Table of Contents Next
Section >>
SECTION
1 Ð RSO INFORMATION
This Registered Student Organization (RSO) Manual is a guide, and resource to help students involved in co-curricular activities get the most out of those activities. The information contained within this RSO Manual applies to different facets of the participation in, and the leadership of, Registered Student Organizations, clubs and other organizations that constitute a large part of the co-curricular programs at Central Michigan University. As a means of experiencing the opportunities and benefits of co-curricular activities students are encouraged to form or join student organizations. An organization requesting status as a Registered Student Organization agrees to abide by all policies and conditions outlined in the Registered Student Organization Manual. Central Michigan University provides benefits to student organizations (referred to as "RSOs") to assist them in conducting these activities; however, the provision of University benefits to RSOs should not be misinterpreted as meaning RSOs are part of, or controlled by the University, (exceptions: CMU Student Government Association; CMU Residence Hall Assembly; and CMU Program Board) that the University is responsible for the RSO's contracts or other acts or omissions, or that the University approves of the RSO's goals or activities. The RSOs are free to exist and operate either with or without University benefits.
This RSO manual describes the entire relationship between the University and RSOs, including all of the University benefits RSOs may receive, and all of the conditions for their receipt. This RSO manual is the only source of any control the University may have over the RSO or its activities, except to the extent, if any, the University chooses to exercise control over activities occurring on its property, or over matters covered by the University's Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Disciplinary Procedures. The Office of Student Life reserves the right to grant or deny RSO status.
A.
What is a Registered Student Organization?
A Registered Student Organization (RSO) at Central Michigan University is any group consisting primarily of students enrolled at CMU, and formed to contribute to those students' educational growth, recreation, and/or personal development. Most importantly, a Registered Student Organization is registered with the Office of Student Life.
B.
Privileges of Registered Student Organizations
Registration of student groups is a privilege and is not intended to restrict the free association of students in non-registered groups. Upon registering, student organizations gain several privileges, including:
1. The use of University facilities and services for meetings and approved activities when available.
2. The opportunity to conduct approved fund-raising projects on campus.
3. The opportunity to participate in and coordinate activities with other Registered Student Organizations.
4. The right to apply for a University mailbox when available and the use of a mailing address at Central Michigan University.
5. The opportunity to apply for funding through the Student Budget Allocation Committee (SBAC) for all campus projects and programs.
6. The opportunity for participation in new student orientation and the annual Student Activities Fairs (MainStage & The RSO Showcase).
7. The opportunity to nominate candidates for Homecoming Gold Ambassadors.
8. The opportunity to apply for office space in the Student Organization Center, when available.
9. The opportunity to participate in the student organizational leadership programs.
C. The
Registration Process - Reggie
In order to be eligible for the privileges and services available to student organizations, an organization must register with the Office of Student Life (University Center 111, 989.774.3016).
The Registration of Organizations is done online using Reggie.
1. The President must have a Global ID. This ID can be obtained from Helpdesk (989.774.3662) or http://www.oit.cmich.edu
2. The name and Global ID of the Advisor is required.
3. The President logs on to the Online Registration System (RSO Reggie System) and completes the application.
4. Upload an up-to-date constitution and bylaws. The local constitution must contain the following information:
- The name of the organization
- The purpose(s) of the organization
- Requirements for membership
- Method of officer selection
- Impeachment proceedings
- A statement about the disbursement of organizational funds should the organization be dissolved
- A non-discrimination clause (see example of Sample Constitution)
5. The Advisor will receive an email asking for a confirmation of their status as the RSO's advisor. The confirmation is done electronically.
6. Officers of RSOs must be in good academic standing (minimum 2.0 GPA required), free of disciplinary probation, and be registered for at least six semester hours of credit at CMU during their term in office. The Office of Student Life can access these records at any time. It is recommended that minimum standards for the membership of the RSOs should require that members have at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average and be free of disciplinary probation. Organizations are encouraged to set membership standards higher than 2.0 in an effort to strive for academic excellence.
E.
Email, Website hosting, & Listservs
Any Registered Student Organization can request to have an RSO e-mail account, set up a listserv, or have their web site hosted on a University server. For more information, contact the Computer Help Desk at 774-3662 or visit Technology Operation's web site at www.oit.cmich.edu.
Any RSO in good standing may request a link to the Registered Student Organization website. To do so, please see the web page link guidelines below.
These guidelines only apply to RSO's utilizing web space hosted by CMU (personal, RSO servers). (ex. www.rso.cmich.edu/rso_name )
1. Make your web page polished and ready for people to see.
We will not link pages that are not ready for the public to view.
2. Include the following on the 1st page that people see of your web page (NOT on a links page):
- A link to CMU's main homepage (www.cmich.edu).
- A link to Student Life's homepage (www.stulife.cmich.edu).
- Include NAME and EMAIL ADDRESS of someone who updates that web page. The email address must appear in the text of the page ... a "mailto:" link alone is unacceptable.
- Include a LAST UPDATED notice with the calendar date of the last time the page was updated.
- Include the AA/EO LINK OR Statement.
- CMU Web Policy link.
- CMU Privacy Policies link.
- CMU Copyright link.
- CMU home page link, if this link is not included as a text link in the body or main navigation areas of the page.
3. Complete the online Web Link Approval Form through the Online Registration System at http://www.rso.cmich.edu.
4. You will be notified by the Office of Student Life if and when your page is approved, and what (if any) changes need to be made for compliance.
Listserv Information
The purpose of this listserv is to allow all Registered Student Organization Presidents to raise questions, discuss problems, share programming ideas or talk about current topics concerning the RSO's they lead. To send information to other Presidents please send your message for the Presidents to the Office of Student Life at studentlife@cmich.edu.
F.
Student Organization Center (SOC)
The Student Organization Center (SOC) is a center for student organizations to function and interact in a professional manner. The SOC is located on the lower level of the Bovee University Center. The SOC contains resources to allow all Registered Student Organizations the ability to conduct business. Some resources include: office space, storage areas, mailboxes, computers, a lounge area and one conference area.
Due to limitation of space not all Registered Student Organizations can receive office space. However, ALL Registered Student Organizations have the privilege and are highly encouraged to use the other resources available in the SOC.
Office space is available in the SOC for a number of RSOs. Contact the Office of Student Life for information on the availability of space and how to apply if space is available. Organizations using these offices must adhere to all policies governing use, and are subject to removal if these guidelines (See Section 3 "Policies For RSOs") are not followed.
The SOC remains open
during regular University Center hours during the academic year. Generally,
keys to the SOC areas are not issued to RSO officers, with the exception of
desk and file cabinet keys.
If you would like to request a mailbox, please contact the Office of Student Life. RSOs should pick up their mail at least twice a week. To have mail sent to your mailbox, use the following address format:
Organization's Name
Box #
Bovee UC
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Computers located in the Student Organization Center are there for the explicit use of Registered Student Organizations. Only Individuals who are members of CMU Registered Student Organizations can use computers.
The following guidelines should be followed when using any of the SOC computers or printers. Failure to do so may result in loss of SOC privileges.
1. DO NOT SHUTDOWN THE COMPUTER! (It has an Auto-Power Save Mode)
2. DO NOT TURN OFF THE MONITOR!! (It has an Auto-Power Save Mode)
3. DO NOT ADD PROGRAMS TO THE COMPUTER...They will be deleted.
4. Users MUST LOG OUT of the computer when they are finished using it, BEFORE the next person sits down to use it. This is the only way to control damage to the systems. To log off the computer, press CONTROL+ALT+DELETE and select the option--"LOGOFF."
5. No more than 3 copies of the same document may be printed to the printers in the SOC. If multiple copies are needed, please use a photocopy machine.
6. DO NOT LOAD LABELS INTO THE PRINTERS!
7. If problems with the computer arise, contact the Office of Student Life.
8. Paper for the printers can be obtained from the Office of Student Life.
9. Non-Student Life personnel are NOT authorized to remove paper from the printer paper trays, doing so may be considered theft of University property.
10. Accessing "Adult" material on any of the computer systems is inappropriate.
11. RSO business comes before personal business. Users must relinquish use of the system if they are not working on RSO business, and someone else needs to work on RSO business.
12. Users working on graphical work (scanning, photo re-touching, etc) have priority on the Graphics Station. RSO business, however, still comes before personal business.
13.
By using the SOC computers, users are
agreeing to this set of rules, as well as those defined by Technology
Operations for acceptable
use of CMU computing facilities.
G. The Student Budget Allocation Committee (SBAC) is a constitutional committee of the Student Government Association. Each year the SBAC is responsible for allocating funds, generated from the CMU promise and administered through the Campus Programming Fund, to Registered Student Organizations who request funds for programming and conferences. The committee is made up of student representatives representing the various types of student organizations (sports clubs, Greek Life, religious, academic, etc.). http://www.stulife.cmich.edu/programs/sbac/index.shtml
SBAC/Office of
Student Life On-Campus Accounts
In order to comply with the policies and regulations of Central Michigan University, all funds and allocations received by student organizations from the Student Budget Allocation Committee (SBAC) will automatically be transferred into a University account. The Office of Student Life must approve all transactions through University accounts.
For further information on procedures and guidelines for using an On-Campus Account maintained by SBAC/Office of Student Life, contact the Administrative Clerk in the Office of Student Life (111 Bovee University Center, 774-3016).
Managing
Organizational Accounts
With different types of funds available to organizations also comes the need to manage those funds. Depending on the funding source, the organization may have an off-campus checking account at a local bank, an on-campus account for a specific event maintained by SBAC and the Office of Student Life, or an on-campus account maintained by an academic/administrative department outside the Office of Student Life.
For RSO monies that are not from SBAC (University), it is recommended that RSOs open off-campus banking accounts. While the University does not regulate these accounts, it does make the following strong recommendations to student organization officers:
- Each Registered Student Organization must have two members counter-sign checks from off- campus accounts. Two counter-signers is a good check and balance system to develop for accounting, and it is for the protection of all members and officers.
- It is very important to have the signature cards at local banks changed each time a new officer takes over the accounting, and it is a procedure that the banks expect to be completed. It will be beneficial to provide documentation when verifying executive board changes to the bank.
- Treasurers must give receipts to all members for monies received (including dues) and provide members with an accounting of expenditures on a weekly or monthly basis.
- It is a good idea to have someone outside of your organization audit off-campus accounts on a semester or annual basis. This is especially true when there is a change in officers. Your RSO must require someone other than the check signer(s) to open the bank statements each month and review them for reasonableness. Performing regular audits on your accounts frees your officers from any suspicion and limits their liability.
On-Campus
Accounts Other Than SBAC/Office of Student Life
This type of account usually pertains to academic related student organizations that receive funding through vending accounts established by their respective departments. Monies from vending accounts are usually disbursed early in the academic year. Use of these funds must be coordinated through the main departmental office. Questions regarding procedures for using the account or disbursing funds should be directed to the appropriate departmental office.
All requests for purchases must be initiated and approved by the Office of Student Life
In order to make an inter-departmental charge, you must complete and submit the request form. This procedure is to protect your interests as an RSO by allowing only designated personnel (those designated on your "Application for Registration") to make charges against your University account (usually the President or Treasurer). The request form must be approved by the Office of Student Life and be submitted to the department in which you are making the charges.
The Office of Student Life must approve all vouchers and charges for the following:
- Accounting Office - University Stores*
- Purchasing Office - Campus Recreational Services*
- University Center* - Central Michigan Life*
- University Events* - Media Services*
- University Press*
Charges from departments with asterisks (*) are automatically deducted from your account as an account transfer. Do not process invoices received from these departments for payment. They are for recording purposes only.
Tax Information: For more information please http://www.irs.gov
Many student organizations believe
that because they are essentially non-profit and are comprised primarily of
students, that they are automatically tax-exempt. Registering your organization
with the Office of Student Life does not cover you under Central Michigan
University's tax-exempt number.
Your organization is not "Tax-Exempt" unless you have applied
for-and been granted that status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). If
you think your organization may qualify for exemption from income taxes, visit
the IRS http://www.irs.gov/charities/content/0,,id=96986,00.html