3.2 Responsibilities of All Student Organizations

Advisor

Each Student Organization is required to have at least one Advisor who is a full-time member of the faculty or administrative staff, or a graduate student directly supervised by a full-time faculty or administrative staff member. The Advisor 's purpose is to be a resource for the organization, to provide an educational learning experience for its individual members, and at the same time serve the entire University community by functioning as a University representative. Advisors should maintain regular contact with the leadership of the Student Organization, and should possess a solid understanding of the expectations and policies expressed herein. Student Organizations and the University administration share the goal to select Advisors who will serve Student Organizations well. In some instances, advising responsibilities may be included as part of a staff member's official job responsibilities and expectations. If an organization is an affiliate of any inter/national organization or greater governing body, it is also expected that the advisor maintains constant and continual communication with representatives of said body. The University considers the advisor the primary liaison with these third party recognition bodies.

In addition, the University has designated all student organization advisors to be a Campus Security Authority (CSA) as defined under the federal law called the “Clery Act” based on their significant responsibility for student and campus activities. CSA’s are identified in the Annual Fire and Security Report as individuals or organizations to which students and employees can report criminal offenses if they do not wish to report them directly to the Department of Public Safety or local law enforcement. Advisors will be required to complete CSA training on an annual basis and to immediately report crimes following the designated process outlined in the training so the University can assess if a Timely Warning should be issued. For more information about the Clery Act, see (§1.16).

If a Student Organization needs to replace an Advisor, the Director of Student Involvement will define a reasonable grace period to allow the Organization to identify a new faculty or staff member. In some instances, SIC staff members may be able to help students locate and/or recruit a new Advisor. However, Student Organizations will not be permitted to operate long-term without an active Advisor.

Intent to Return

All Student Organizations will be required to submit an “Intent to Return” form each spring semester. This form is the Organization’s formal notification to the University that they wish to retain their RSO/DSO/CSO status for another academic year. Organizations who fail to complete this form, and update their SLU Groups page with the necessary contact information, may forfeit their formal recognition at the University.

Good Standing

All of SLU's Student Organizations are expected to be respectful of the University Community Standards that help constitute a Catholic, Jesuit community. These Community Standards  must  be followed at all times. In addition, organizations classified as CSOs must also adhere to all policies and procedures  specifically outlined by SGA to retain their standing and continue to be eligible for Student Activity Fee funding. Organizations who violate University Community Standards, or fail to comply with SGA's CSO guidelines may have their recognition revoked and/or be dissolved.

Online Presence 

Saint Louis University utilizes an online engagement  platform, SLU Groups. All members of the SLU community have access to this platform via the "Tools" page within "MySLU:" The Student Government Association 's annual elections are hosted within SLU Groups. All types of Student Organizations are expected to utilize this platform for engagement with the Student Involvement Center and the greater campus community. Many aspects of an organization's operations and reporting methods are managed with this tool. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • completion of the “Intent to Return” form;
  • event registration and approvals;
  • member recruitment;
  • financial operations for CSOs;
  • Annual Funding Requests;
  • event marketing, and much more.

It is the responsibility of the Student Organization and its leadership to maintain accurate records and meet applicable deadlines. An Organization's official status within SLU Groups will be managed and updated annually by the Student Involvement Center. Organizations will be classified in one of three categories

  • Active: Organization is operational, in good standing, and fully functioning at this time
  • Frozen: Organization may be temporarily frozen from regular operations; organizations will not remain frozen for more than one calendar year. NOTE: Frozen organizations will not be able to conduct any business within SLU Groups until they have returned to Active status.
  • Inactive: Organization has previously been classified as an RSO/DSO/CSO but is not active for the current calendar year.

Questions about the administrative function of SLU Groups, or requests for troubleshooting and help, please email involvement@slu.edu.

Failure to comply  

Failure to comply with these guidelines should be immediately reported to the Student Involvement Center and/or the Office of Student Responsibility and Community Standards for an investigation, possible review of recognition, and resolution with the student members and/or the Student Organization.

Fronting Prohibition

Student organizations, individuals, and departments are prohibited from serving as "fronts" for off-campus organizations. This means student organizations of any designation cannot sponsor, schedule, or plan events as a means to provide off-campus organizations (unaffiliated with Saint Louis University) access to university space, information tables, the University name, branding, or any other university resources.

Student organizations are welcome to host events in accordance with the included policy and designations including herein, in the name of Saint Louis University, which they directly plan, fund, supervise, and attend. An organization may receive partial funding for their event from an off-campus organization permitting the student organization complies with the university’s fundraising policy, receiving prior university approval. If a student organization is co-sponsoring a program with an off-campus, non-University affiliated entity, the student organization is responsible for any and all adherence with campus policies and expectations.  

Examples of fronted activities include, but are not limited to:

  • Third Party Involvement. Permitting a non-university group to schedule space or sponsor an event (commercial or non-profit) in any campus space. This includes permitting a third party to plan, invite, advertise, issue/sell tickets or otherwise directly plan or sponsor any part of a student organization activity.
  • Use of the Saint Louis University name, branding, logos, for their own marking and/or gain, if the event or activity violates University or student organization policy.