Before you start planning your event, you’ll need an idea. Whether your organization has done the event every year for the past ten years or you’re trying something completely new, below are some considerations you should make to your event planning team:
Going through these questions with your event planning team will help to focus your efforts and decide what methods would be effective in meeting the needs of your organization and the UP community. Once you have reflected on and discussed these questions, it is time to start brainstorming the details:
Create a Timeline. When tackling a project, it’s often a good strategy to develop a personal timeline that specifies when certain tasks need to be completed and in what order you plan to complete them. Below is a general event-planning timeline. Feel free to customize this checklist to include the specific needs for your group’s activity.
Depending on the size of the event (100 or more attending), schedule a meeting with the Office of Student Activities to review the proposed activity details. This meeting helps ensure you have all of the information you need to plan a successful event and comply with University policies.
Six or More Weeks Before Event - Goal SettingAll room reservations must be submitted by the club’s advisor or the Office of Student Activities.
Bon Appetit offers multiple student catering options. To view their complete list of catering options please visit their website.
Below are a few tips about student catering:All contracts, payment forms, and reimbursement forms should be submitted to the Office of Student Activities or the ASUP director of finance two weeks in advance to ensure all payments and paperwork will be processed on time.
If you are agreeing to pay an individual or group for services to your club (concert performance, guest lecture, equipment rental, etc.), you MUST submit the following three forms to the Program Coordinator for Student Clubs & Organizations:
You can read the Standard Agreement form. This is the legal agreement between the person or group you are paying and the University.
As a student you cannot sign contracts with vendors or speakers. Only an agent of the university. If you have questions or concerns, reach out to the Program Coordinator for Clubs & Organizations, Bryan Dennis.
Here is the Substitute W-9 form. The person or group you are paying completes this entire form.
The Reimbursement & Payment Request form.
If you are requesting reimbursement for a purchase you or a club member has made on behalf of the club, complete the Reimbursement & Payment Request Form.
Any contract (examples: bands or speakers) involving payment must be handled by the Program Coordinator for Clubs and Organizations and signed by a University officer (normally by the Vice President for Student Affairs). When working with the Program Coordinator for Clubs and Organizations, it is important to give at least a month notice to have him review the contract and have the appropriate individuals sign it. If contracts are not handled by one of those staff members, the contract will not be honored and you will not receive the funds necessary for your event. If the contract is with a company please include the tax identification number or if it is with an individual, include his/her Social Security Number. The individual will also need to fill out a W9 form, which can be found on the Controller's website.
Students are not authorized to sign contracts obligating the University to provide services, space, its name, etc. in conjunction with club events, and must so inform any agents or performers of this fact when gathering information and discussing the possibility of hiring performers or holding events.
The Federal Copyright Act specifies that copyrighted materials like movies can be used publicly if properly licensed. However, neither the rental nor purchase of a movie carries the right to exhibit it outside of one’s home. The good news is ASUP Films can properly license movies for a copyright compliant exhibition.
This law applies to everyone, regardless of:
This means colleges, universities, public schools, public libraries, day care facilities, parks, recreation departments, summer camps, churches, private clubs, prisons, lodges, businesses and more all must properly license movies to show them publicly.
Only ASUP Films can provide the necessary licensing to show films on your campus on behalf of the studios.
Motion picture companies can and will go to court to ensure their copyrights are not violated. Those convicted could face embarrassing publicity, up to five years in prison and fines ranging up to $250,000.
Yes. A license is required for all public performances regardless of whether admission is charged. The rental, purchase, lending or download of a movie does not provide the right to exhibit it publicly outside the home unless the screening is properly licensed.
The management of the venue or premises where the movie is shown bears the ultimate responsibility and consequences of copyright infringement. However, anyone involved with the public performance of copyrighted material could be implicated.
Unfortunately, no. Licenses are valid for a specific, designated time frame. There are no annual licenses available to colleges and universities.
Yes. A license needs to be obtained regardless of the number of people attending the screening if the movie is being shown outside the home.
A major event is a program, event or activity sponsored by student organizations involving 100 or more participants held on UP’s campus. Examples of major events include dances, balls, step shows, talent shows, fashion shows, comedy shows, lectures, entertainment performances, and Cultural Events. Meetings are not considered major events. Student organizations can only sponsor or co-sponsor one major event per semester. Any club planning to host a major event must contact The Office of Student Activities at least ten weeks beforehand.
Any University-sponsored events that include alcohol where graduate or undergraduate students are present must be approved by the Vice President for Student Affairs or his/her designee(s). All such events must include adequate safeguards to ensure moderate and legal consumption through the promotion of responsible attitudes towards and decision-making regarding the consumption of alcohol. Approval will normally only be granted when the event complies with the policies found on the Guidelines and Approval Form for a University Event with Alcohol policy available on the Office of Student Affairs website.
Living groups and clubs formally recognized by the University are subject to the same regulations as individual students. University recognition means that such groups accept corporate, or group, responsibility to protect the members of the University community and their guests from any violation of their rights or privileges in group activities and activities of individual members. Such clubs are generally required to designate officers, but such designation in no way diminishes the group's corporate responsibility. Failure of officers, when acting in their official capacity, to protect the rights of members of the community or to observe University regulations will subject them as individuals to judicial action. Such failure and subsequent judicial action does not relieve the clubs or organization of its corporate responsibility, and the club's status and recognition may be subject to review, possible suspension, revocation or permanent disbanding even after one violation.
Interruption of the on-going processes of the University whether in the classroom, residence halls, Commons, or campus proper is acceptable only with the permission obtained from the Director of Student Activities.
At events which are sponsored by campus clubs or student organizations, either on campus or in the community, conduct of the participants will be such that it does not reflect negatively toward the University.
Membership in all student clubs shall be open to all interested undergraduate students who meet previously approved club requirements. Single-gender student clubs will be approved providing that similar opportunities, if desired, are available to the other gender. Transgender, or nonbinary students are welcome to participate in all clubs and organizations they feel best align with their preferred identity.
Groups with an initiation ceremony or pledge period may not violate University policies on hazing and initiation. Initiation is normally considered to be a one-time event. The group's advisor or approved designee must be present at all initiation ceremonies and activities. No student clubs or organization shall conduct hazing activities.
“Hazing” is defined as any behavior on or off campus that singles out members of this community or members of a student organization, group, club, athletic team, or residence hall in a manner that is unwelcome. Such behavior may or may not include taking action or creating a situation to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Due to the coercive nature of hazing, implied or expressed consent to hazing is not a defense under this policy.
For a more complete description and listing of hazing please see Life on The Bluff.
In order to remain in good standing, activities encouraged, sponsored by, or participated in by a club, organization, or any member acting on the club or organization’s behalf must be consistent with the University’s mission and Catholic character. Clubs and organizations must abide by all University policies, as well as local, state, and federal law. Student groups should pay particularly close attention to policies regarding distribution and posting of literature, use of alcoholic beverages, use of campus facilities, trips and transportation, and campus regulations regarding noise and quiet hours. Interruption of or disruption to the ongoing activities of the University, including, but not limited to, activity in classrooms, residence halls, the Commons, and campus proper, is acceptable only with permission obtained through the Director of Student Activities.
Clubs should annually review their constitution and update the language as needed. Are you doing the events you said you wanted to? Are you achieving the mission you set out? Is your non-discrimination policy up to date?
The Office of Student Activities may require clubs to update their constitution on a regular basis.Should you be concerned about the extent of your legal responsibility, rest assured that the University's liability coverage would apply to a club or organization under reasonable circumstances. As always, it is important that you act as a reasonable and prudent person would act. If your club decides to enter into a physically demanding activity then you should ensure precautions are taken. Universities typically do not sponsor or have their name associated with risky activities of this nature unless the university has clearly stated the risks involved in a Hold Harmless Waiver (Liability) Form, and the university’s insurance company has been consulted.
The best advice for you is to contact the Office of Student Activities if you have any reason to be concerned about the health and safety of students in conjunction with the club.The Office of Student Activities is responsible for the implementation of university policies regarding the recognition of student clubs. As part of this process it is necessary that the following information be collected:
Learn how to start a club.
All undergraduates who pay a student government fee must be allowed to participate in those clubs that most match their interests. It may be necessary that student clubs limit their membership to undergraduate students currently enrolled for a degree at the University; however, the club may give an affiliate status to current graduate students, University faculty, staff, and alumni. Affiliates may not outnumber student members nor shall they hold any elected office.
Recognition allows the club to utilize campus facilities and services, use the University’s name in the identification of the club and in the sponsorship of activities and events, and provide the group the option to apply for ASUP funding.
The Director of Student Activities will make final determination regarding organizational recognition and will adopt the necessary procedures for the implementation of the recognition process.
A group wishing to initiate the recognition procedure will first schedule an appointment with the Associate Director of Student Activities. From here, the group may consult for assistance in completing the club proposal in Engage.
Reasons for a club proposal to be denied or rescinded may include, but are not limited to:
If approval is denied or rescinded, an appeal may be made in writing to the Vice President for Student Affairs.
Healthy clubs are regularly reaching out to welcome new members. Annual Activities Fairs are a great place to highlight what your club offers. Club can also: host information meetings, reach out to faculty/staff for recommendations, invite interested students to events, and reserve common’s tables to bring awareness to the club’s efforts.
The University requires recognized clubs and student organizations to have a UP faculty or staff advisor. Faculty/staff advisors are the most important resource a club has. Advisors provide advice, create a learning atmosphere, encourage new program ideas, help develop and plan and they are available for consultation and mediation. They promote the purpose and activities of your group to other faculty/staff as well as assist students in developing relationships with faculty/staff members.
Advisors can help your club or organization become self-sufficient by giving advice when called upon or when s/he feels it is appropriate. The advisor is concerned with the function of the entire club as well as with the individual group members.
Advisors provide continuity from year to year. Advisors ensure the group follows University guidelines and explains University policy. They share their knowledge in principles of group dynamics, organization and administrative practices. Advisors show support by attending group activities. In summary, an advisor is a problem-solver, mediator, guide, critic, and resource person. Advisors also make all club room reservations through EMS.
To aid your club in finding the faculty/staff advisor that will best "fit" your club, follow these suggestions:
Jeromy Koffler, the Director of Student Activities, is available to talk with faculty and staff about the University’s expectations for advisors of student clubs and organizations.
All recognized clubs are subject to yearly renewal process.
Please note:
Loss of recognition carries a loss of all privileges granted to a fully recognized student club. In order to regain the status of full recognition and the accompanying privileges, members must re-initiate the entire procedure for recognition from the initial steps already outlined. Renewal of recognition is not guaranteed.
To be compliant with ADA standards, a disability accommodations statement needs to be on all advertisements to be approved for posting. The following sentence is an example: "For questions or ADA accommodations, please contact (SPONSOR NAME) at (SPONSOR EMAIL or PHONE)."
All flyers, posters, table tents, and other forms of printed advertisements need an approval stamp from the Office of Student Activities to remain posted on campus. The Office of Student Activities will post your flyers for you around campus! Just bring the appropriate number (18) of flyers or posters to our office and we'll get them up on the bulletin boards around campus. Flyer distribution usually occurs every Tuesday and Thursday that school is in session. Only one advertisement per event is permitted on any one bulletin board. All posters and flyers will be removed from University bulletin boards the day following the event or two weeks after the date of approval, whichever is earlier. Unauthorized material will be removed.
Bring in the original flyer to The Office of Student Activities or email it to stuact@up.edu before making copies to ensure that all the necessary information has been included.
The maximum size for flyers is 8.5 x 11 inches. The maximum size for posters is 12 x 18 inches. There is limited space on the campus bulletin boards, so priority goes to 8.5 x 11 sized flyers if there are too many flyers and posters to fit on a board at one time.
| What | Quantity | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Full run: | 18 | All Campus |
| Main bulletin boards only: | 8 | Franz, BC, Commons, St. Mary's, Library |
| Residence Halls only: | 9 | All Residence Halls |
| Sales/ Solicitation: | 3 | Franz, BC |
| Off-campus advertisements: | 3 | Franz, BC |
| Table Tents | 40-70 | Commons, Pilot House |
Newspapers, magazines, journals, and other periodicals must be approved by the Office of Student Activities for distribution prior to delivery. Materials such as brochures, handbills, information sheets, or promotional items approved for distribution may be handed out in high-traffic areas (e.g., in the Bauccio Commons foyer) as indicated by the Director of Student Activities. Door-to-door or random solicitation to pedestrians is prohibited. Materials may not be placed on or in vehicles parked on campus or left unattended in public areas. All materials to be distributed in all residence halls must be approved by the Office of Residence Life.
Recognized clubs, student organizations, and campus departments may use sidewalk chalk to advertise an event or promote messages related to the group’s mission and purpose provided they obtain permission in advance from the Office of Student Activities. Permission may be obtained by sending submitting a request on Engage at least three business days in advance.
Once approved, chalking is allowed under the following guidelines:
The student newspaper, The Beacon, offers online advertising. View the options and an ad rate sheet.
ADvantage publicizes student organization and campus department events. Your organization will be charged for publicity services and will be billed through the ASUP director of finance.
For a fee, ADvantage staff will produce and distribute campus publicity, including high quality digital flyers as well as hard-copy posters, flyers, and table tents to publicize campus events throughout campus and residence halls. ADvantage also advertises digitally. Each Residence Hall and many of the buildings on campus have digital screens that cycle through advertisements throughout the day. ADvantage can also create content for your club's social media such as Profile Pictures, Banners, and Posts.
ADvantage publicity request forms must be turned in ten days prior to the date you want the poster. Forms are available on Engage.These are two separate accounts. The ASUP account is managed by the ASUP Director of Finance. The money in this account comes from the general ASUP budget process, which occurs both fall and spring semesters.
The Waldschmidt account is managed by the Controller’s Office (e.g. Elizabeth Ankeney), and is used when clubs conduct fundraisers or collect club dues. Clubs are not allowed to have an outside banking account – once the students graduate, only they can get access to this account and all the monies generated for this club cannot be accessed by anyone from the university.
Please do not use an outside banking account or your own personal banking account for club funds. All club funds should be going into the club account located in the Controller’s Office (Waldschmidt Hall). Club funds may include club dues, fundraisers, donations from outside vendors, etc.
These forms need to be filled out at least two weeks prior to when the money is needed. This form of payment is used for $50 or more. Cash reimbursement forms are for under $50. The students need to turn this information into the ASUP Treasurer for processing. The forms can be found online under the Controller’s Office at Reimbursement and Payment Request Form.
The funds left over in club accounts each semester now go straight into the endowment fund, which was voted on by the student body a few years ago. The endowment fund will create wealth for future club leaders, but right now the principle is still being added too.
The ASUP Budget is funded by the student government fee that full-time undergraduate students pay each semester. These funds may be requested by any recognized student club in good standing with the office of Student Activities.
Any recognized club or organization wishing to request funds must submit a line item budget through their Engage group page. The budget timeline is emailed to all club presidents and treasurers by the ASUP Director of Finance.
Interview times with the ASUP Financial Management Board are set up when the budget request forms are returned. Any club wishing to receive ASUP funds should attend an interview with the ASUP Director of Finance and Financial Management Board. If you are unable to keep the scheduled interview, you are required to make arrangements to have another informed club officer take your place or by contacting the ASUP Director of Finance as soon as possible.
On Engage, you are asked to provide a line item budget for your semester budget request. Along with the request, a brief explanation is recommended. This ensures the club the opportunity to explain the request. If possible, get estimates from departments (e.g. Bon Appetit for food). Make sure you know if a service is free or not.
At least one representative from the club may attend the Financial Management Board interview session. Generally, interviews last ten to fifteen minutes.
A representative from the club will be asked to give a brief explanation of their semester budget request. Please be prepared to elaborate your allocation in detail. If possible, the person who filled out the request form should be present at the interview.
The Financial Management Board is a group of five to ten voting members, all of whom are sworn in by the senate.
After the interviews, the ASUP Director of Finance and the Financial Management Board will meet and review all requests for ASUP funds. At this time, the committee will create the proposed budget to the Senate.
The ASUP Director of Finance presents a proposed budget created by the Financial Management Board to the ASUP Senate for approval. At the following two Senate meetings, the budget will be openly discussed and debated by the senators. The ASUP Director of Finance is responsible to speak on behalf of the Financial Management Board to explain the proposed budget. In order to make changes to the proposed budget, a senator must make a motion. A motion must be approved by a 2/3 majority vote by the Senate in order to pass. At any time, a senator can move to vote on the budget, which will require a simple majority vote (more than half of the Senate) in order to pass, unless it has been amended by the Senate, in which case the budget requires a 2/3's majority to pass. During these senate meetings, clubs may ask Senate for revisions in the proposed allocation. This is the only chance for revisions and amendments to occur.
There are several ways to receive the funds that have been allocated to your club. The easiest and preferred method is to have the ASUP Director of Finance pay for the expense on a University-owned credit card.
The second option for receiving ASUP funds is to have a club representative fill out a Reimbursement and Payment Request Form for each expense covered by the ASUP allocation. Be sure to put the address of the payee, as this is important for the Controller's office (where checks are written) and their records. Copies of any original contracts, receipts or invoices must be attached. If the payee is an individual for a service performed (e.g. speaker, DJ, etc.,), he/she will need to complete a W-9 form found on the Controller’s website. This is necessary for tax purposes. Amounts must be exact, as no payments with the amount left blank will be issued.
After receiving a club's request for reimbursement or payment, the ASUP Director of Finance sends it to the University's Controller's Office where all payments are finalized. Because the ASUP Director of Finance is not in the office every day, and because the University's Controller often has high volumes of work, any check requests should be placed on the ASUP Director of Finance's desk at a minimum of two weeks before the funds are needed. Otherwise, there is no way of ensuring that you will receive the money by the time needed.
These departments are given a list of all clubs that have received funds from ASUP and for what specific event(s) these funds are intended. This allows allocated groups to make "charges" at these departments without filling out a check request. The University's Controller's Office will then notify the ASUP Director of Finance of these internal charges so s/he can deduct them from the club's account. Clubs should meet with the ASUP Director of Finance prior to charging something. Clubs are not permitted to charge anything without approval.
The use of the University’s name, logos, seals, and symbols on any merchandise must be approved by the Office of Marketing and Communications. Unauthorized use and/or alteration of name, logo, or designated symbols of the University is strictly prohibited. Excluding University Athletics, Marketing and Communications, and Residence Life, approval from the Office of Student Activities is required for all student and departmental sales, services provided in exchange for resources, and solicitation for support by campus groups, both on and off campus, as well as all on-campus attempts to solicit the University student population by unaffiliated non-profit groups and businesses. Request forms are found at on Engage. Student groups should submit request forms at least two weeks in advance of the beginning of the proposed fundraiser or solicitation. If the solicitation is a campaign to request donations from parents, friends, organizations, or businesses, student groups should submit the request four weeks in advance of the proposed launch of the campaign as additional approval must be granted from the Office of Development.
No, crowd-sourced fundraising is not allowed.
Sales are defined as the activity of exchanging a product or service in exchange for money, goods or other services. Solicitation is defined as any effort to ask for support, donations or contributions of money, goods or services.
See Life on The Bluff for examples of sales and solicitation.
An on-campus individual or organization interested in planning sales or solicitation must fill out and submit a Sales and Solicitation Form.
An on-campus individual or organization interested in having a raffle as a fundraiser must fill out a Sales and Solicitation Form and follow the UP sales and solicitation policy. In addition, the following conditions must be met in order for a raffle to be approved:
If you have questions regarding UP policy of raffles, please contact the Office of Student Activities. For more information on the universities policies and procedures related to sales and solicitation please see Life on The Bluff.
A University trip is defined as any travel to and from the University sponsored by a department, faculty, staff, or student organization for which the University provides planning, financial assistance, and/or general guidance for the purpose of fulfilling an aspect of the University’s mission for business or education. The Office of Student Activities classifies trips into four categories: local travel, day trips, extended trips, and international travel.
In order to seek approval for day trips or extended trips, the sponsoring organization must provide to the Office of Student Activities the following information via the Travel Request Form on Engage:
Please review Life on The Bluff for a complete description of the University’s travel policies.
A student representative from the sponsoring organization must accompany the trip. The Office of Student Activities may require a University chaperone on certain trips, particularly on overnight trips. In these cases, the sponsoring organization is responsible for recruiting a full-time faculty or administrative staff member to serve as the University representative. Once approved, a signed waiver form detailing the potential risks of participation will be collected from each participant before departure. Waivers are available from the Student Activities Office and must be obtained in advance. Any groups conducting or sponsoring trips through other departments or programs must meet these requirements and any additional requirements of that department or program.
Any student driving their personal vehicle OR a university owned vehicle for University or club-related purposes is required to complete the Driver Safety Training through the platform United Educators.
If you are going to drive a University Vehicle you are required to complete Driver Safety Training through the platform United Educators.
Here are the step-by-step instructions to complete the training.
Clubs, organizations, and departments can fill out the Engage form to request vehicles.
Once the Office of Student Activities reviews the request and creates the reservation, they will send the driver a confirmation email for the van reservation.
Yes, all students, staff, and faculty have to be certified to drive the ASUP vans. For more information, check out the Driving Safety PilotsUP Page, or directly follow the instructions below:
If you are going to drive a University Vehicle you are required to complete Driver Safety Training through the platform United Educators.
Here are the step-by-step instructions to complete the training.
Mailboxes are not provided for all clubs and organizations. Club mail is delivered to the Office of Student Activities in St. Mary's Student Center. It is the club’s responsibility to respond to notices that mail has been received. Mail will be held for two weeks and can be picked up during office hours.
If your club will receive mail from off-campus sources, you may give the following mailing address:
Club NameEach club can set-up a UP club email alias to communicate with constituencies outside of the university. The club email alias will be linked to a designated club officers’ personal UP email account. Emails can be sent to the email alias chosen, but emails cannot be sent from the alias.
For example, the Chess Club may choose an email alias such as chessclub@up.edu, and have the alias attached to the club president’s personal email account. When someone wants to send an email to the Chess Club they can send an email to chessclub@up.edu, and the email will be sent directly to the club president’s personal email account. However, when the club president responds to that email the email name will be the personal name of the club president, and not the club email alias name.
Please note this is not an individual email account for the club. The club officer the email alias is linked to will have to be changed every year or whenever the designated club officer receiving the email changes.
The university does not recognize independent external club email addresses (ie. Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) as official club communication.
To set-up a club email alias, please contact the UP Help Desk.
There is limited storage space beneath St. Mary’s Student Center that clubs can request. Any club interested must contact the Office of Student Activates first to assess if OSA can accommodate the club’s needs.
Click on the name of the form you would like to access:
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.,
Portland, Oregon 97203-5798
503.943.8000
