Services to Advisors

For student organization related business, Boise State, the Student Union, and Student Activities offer advisors a number of services. Call the Student Organizations Office at (208) 426-5951 to access these services. For advisors who are not Boise State employees, short-term parking passes are available. When working in the course and scope of their duties, advisors are generally covered under the University's insurance (Retained Risk Fund) for liability issues. For organization-related situations, attorney consultation can be made available.

Office support for organization business, such as use of a fax, postage and long distance access, is available. The Student Union has a library of books on leadership, diversity and other issues related to college students, and these books may be borrowed. ASBSU provides assistance to organizations and advisors with financial processing, as well as travel request forms. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Student Activities staff is ready to help you with whatever questions or problems may arise. Feel free to contact anyone on the staff to ask for help.

Tips for Advisors

1. Know the students with whom you're working. It's important to know your audience. Different groups require different approaches.
2. Have the goals or objectives of the group firmly in mind.
3. Know what the students expect of you as an advisor.
4. Express a sincere interest in the group and its mission.
5. Express a sincere interest in each individual within the group.
6. Assist the group in setting realistic, obtainable goals.
7. Assist the group in developing a system through which they can evaluate their progress.
8. Assist each individual in achieving his/her needs while helping the group achieve its goals.
   • Why do persons become involved?
   • How can each person grow through his/her involvement?
9. Assist the group in understanding the dynamics of the group and human interaction. Sometimes the process is more important than the content.
10. Realize the importance of the peer group and its affect on how each individual participates or fails to participate.
11. Assist the group in determining the needs of the people the group is serving.1
12. Don't allow yourself to be placed in the position of the chairperson.
13. Develop a style that affects a balance between being an active and passive group member.
14. Be aware of the various roles you'll be filling from time to time:
    • Consultant
    • Information source
    • Clarifier
    • Counselor
    • Facilitator
15. Be aware of the institutional power structure - both formal and informal.
16. Provide continuity for the group from year to year.
17. Challenge the group to grow and develop.
18. Be creative and innovative.
19. Know how to access University resources.

Student Organization Advisor Responsibilities

The relationship of the advisor to the group will vary, not only with each organization, but also from time to time within the group. A typical job description for a faculty advisor does not exist. Each organization has unique requirements and needs of its advisor. Advisors have three main areas of responsibility:

1. To the organization
2. To the individual members
3. To Boise State University

Responsibility to the Organization
The following suggested job description is designed to help the advisor and student leaders arrive at clear and mutually agreed upon responsibilities. The program must justify the expenditure of students' time, abilities, energy, and dues. In the designated responsibilities, there must be opportunities for the educational and personal development of students who participate as members of student organizations. An organization's advisor:

• Should be well informed about all plans and activities of the group. This may be achieved through regular attendance at meetings and/or frequent consultation with student officers.
• Should assist the officers in planning the scholastic achievement program for existing and new members.
• Should encourage the organization and individual members to adopt academic goals.
• Should help to develop long-term plans for the future of the organization and communicate these plans to succeeding generations of members.
• Should assist the organization in developing good study habits and techniques for existing and new members.
• Should periodically review the organization's Web site (if any) for appropriateness of content, professionalism (i.e., spelling) and accuracy of information.
• Should present or arrange with other faculty, staff, or the Student Organizations Office, special workshops on relevant topics.
• Should relay information concerning University policies and regulations.
• Should discourage domination of the group by an individual or subgroup.
• Is responsible for providing long-term continuity within the group, and should be familiar with its history, including major changes in the group's program.
• Should assist in the orientation of new officers.� Is encouraged to attend the events sponsored by the group.
• Should provide direct assistance in the planning and evaluating of programs.
• Should direct students to register all fund raising projects with the Student Union Director's Office.
• Should assist the group in filing the Organization Officer Card, a requirement of the Student Organizations Office.
• Should NOT do the organization's work for them. Organizations at Boise State are STUDENT run and must therefore be administered and governed by student decisions.

Responsibility to Boise State University
Advisors work with students and should not consider themselves as directors of the group's programs and activities, but rather as guides for the group in accordance with the purposes and educational objectives of the University. An advisor should:

• Attend the organization's meeting when deemed necessary or desirable by either the advisor or the organization's members.
• Supervise the financial procedures followed by the organization in handling its funds.
• Be aware of the organization's financial status and encourage the maintenance of efficient financial records.
• Assist the Student Organizations Office in implementing the policies for student organizations.
• Become familiar with the policies and procedures listed in The Source.

Responsibility to the Individual Members
The advisor usually acts as a mentor and guide toward the members of the organization.

• The advisor should encourage each individual to participate and plan group events.
• Group members may need guidance as they decide on their level of participation. The advisor should seek to assist the students in maintaining a balance between the academic and co-curricular aspects of student life.
• The advisor should be available to existing and new members needing assistance with scholastic achievement.

The advisor should encourage students to accept responsibility for specific parts of the program, helping them recognize the importance of their role.

Assessing What Students Want

It is very important for the advisor and the student leaders of student organizations to agree on what the advisor is expected to do. Student Activities has a quiz to help facilitate this discussion. The advisor and each executive officer should respond to the items and discuss the similarities and differences in their responses, assigning responsibilities as necessary. There are no right or wrong answers. This is a tool to help advisors and officers gain a clear understanding of the advisor's role and the expectations of the group. Click here for the assessment.

Risk Management

As an advisor, one of your major duties is to help student organization leaders assess and mitigate the risks of proposed functions. The University expects you to help students practice "risk reduction" when planning activities. Webster's dictionary defines risk as, "The chance of injury, damage or loss; a hazard," and defines management as "The implementation of collaborative efforts to coordinate resources and planning that will establish the most effective climate for growth and development. It is not meant to be synonymous with control." In other words, you as an advisor must collaboratively help students prevent injuries, loss, or damage to public reputation (either your own or Boise State's).

Expectations
The first step in meeting this expectation is knowing what the student organization officers are doing. How can you effectively advise students of risks without knowing what is going on? As an advisor you should be engaged in every phase of event planning and preparation. How you do that is up to you and the students. The officers of the organization may need you to attend every meeting prior to the occurrence of an event, or, if the officers are very experienced, may only need to meet with you periodically for updates and guidance. If the students in your organization are not forthcoming with information about future events, you need to proactively go and get the information from them.

Reducing Risk
Once you know what the students are planning, the next step in risk management is to help them reflect on the event. While there is no such thing as a risk-free event, some things carry more risk than others. The simplest way to identify risky behavior is to ask, "Can someone get injured as a result of attending or participating in this event?" Or, "Would we want our name mentioned with this kind of event in the newspaper?" If the answer is yes, the event can be considered risky. For instance, events where alcohol is consumed, events promoting rough physical contact (i.e. sporting activities) or events sponsored in facilities of questionable safety pose high risks. Other kinds of events, such as staffing a marketing booth, conducting a meeting or retreat or sponsoring a luncheon, pose very little risk.

Most events can have their risk managed reasonably. However, there are certain kinds of function where no amount of planning can adequately address the risk and these functions must NEVER occur. These include, but are not limited to: underage drinking, hazing, fighting, sexist/racist/homophobic behavior. The University does not sanction any event where these kinds of activities take place, nor will any fundraising activity be approved containing these activities.

Your Role
When students propose a risky activity, don't assume the University will veto it immediately. Help them see the risks involved by asking questions.

• "What would happen if someone fell during this event?"
• "How do you plan to address someone who is intoxicated?"
• "How do you plan to prevent underage students from drinking?"
• "Would we want to read about this in the newspaper?"

By helping them plan for worst-case scenarios you are meeting your obligation as an advisor without telling them what to do. However, with that said, there are certain things you are honor-bound to stop, such as underage drinking, hazing, fighting (by calling the police, not by trying to break it up yourself), sexist behavior and racist behavior. Usually confronting such behaviors directly is enough to end them. While it may make you personally uncomfortable to confront these situations, both Boise State University policy and the law are on your side.

During risky events you need to be there! The presence of an advisor can have a moderating effect. Don't assume that if you aren't there things will go well or your own personal liability will be reduced. It won't! Not that we are trying to scare you, but for risky events conducted by organizations you advise there can be a level of personal liability involved. The University covers advisors under the state's Retained Risk Fund, but that coverage has limitations-notably it covers advisors working in "the course and scope of their duty" in relation to events funded, supervised and sanctioned by the University. As noted, part of your duty as an advisor is to help mitigate risk associated with student organization events. Further, in civil liability cases, courts are applying "due diligence" standard when assessing personal liability of advisors. The courts will ask did an advisor do everything a reasonable person could do to prevent an injury from occurring. If the advisor did, then they are likely to win the civil suit.

Alcohol or Illegal Substances
The risk posed by events where alcohol is present cannot be overstated. Note, the University does NOT extend any coverage to you personally or the organization at any event where alcohol is present. No fundraising can come from the sale of alcohol. If students are proposing to host an event with alcohol present, no student organization funds can be used to fund the function. Remind them of these conditions. If they insist on moving forward with the event, call the Student Organization Office for tips on how to reduce risk at alcohol functions. UNDERSTAND: though the Student Organizations Office will help you develop a risk reduction plan, we do not condone the event and do not consider it a Boise State sanctioned function. The Student Organizations Office primary concern is the safety of students and as such we are willing to provide you, as an advisor, support in developing a plan to mitigate risks.

If you and the student organization officers need help assessing the risk of any activity, contact the Student Organizations Office at 426-5951 or Risk Management and Insurance at 426-5955. The professionals in these offices will be glad to meet with you and the student leaders to assess risk.

A Five Step Plan for Assessing Risk

1. Identification
   Prior to an event (or traveling), student organizations should work to identify the risks associated with that activity. Risks not only include situations that can lead to injury, but also include risks to the group's reputation, personal feelings of members or participants, finances, and/or property (your own, the University's or other's).
   
   
2. Evaluation
   Once a group has identified the risks, evaluate the potential consequences to the organization, individuals participating in the activity, and/or to the Boise State community should one of the risks occur. It is also important to think through the environment in which the event/activity is taking place and determine the likelihood of the risks occurring. A careful evaluation of risks prior to hosting an event will assist the organization in minimizing, eliminating potential problems.
   
   
3. Treatment
   Next, the organization must decide how to manage each risk, or decide if the event is too much trouble to do at all. The answer should not always be to eliminate the activity simply because risk exists. Instead, organization leadership in conjunction with their advisor, the Student Organizations Office and Risk Management should work to determine how to best manage and minimize the risks.
   
   
4. Implementation
   It is not enough to identify and plan for potential problems. In order to be successful an organization must follow through on the action items identified to mitigate and/or eliminate potential risks. Document your action plans and educate members of the organization as well other participants on what the plan is, design steps in your plans that permit for monitoring potentially risky parts of the activity to assure that risk management plans are followed.
   
   
5. Assessment
   Upon completion of an event the student organization's leadership should evaluate it. Reflecting back on an event or activity and identifying both those things that went well and those that were not as successful will provide valuable information for future leaders. Write all these ideas down and include them in a notebook for next year's officers.

Officer Transitions

One of the most important functions of an advisor is to assist in the transition from one set of organization officers to the next. As the stability of the organization, the advisor has seen changes, knows what works and can help maintain continuity. Investing time in a good officer transition early on will mean less time spent throughout the year nursing new officers through the fall semester. Student Activities staff is here to help.

The key to a successful transition is making sure new officers know their jobs BEFORE they take office. Expectations should be clearly defined. There are a number of ways to conduct the officer transition. If the organization already has a good system in place, don't change it. The following two methods are examples of two commonly used methods.

The Team Effort
The team effort involves the out-going officer board, the advisor, and the incoming-officer board. This method involves a retreat or series of meetings where out-going officers work with incoming-officers on:

• Past records/notebooks for their office and updating those together
• Discussion topics should include:
  • Completed projects for the past year
  • Upcoming/incomplete projects
  • Challenges and setbacks
  • Anything the new officers need to know to do their job effectively

The advisor's role may be to:

• Facilitate discussion and be a sounding board for ideas
• Organize and provide the structure of a retreat
• Offer suggestions on various questions
• NOT tell new officers what they should do
• "Fill in the blanks." If an outgoing officer does not know how something was done, or does not have records to pass on to the new officer, you can help that officer by providing the information he or she does not have.

The structure of a team effort retreat can take many forms. The advisor's role in this process is to provide historical background when needed, help keep goals specific, attainable and measurable and provide advice on Boise State policies and procedures.

This is an outline of a team effort retreat:

1. Icebreakers and Team Builders
2. Officer Meetings
   1. New/old officers pair off (president with president, treasurer with treasurer)
   2. Update each section of notebooks, or talk about what should go in a new one. If officers do not have a notebook, take the time to create one.
   3. Do not throw old materials away! Send them by campus mail to Boise State Archives, Mail Stop 1430.
   4. Each pair of officers should discuss the following:
      1. With whom did the outgoing officer interact most in Student Activities, the Student Union, Conference Services and Catering, ASBSU, other student organizations, Boise State University administration and in the community?
      2. With the departments/areas listed above, in what capacity did the outgoing officer work with them?
      3. What University paperwork (either Student Union or ASBSU) is this position responsible for completing?
      4. What did the outgoing officer have to do with the organization's ASBSU budget request (assuming this question applies to your group)?
      5. What University procedures did the outgoing officer have the most trouble with and how can the incoming officer avoid those troubles?
      6. What were the biggest challenges the outgoing officer faced and how did they overcome them?
      7. What goals did the outgoing officer have, and which were achieved and which were not?
3. Joint officer meeting
   
   1. Gather as a group; write everyone's notes on a board or flip chart. Note similarities. For instance, the president and treasurer may always interact with the ASBSU financial technician.
   2. Generate a discussion on similarities, challenges and how challenges can be overcome.
   3. Review The Source. Have outgoing officers talk about helpful sections.
4. New officer meeting (this could be a separate meeting, or the next phase of the retreat)
   1. Goal review. What did the past officers accomplish?
   2. What is left to do from the past goal list? Revise list or eliminate it if the officers choose.
   3. Provide new officers time to list goals for their position on their own.
   4. Reassemble and share updated goals.
   5. Brainstorm new goals for the organization and ideas for programs, fundraisers, and social events.
      1. Make an exhaustive list of everything the group could possibly accomplish.
      2. Narrow down that list to what they can reasonably accomplish.
      3. Assign tasks to specific officers. If no one wants to do it, take it off the list of goals.

One-on-One Training, Advisor with Officers
While it is ideal to have the outgoing officer team assist in training the incoming officers, often it is left up to the advisor to educate the incoming officers. In that situation, there should be a joint meeting of the new officers, as described in section 4 of the above outline. After that meeting, the advisor should meet individually with each officer; examine the notebook of the previous officer (or create a new one). Things to include in a new notebook:

• The Source
• Any forms the office may use, such as;
  • ASBSU budget forms
  • Fundraising forms
  • Catering exemption form
  • Travel authorization form
• Copies of previous meeting agendas
• A copy of the organization's ASBSU budget, if applicable
• A copy of the organization's constitution and bylaws

Talk about what the officers hope to accomplish in the forthcoming year. Assess the officer's role in the organization. What are the expectations of each position? What are the student's expectations of the position and his/her goals? If they deal with programming, go through guidelines in The Source for Event Planning, Source 3.

University Archives For Your Organization's Records

The University Archives, located in Albertsons Library, preserves the history of Boise State by collecting the records of University departments, offices, and organizations. Clubs and organizations can assist in several ways. First, add the Archives to the mailing list for your newsletter. (Campus mail address "Library-Archives" is sufficient). Second, at the end of each year, or when the officers change, call the Archives at (208) 426-1736 to arrange a time to drop off old unneeded records. These include: minutes of past meetings, handouts, brochures, project files, photos, scrapbooks, etc. If in doubt, let the Archives have it. The archives of your organization will always be here for you to consult-and provide inspiration for your successors.

Why Religious Organizations Are Not Eligible For ASBSU's Funding

The Idaho State Constitution expressly forbids state money going to religious organizations. Here is text of the constitution:

Article IX Education and School Lands
SECTION 5. SECTARIAN APPROPRIATIONS PROHIBITED. Neither the legislature nor any county, city, town, township, school district, or other public corporation, shall ever make any appropriation, or pay from any public fund or monies whatever, anything in aid of any church or sectarian or religious society, or for any sectarian or religious purpose, or to help support or sustain any school, academy, seminary, college, university or other literary or scientific institution, controlled by any church, sectarian or religious denomination whatsoever; nor shall any grant or donation of land, money or other personal property ever be made by the state, or any such public corporation, to any church or for any sectarian or religious purpose; provided, however, that a health facilities authority, as specifically authorized and empowered by law, may finance or refinance any private, not for profit, health facilities owned or operated by any church or sectarian religious society, through loans, leases, or other transactions.

All other organizations are eligible for ASBSU funds, except club sports, which receive dollars from Campus Recreation.