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The Wiser Advisor
Monthly Newsletter | March 2, 2016
Upcoming Event:
Risk Management Panel
Wednesday, March 9th from 12:30-1:30pm; Union South TITU
Thursday, March 10th from 3:00-4:00pm; Union South TITU
 
Join us next week for our Student Organization Advisor Risk Management Panel!  We will not only have cookies and coffee/tea, but also three knowledgeable panelist willing to discuss the common risk management issues encountered by student organizations and their advisors!  Remember, no need to RSVP!
Debbie Beich  - Assistant Risk Manager, Risk Management
Nancy Lynch  - Assistant Vice Chancellor, Office of Legal Affairs

Jenny Rabas – ATOD Program Coordinator, University Health Services
Office Spotlight
Dean of Students Office
The Dean of Students Office provides assistance, intervention, prevention, and referral services to the University community.  This department within the Division of Student Life strives to support students throughout their college experience with both what happens at the University, as well as what happens outside of UW-Madison.  The Dean of Student Office can assist with various concerns such as:
  • Academic distress due to personal issues
  • Advocacy
  • Conflict mediation referral
  • Complaints
  • Concerns about a student
  • Crisis Loans
  • Emergency/crisis situations
  • Family emergencies
  • Personal safety needs
  • Resource Referrals
  • Community Support
If you are concerned about a student in the organization you advise, you are welcome to reach out to staff within the Dean of Students to consult and ask for assistance.  The staff will be able to guide you through the process in an effort to best serve the student of concern.  Additionally, you are always encouraged to refer students to the Dean of Students Office directly.  Check out more about the Dean of Students Office on their website: https://www.students.wisc.edu/doso/
Important Updates
Financial Management Slides
Thank you to all of the advisors that could join us for our Financial Management Sessions in late February.  For those of you that could not make it, we would like to share our presentation with you.  Please check out what we discussed here: http://www.guide.cfli.wisc.edu/documents/Fianancial_Management_Session.pdf
 
Badgers Step Up! 
As a continued part of the requirements to be a registered student organization (RSO), your group will need to have at least one member attend the Badgers Step Up! (BSU!) program for the 2016-2017 year.  If a member of an organization completes the program this spring semester, it will meet the requirement for the 2016-2017 academic year.  Completing a BSU! session this semester means an organization does not have to worry about it in the fall during re-registration, which will allow the re-registration and approval process to proceed more quickly. 
ANY member of an organization can attend an RSO session of Badgers Step Up! this Spring.  Attendees at the program will need to sign in and list ALL organizations that they are representing at that time.  If a member of an organization attends a session but does not list the organization, the RSO will need to send someone else to complete this requirement. In order to fully complete the BSU! requirements, this attendee will need to complete a pre-test, attend the session, and complete a post-test. For more information about the program or to sign up for a session please visit http://www.guide.cfli.wisc.edu/badgersstepup.htm.

WIN Trainings
Creating an Interest Profile 
Want to help your students find an org to join? Watch this short video to learn how to fill out an Interest Profile on the Wisconsin Involvement Network (WIN) to help find student organizations and events that match a student’s interests. 
Link: https://youtu.be/ERssWNZBaCk  

How to Manage an Event on WIN
Check out this new video to learn helpful tips about managing events on the Wisconsin Involvement Network (WIN), from marketing an event to tracking attendance. 
Link: https://youtu.be/FkggTMOdpJg
 
Fall Student Org Fair
Within the next month or so, the sign-up for the Fall Student Organization Fair will open!  It is important that the Primary Contact of the organization be prepared to complete this sign-up if the organization would like to participate!  Emails will only be sent to the student organization primary contact about how to sign-up as they are the only student with access to complete this process.  The Fall Fair fills up quickly, so it will be important that organization be prepared!
Resources: Group Development Theory
Understanding group dynamics can be a useful tool when working with a student organization.  Organization membership can look different during various points in the semester/year and it can be helpful to be aware of signs or behaviors indicating where members are in their development as a group.  One theory of Group Development is Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development which is highlighted in the image below.

Once you have identified where an organization might be in their development, here are some helpful ideas to share with your student organization to assist them in progressing through each of the stages.
 
Forming
Develop and facilitate ice breakers to help members become acquainted.
Coordinate a retreat/workshop for membership or the executive board.
Identify expectations for members and officers . 

Storming
Educate membership about confrontation and communication skills.
Share mediation resources when conflicts become difficult for the group to manage.
Conduct a group decision-making activity.
Develop a “rebuilding” team activity.

Norming
Have members design T-shirt, pins, or some other item to identify themselves as a group.
Assist the group in starting a new program that will create a tradition.
Review and possibly establish new goals for the organization.

Performing
Insure that the organization and membership have a task.
Support the members and executive officers by giving feedback about what is going well and what can be improved upon the next year.
Step back and allow the organization to perform! 

Adjourning
Develop a closure activity to help members determine what they learned and benefited from during the year.
Conduct an assessment or evaluation of the year.
Develop transition reports for the new executive board members.
Coordinate a closing banquet with awards and other expressions of appreciation.
Tips for Success
Planning for Officer Transitions
It is important that at the end of the semester or year, each organization transitions the new officers into their positions. This process is essential to the long-term success of each organization. Here are a few tips to keep in mind for a seamless transition!
 
Updating WIN Roster
The Center for Leadership & Involvement (CfLI) expects RSOs to change their own information whenever an updated is needed. An organization’s WIN Roster should be kept current as it is deemed the official roster for an organization by the University. Therefore, at the very least it should be updated each semester or academic year (depending on when a group elects a new Executive Board).  This ensures that the proper primary contact is receiving important notifications from the CfLI office. 
 
Transition Binder
Succeeding officers must be provided with the necessary information to carry on their responsibilities. There should be a time of officer overlap before the current officer leaves to provide an opportunity for training. Regardless of how extensive the training, a comprehensive notebook or binder of each position should be kept and updated throughout the year.  This binder should then be given to each succeeding officer as a resource to use and learn from.
This notebook or binder could include:
  • A copy of the organization's constitution and by-laws
  • A complete position description and role classification
  • Financial Records
  • Incidentals (copy codes, passwords, banking information)
  • General organization information
  • General member requirements
  • Previous minutes and reports
  • Fliers, receipts, and supplementary materials from past projects
  • Evaluations of previous projects and programs
  • Information on current projects
  • Organizational goals and objects
  • Concrete timeline for organizational projects
  • Calendar
  • Resources and Contact Lists
  • Sample meeting agenda
  • End of the year report
  • Tips (how to reserve spaces for meetings, where to get supplies, etc.)
  • Outgoing officer tips and suggestions
  • Incoming officer goal sheet
An example of a successful transition binder can be found in the Center for Leadership & Involvement, located on the 3rd floor of the Red Gym.

Financial Records & Bank Account Information
It is imperative that organizations keep the authorized signers current  if they have an off-campus bank account. If the authorized signers leave town, graduate, or are no longer a member of the organization, the organization will experience a major delay in withdrawing any funds because financial institutions will have to go through a procedure to change the signers on any account.
The organization should contact the financial institution to find out how they process a change of signers. Each financial institution handles this process slightly differently, but most require that at least one of the previous signers authorize the change. The group may want to designate one current authorized signer to be responsible for handling any change of signers when new signers take over the account.
This also applies to the Employer Identification Number (EIN) which is obtained through the IRS. While the EIN will remain constant for the institution the address or name associated with the number may change during officer transitions. It is important to make sure that all records remain current and are updated, especially when dealing with organization finances.

Find more information here: http://www.guide.cfli.wisc.edu/officer_transitioning.htm 
Define Your Direction.
Get Involved.
Advisor Newsletter
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  • Office Spotlight
  • Important Updates
  • Advisor Resources
  • Tips for Success
Center for Leadership & Involvement
716 Langdon St. - 3rd Floor Red Gym
Madison, WI 53706
Contact Us at: cfli@studentlife.wisc.edu or 
608-263-0365

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