mouth: Talk to your peers to spread the word and see who is interested. If your organization is related to your degree, class is an excellent space to utilize.
• Announcements: Ask your professor if you may make an announcement at the beginning or end of class. If you are attending an event relating to your organization, ask the organizations if you may make an announcement there.
• Grad Life Connect: You can market your organization's meetings and events through our e-newsletter by submitting the Grad Life Connect submission form. For recruitment, you can offer a preferred contact email instead of a link.
• Flyers: We encourage student organizations to be paperless. Students are able to post flyers for their events and meetings if they choose, with certain restrictions. Graduate Student Organizations may always bring flyers to the Grad/Law Commons in SLP 401 to be posted on our bulletin boards.

We recommend creating a Shared Drive for your organization for clear communication and to allow execs and members to have access to necessary files. Any documents created for the organization that may need to be referenced by others within the organization should always be created and kept within the Shared Drive. You can also use tools like Trello or other project management platforms.

Tips for keeping your Google Drive organized:

• Consider how you want to organize your folders. As many student orgs will have turned over each year, it might be best to create folders based on academic year (ie 2020-2021). Within that folder, you can create subfolders like Communications, Events, Finances, etc. However you decide to organize your folders, make sure you plan out strategically at the beginning of the year so you do not need to reorganize later on.
• Encourage your executive team to utilize the Shared Drive whenever they are creating documents for the organization. This way, if someone else needs access to the document, they will always have it. It will also help the next team transition over because they will be able to reference previous documents.
• Utilize comments functions on Google docs when necessary. If you want to make a note on a document that one of your team members created, it can be helpful to leave a comment or to work in "suggestions" mode

Consider the various ways you may want to communicate with your executive team and your members.

Utilize tools like:

• Group text messaging
• Facebook Groups
• Slack
• GroupMe
• WhatsApp
• Google Hangouts
• Any other platform you may prefer

For email communications with your organization, you may want to consider an email marketing service like Mailchimp. This can be helpful for larger announcements like monthly newsletters, updates, events, and more.

Zoom is available for all members of the USD community. Directions for downloading Zoom Pro are available here.

Tips for Hosting Effective Virtual Meetings

Preparing for the meeting:

• Decide who needs to be present at the meeting. Is this an executive board meeting, a committee meeting, or a general body meeting? Being clear about the meeting’s purpose and who needs to attend will ensure engagement from attendees.
• Use video calling if possible. Using video increases a feeling of connection and community, so encourage members to turn on their videos if they are able to do so.
• Create an agenda and take notes. Set a clear agenda outlining the topics the meeting will cover. This will help guide the meeting and keep everyone on track. We recommend using Google docs to create your agenda, so you can use it as a living document and take notes throughout the meeting. This will allow members to see updates in real time.
• Establish new meeting norms. Remote meetings probably won’t look like in person meetings, and that’s okay. Work together to create new norms that work for the group. (For example: Raising your hand to contribute ideas, limiting speaking time to 60 seconds so everyone gets to speak, using the chat function, etc.)
• Test meeting technology. Practice using the meeting platform before your meeting time. If you are using a presentation or a Zoom add-on, practice using each function beforehand, so you can ensure the meeting runs smoothly. If you are curious about remote technology available, or need help troubleshooting, check out the ITS website.

During the meeting:

• Actively facilitate the meeting. Be sure to create space for members to contribute to the meeting. It’s helpful to ask questions like, “What do people think of this idea” or “does anyone have anything to add.” Remember that sometimes people will need time to think, so a moment of silence is okay.
• Share key takeaways at the end of each meeting. At the end of each meeting, be sure that members have a clear understanding of the next steps. Summarizing key take-always and action items is a good way to do this.
• Have fun! Meeting online doesn’t mean that meetings need to be boring. Get creative with your meeting content. Including ice-breakers, check-in questions, and/or games can help keep everyone engaged and connected.
  • Virtual Icebreaker & Connection Activities
  • 10 Fun Virtual Icebreakers to Take Remote Working to the Next Level

Additional Tips:

• Create a meeting schedule and stick with it. Creating a consistent meeting schedule will help with members’ planning and attendance. If you’re able to, stick with the meeting times you had before moving online.
• Advertise your meeting. If you would like your meeting to be advertised to the graduate student community, send a flyer and link to Emily Esquivel at eesquivel@sandiego.edu and she will add it to Grad Life Connect.
• Check-in with your team frequently. Ask the group for feedback on how they feel about the new meeting norms and if they have any feedback or suggestions. This is an adjustment for everyone, so give yourself permission to pivot as needed.

If you would like to advertise your meeting or event, please complete the form for Grad Life Connect Submissions. We also encourage you to submit the MyPostings form to advertise upcoming events on the Graduate Student Government Page under "Upcoming Events."

To create a new posting or manage your existing postings, visit sandiego.edu/mypostings/.

To be included on the GSG MyPostings page, you must follow these specific steps. Your posting may be deleted if it ends up on the wrong page.

If you would like to be included in Grad Life Connect, please submit the form by Friday at noon (the week before).

• Check in with the different schools as many have individual newsletters (SOLES, School of Business, Law etc.)
• Law: Submit Sidebar advertisements by noon on Thursdays: https://usd.tfaforms.net/218312 .
  • Sidebar is emailed to the entire law school community every Monday during the Fall and Spring semesters. (Note: Sidebar will be sent on Tuesday if Monday is a holiday.)
  • Event submissions run for two weeks leading up to the date of the event. (Example: The 1L Check-in on Tuesday, September 15 will run in the September 6 and 13 editions of Sidebar.)
  • Announcement submissions will run for two weeks.

Contact Emily at eesquivel@sandiego.edu with any questions you may have.

Here are some tools for marketing your organization and events:

• Canva for creating flyers and other graphics and docs
• befunky for photo editing
• The 7 Best Free Social Media Management Tools
• Graphic Design 101

Event planning is an excellent way to build community and meet student needs. Check out our Event Planning Checklist to ensure you are prepared for your event.

All events must be registered through VirtualEMS. This can be accessed by:

• Visiting sandiego.edu/scheduling, scrolling to the bottom paragraph and clicking on Event Management System.
• OR by visiting reservations.sandiego.edu/emswebapp.

When hosting an event, Grad Orgs are required to submit a Graduate Event Registration Form through EMS.

For tools and resources for planning on-campus events, see our Event Planning Guide.

Registered graduate organizations may request an on-campus Agency Account. It is a free and convenient way to manage finances for registered student organizations

With your Agency Account you can:

• Like an on-campus bank account — you can deposit dues or fundraised money, withdraw cash, easily pay transactions within USD, have the funding in that account carry over, or have checks written from your Agency account (POETS Code);
• The POETS Code enables you to receive a discount with USD Catering, and many other campus resources require a POETS Code for use/rental.

Any Student Organization with an Agency Account will receive an individualized Worktag, which is an account number unique to your organization’s Agency Account.

• Your Worktag gives you access to your Agency Account.
• Worktags are required for use/rental of certain campus resources.
• Your Worktag Code also enables you to receive a discount with USD Catering.

To request a new Agency account, confirm your Agency account information (Agency code or balance), or change the President/treasurer on the account:

Please email Mariann Sanchez, Assistant Director for Graduate Student Life, at marianns@sandiego.edu to receive a new account form.

You must maintain a positive balance in your Agency account to remain in good standing.

Do you usually elect a new Exec Board in the Spring? You can host virtual elections using a variety of platforms. Each platform offers different features, so review the guides below to determine which will work best for your organization's elections.

Virtual election guides:

• Torero Orgs
• Zoom
• Google Forms

Elections Tips:

• Check your organization’s constitution to ensure you are following the proper election procedures.
• Consider having candidates give live speeches via Zoom or have them pre-record speeches for club members to watch prior to voting.
• Encourage candidates to create a written platform for club members to review before they vote.
• Share election results with your membership in a meeting, via email, and/or through social media.

Planning a strong transition for your student organization can help set officers up for success in the upcoming year. Check out the resources below to prepare for the transition process.

Outgoing Officers & Incoming Team

• Transition Meeting Guide

Outgoing Officers

• Outgoing Officer To-Do List
• Preparing Transition Binders/Files/Notebooks
• Outgoing Officer Transition Worksheet
• Outgoing Officer Organization Analysis
• Outgoing Officer Executive Board Analysis

Incoming Officers

• Incoming Officer Transition Worksheet
• Goal Setting for Your Position - Part 1
• Goal Setting Guide - Part 2
• Goals, Dreams, and Priorities - Part 3

USD has a list of approved vendors for student organizations. We encourage you to review the list prior to contacting potential vendors. All catering orders for Food over $1,000 must be handled through our catering department. All alcohol on campus must be coordinated through our catering department.

Tips for managing your platform:

• Identify a few account managers
• Managing Social Media
  • Know your style/capacity
  • Stay Engaged
  • Review and Adjust
• Instagram engagement
  • Takeovers
  • Quizzes, questions, polls
• Schedule advance posts on Facebook

If you are unsure where to begin, Google is your friend! There are also many free Social Media 101 online courses.

USD Social Media Branding Guidelines:

For any social media account, it is recommended that you have “University of San Diego or USD” in your title. For example: USD Graduate Student Government instead of simply Graduate Student Government.

Recommendations:

• Plan for site admin
• Use the space for fun and entertaining things
• Market events professionally
• Respond to comments and questions
• Be timely and update regularly
• Project your community

Resources for USD Branding Guidelines can also be found online on the USD Brand page.
This page provides information on the USD Visual Identity including:

• Logos
• Color palette
• Typography
• Photos
• Templates
• More

You can find both Graduate Student Life and the Graduate Student Government on Instagram and Facebook:

Instagram

• Graduate Student Life: @USDGradLife
• Graduate Student Government: @USD_GSG

If you want us to advertise for you on Instagram, tag both accounts in your story posts and we will share on our stories.

Facebook

• Graduate Student Life: @USDGradLife
• Graduate Student Government: @USDGraduateStudentCouncil

Budgeting forms are accessible online in either Excel or PDF format, depending on the form. The best way to complete these forms is to fill them out on a computer and then print them. Forms should be completed and submitted by the organization's Treasurer.

Reimbursement forms must be accompanied by the following:

• An original itemized receipt showing the purchase.
• If the reimbursement is for food, the reimbursement form must be accompanied by a sign-in sheet from the event.
• No reimbursements after 60 days of purchase

It is preferred that when possible, you use Mariann Sanchez’s (SLP 401) credit card for all transactions for the Organizations. Credit Card only for in-office use (Online orders, over the phone orders)

Anyone wanting to use Credit Card needs to fill out the GSG Credit Card Request Form

The Petty Cash Voucher for reimbursements under $100, Cashier's Office Deposit Form, and Missing Receipt Declaration are available on the Cashier's Office Forms page. Must have:

• All original itemized receipts (This is the original receipt that you received when you made your purchase. It should list each item purchased)

• All original itemized receipts (This is the original receipt that you received when you made your purchase. It should list each item purchased)
• An attendance sheet (if food was purchased)

All events and meetings must be registered through VirtualEMS. We ask that Graduate Student Organizations register their events through VirtualEMS even while hosting events remotely. All Graduate Student Organization Leaders have access to a VirtualEMS Event Registration How-to video in the shared GSG Google Drive.

You can also use this system to browse for space or to submit a space reservation request once we return to campus. To learn more about planning events on campus, see our Event Planning Guide.

Graduate Student Organizations are able to receive funding through the Graduate Student Government. Visit our Funding Request page for details on the process.

Requirements:

• Graduate Student Organizations may request funding from the government for events that are open for all USD graduate students to attend and that occur within that current fiscal year.
• Funding requests must be received 30 days in advance of the event for which funds are being requested.
• The Finance Committee may vote to:
  • approve the entire amount requested;
  • approve a portion of the amount requested;
  • or not approve any portion of the funding request.

Grad Life Connect is a weekly e-newsletter that is distributed to over 2000 Graduate Students.

If you would like to be included in Grad Life Connect, please submit the form by Friday at noon (the week before).

• Check in with the different schools as many have individual newsletters (SOLES, School of Business, Law etc.)
• Law: Submit Sidebar advertisements by noon on Thursdays: https://usd.tfaforms.net/218312

If you are hosting an event off-campus or an event that may have some risk (i.e. a bonfire, hike, etc.), you will need to have participants complete a liability waiver.

If you have any questions about when it is appropriate to use a liability waiver, please reach out to gradlife@sandiego.edu.

All registered Graduate Student Organizations are able to submit the MyPostings form to advertise upcoming events on the Graduate Student Government Page under "Upcoming Events."

It is important that you follow Grad Life guidelines while completing the MyPostings form. If you submit the form incorrectly, your posting could end up in the wrong place and it is possible your posting will be deleted. Follow our MyPostings How-to for the submission steps.

All graduate student organizations and associations must register annually in order to remain active and be recognized by the University.

Visit our Student Organization Registration page to access the form and for more information.

If you plan on inviting external parties to your event (vendors or speakers), you must ensure that you complete the following steps:

1. Supplier Set Up Form
   • Please submit supplier set up form via email to marianns@sandiego.edu at least one month prior to your event. You will also need to submit the form with your payment request here.
2. Invoice
3. Performance Agreement or Services Agreement
4. Certificate of Insurance

To access any of these forms, visit: Budgeting Forms

All catering orders for Food over $1,000 must be handled through our catering department. For any catering orders under $1,000 students, students can request food from our approved vendors. All alcohol on campus must be coordinated through our catering department.

The following is the University of San Diego's Health and Safety Protocols for Guest Lecturers and Panelists:

For the fall semester, guest lecturers and panelists will be required to provide proof of vaccination 1-week in advance of coming to campus OR proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the speaking engagement. Those unable to provide proof of vaccination/negative COVID-19 test may not present in person but may present via Zoom/other remote options. Guests will also be required to follow face covering protocols while inside buildings.

USD Student Organization Guest Speaker - Proof of Vaccination Form