Division of Student Affairs Updates

Strengthening Student Organizations: A Comprehensive Plan created by Students and the Division of Student Affairs

The Office of Student Engagement at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) provides support for over 480 student organizations, which play a crucial role in enhancing student life. Recognizing the growing need for impactful interactions, the Division of Student Affairs launched a plan in Fall 2023 aimed at strengthening student organizations, recognizing their transformative potential, and addressing the evolving needs of VCU students.

Key Goals:

1. Recognize Student Organizations as Transformative Experiences: Acknowledging the important role they play in leadership development, civic engagement, and social-cultural interaction.
2. Enhance Trust and Communication: Strengthen relationships between students and university units.
3. Address Risks and Responsibilities: Identify and manage areas of increased risk for student organizations.
4. Redesign Student Organization Processes: Reduce barriers and promote more effective operations within student organizations.

Participation:

• 26 professional staff volunteered to support the initiative.
• 29 students were nominated to contribute.
• Leaders from Student Government Association (SGA), Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS), and other student organizations were invited to participate.

Sub-Committees and Recommendations:

1. Training & Development
   • Develop three new officer training programs to be delivered both in person and online by Fall 2024. This includes “Officer 101,” “Advisor 101,” and communication skills training.
   • Collaborate with student leaders to introduce advanced training in areas like event planning and membership retention.
2. Finance
   • Create new financial reporting systems to increase transparency regarding budgets, operations, and student activity fees (SAF).
   • Redesign the student organization website and propose a SAF fee increase via a campus-wide campaign to support university needs.
3. Assessment
   • Establish new learning outcomes that aim to enhance students’ sense of belonging, strengthen community connections, and develop leadership skills.
   • Create measurable targets for student organization engagement, including tracking the number of active organizations, events, and unique student participation.
4. Policy & Communication
   • Centralize all policies and procedures for student organizations in one easily accessible location.
   • Update the Student Organization Handbook, including streamlining event management, funding processes, and leadership development resources.
   • Designate all active student organizations into clear tiers—sponsored, affiliated, and registered—and manage risk based on these tiers.

Moving Forward

This comprehensive plan sets the stage for a more effective and supportive environment for VCU’s student organizations, ensuring that they remain an integral part of the university’s student experience. With continued collaboration and focused efforts, the Office of Student Engagement is poised to help students thrive in leadership roles, deepen their connection to VCU, and make meaningful contributions to the campus community.

The Office of Student Engagement provides support for 400-plus student organizations and the countless opportunities they create for the student body. The Engagement team works to bridge the gap between classroom and out-of-class activities. We are at the forefront of learning as they guide student leaders through the daily decisions they make on behalf of their organization.  We recognize that student organizations provide a valuable service to the VCU community by providing leadership development, spirit, and traditions, civic engagement, and social and cultural interaction. Seeing the growing need for more impactful interactions we established a Division of Student Affairs Plan to Strengthen Student Organizations Fall 2023.

Categories Annual Report Stories: 2023-24