Advisory Groups

A number of Boards and Advisory Groups have been established to provide input and direction for the efforts of the Division of Student Affairs. Many of these groups have student members who are appointed by the President of the Student Government Association. Contact SGA to express your interest in being involved.

Find information on the following:

Intramural/Recreational Program Advisory Board
Multicultural Affairs Committee
Student Activities Budget Committee
Student Affairs Council
Student Health Advisory Board
Student Media Advisory Boards

The Colonnade Advisory Board
WGUR Advisory Board

Intramural/Recreational Programs Advisory Board
The role of the board is to advise the vice president and dean of students and to assist the director of intramural/recreational programs in the development of philosophy, goals, and objectives. In addition, the board provides assistance in critiquing the overall program and the development and modification of program plans as needed.

The purpose of the board shall be:

To serve the recreational needs of Georgia College & State University students through planned programs of intramural/recreational programs.
To promote worthwhile and beneficial activities needed to reach the largest number of students.
To offer adequate intramural/recreational programs as necessary to meet the physical, mental, emotional, and social needs of all students desiring organized or informal intramural/recreational programs.
To support the conduct of all intramural/recreational programs so that the optimum benefits of enjoyment, health, social contact, and sportsmanship will be gained by the participants.
To create and maintain good will and sociability among all students, faculty, and staff participating in intramural/recreational programs.
To provide opportunities for the development of positive attitudes toward intramural/recreational programs throughout life.
To encourage participation for personal development in the activity.

The duties of this Advisory Board shall be to:

Recommend changes in policies in intramural/recreational programs.
Review all rules and eligibility requirements for organized intramural sports programs.
Recommend organization eligibility for participation in intramural/recreational programs.
Serve as an appeals board in all cases involving protests or infractions of intramural/recreational sports.

Multicultural Affairs Committee
The committee serves as an advocate for minority students and is involved in all areas affecting student's lives at Georgia College & State University. It also makes recommendations for educational services and experiences which are designed to enable minority students to successfully achieve educational goals.

Student Activities Budget Committee
All student activity fees shall be budgeted and administered by the president, using proper administrative procedures, which shall include the advice and counsel of an advisory committee composed of at least 50 percent students. All payments from student activity fee funds shall be made according to the appropriate business practices of Georgia College & State University. All payments from student activity fee funds shall be made by the chief business officer of the institution upon receipt of a properly approved invoice or contract.

Each institution shall recommend to the Board of Regents the amount of student activity fees to be charged. The Board, after investigation by its staff, shall approve or disapprove the recommendation. When approved by the Board, such fees are mandatory and the fees are subject to the control and audit of the Board of Regents, and the institution concerned.

To insure the legal expenditures of such funds, the president and the chief business officer of each institution shall annually review the budget for the proposed use of such fees, and the President shall certify to the Board of Regents that the proposed expenditures for such fees are for educational, cultural, recreational, or social purposes for the benefit of the students. Title to all property purchased from student activity funds shall vest in the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. (BR Minutes; 1948-49, pp. 291-92; 1981-82, pp. 92-83, pp. 124-25; 1982, p. 303.)

All groups which request student activity fees must follow the guidelines listed below in order to be eligible for budgetary consideration, as well as to comply with the current Board of Regents policy on student activity fees.

Fund Request Procedure

Prior to March 1 each year, all areas currently receiving student activities funds will be sent a letter from the SABC requesting application for funds desired for the coming fiscal year and justification for the uses of those funds.
Prior to March 1, an article will be placed in the official student newspaper notifying all students that the SABC is currently hearing requests for student activities funds. New areas desiring funding need to procure the necessary forms from the student activities office and submit their requests for funds in writing to the SABC prior to the date published in the official student newspaper.
In addition to written requests for funds, area representatives may be asked to appear before the committee to justify or clarify their requests. The SABC should have in its possession, on the published date, all requests for funding for the ensuing fiscal year.
The director of student activities will review all budget requests and provide guidelines to the areas not currently being funded to ensure that each meets the established guidelines. Those requests not meeting funding guidelines will be returned to the requesting area. Areas involved may appeal this decision to the chairman of the SABC.
The SABC will review all requests from new areas forwarded to it from the Director of Student Activities during its regular meetings during the spring semester.
The SABC will take necessary action on budget requests and inform the areas involved of its decision.

Budget and Planning Request Process
All groups which request student activity fees must follow established guidelines in order to be eligible for budgetary consideration, as well as to comply with the current Board of Regents policy on student activity fees.
Budget Preparation Statement
Each student activity fee funded group must submit a Budget Preparation Statement stating the overall purpose and objectives of the group, justification for funding of the group, budgetary explanations for the next fiscal year, and the latest computer printout of the current fiscal year budget (if currently receiving funds). Fifteen copies are required for submission to SABC. Groups are encouraged to provide any comments or information that may assist the SABC in evaluating the budget request. The following are specific questions that must be answered in the development of the budget preparation statement:

What is the purpose of the organization or activity?
What are the goals and objectives of the organization or activity?
What are the benefits or services that students receive from the organization or activity?
How does the organization or activity relate to the total educational purpose of Georgia College & State University?
How many students and others are benefiting from the services provided by the organization or activity?
What other sources of funding does the organization or activity receive?
How can additional budget expenditures be justified?
What services would be curtailed and/or deleted if the budget allocation were lower than this year's level?
What additional services would be provided if additional funds were given?

Budget Request
The budget request should reflect all proposed expenditures for the next fiscal year. Fifteen copies are required. Groups should indicate who prepared the budget request and obtain a faculty/staff adviser's signature (if appropriate.) Fifteen copies of the latest computer printout of the budget should also be submitted.
Summary
Each student activity funded organization or activity must submit the following for full consideration of the budget request by the SABC.

Budget preparation statement-15 copies.
Budget request-15 copies.
Latest computer printout of the budget-15 copies.

To be a candidate for funding, an organization must meet the following eligibility requirements:

The group must be officially registered and have a faculty or staff adviser. The organization must exist purely to serve or represent the student body as a whole. Programs and participation in the organization must be open to all students. The organization must not have any racial, religious, or ethnic ties which might discourage otherwise interested students from joining it, and must not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or national origin.
The organization may require certain abilities or talents of its participants. However, the right to apply for membership in such an organization must be available to all interested students. Moreover, the organization must present a program which satisfies the following three requirements:

The program must be of general benefit to the student body and participation in the program must be open to all interested students.
The program must be one which the sponsoring organization is clearly better able to present than any other campus organization already being funded.
The program must have sufficient value to warrant its funding when compared to other criteria spelled out above.

Only activities, services, physical items, or programs that are necessary for the organization's basic functions and goals should be funded. Any physical item, service, or activity bought or funded by student funds must be available to all members of the organization.
Areas currently funded by the SABC shall have access to equipment purchased by student activities fees unless specific equipment is necessary for the daily operation of an area's business. Such equipment use is restricted, except in extenuating circumstances as determined by the Director of Student Activities. Operators of technical equipment (projectors, amplifiers, various PA systems) purchased by student activity funds must be certified by the Student Activities Office.

The following stipulations pertain to the expenditure of student activity fees:

Student stipends have been approved for the following organizations:

Student Programming Board (Campus Activities Board)
WGUR FM Radio Station
The Colonnade
The Peacock's Feet, and
the Student Government Association

Funds for travel may be allocated when members of the organization will:

Represent the institution and thereby enhance the prestige of the institution and the organization or activity.
Gain knowledge or experience for the student body and/or the individual's organization or activity.

Students who request travel must follow the official University System travel regulations and Georgia College & State University travel clearance procedures. Unless traveling in a group as a University-authorized activity, specifically each student must submit for individual travel:

A Travel Request and Authorization form must be submitted prior to travel.
A Student Activity Travel Expense Statement must be submitted upon completion of travel. All individual student travel must be approved by the Student Activities Office.

The following restrictions govern the payment of student activity funds:
1. No speaker who is a member of the Georgia College & State University faculty, staff, or student body may receive payment or honorarium for a personal appearance.
2. No student activities funds may be used for any personal purposes, sectarian religious activities, or partisan political purposes, on any level. Any organization receiving funds from SABC is also prohibited from using any funds, regardless of source, for these purposes.

An unallocated reserve shall be established for the purpose of protecting against an enrollment shortfall. The following provisions pertain to that reserve:

Unallocated reserve may be allocated by the vice president and dean of students or the SABC at the end of midyear budget review if the fall semester enrollment sustains enrollment projections. This reserve may be used to fund emergency needs of existing student activity budgetary units throughout the fiscal year. In each case above, funds will be transferred from the reserve to the particular budgetary unit.
The remaining unallocated reserve shall be used toward the purchase or replacement of student activity special equipment.
Any unexpected fund balance remaining in any of the student activity budget units shall be transferred into the unallocated reserve (Contingency) Fund.
Expenditures from the unallocated reserve (Contingency) fund must be recommended by the vice president and dean of students or by the full SABC and approved by the president.

Student Affairs Council
The Student Affairs Council shall advise the vice president and dean of students in all areas of student life and policy. The membership of the Student Affairs Council shall consist of: one faculty member elected from each undergraduate school, five student members nominated by the president of the Student Government Association and approved by the Student Senate and the president of the university, the president of the Student Government Association, a student affairs staff member appointed by the vice president and dean of students, and the vice president and dean of students or designee (chairperson). The council shall:

Make recommendations on all major policies, guidelines, procedures, regulations, and resolutions relating to the Student Government Association.
Make recommendations on the long-range planning of the division.
Assist in the development of a student code of nonacademic conduct governing the rights, responsibilities, and discipline of students.
Serve as a liaison to the university and the community on student affairs activities and concerns.
Be the primary council for review of and recommendations concerning student services.
Assist in the establishment of goals and objectives for the division.

Student Health Advisory Board
The role of the Student Health Advisory Board is to assist the director of student health services in the development of philosophy, goals and policies consistent with Georgia College & State University's mission. In addition, the committee provides assistance in the development and modifications of programs, services, and activities as needed.

The functions and duties of this Advisory Board shall include but not be limited to the following:

Advise on the health-related needs of Georgia College & State University students through planned prevention, intervention, or treatment health programs, services, or activities.
Promote beneficial health related programs.
Support the wellness concept and approach in the prevention or treatment of illness, and as one means to meet the physical, mental, emotional, and social health needs of students.
Maintain and further develop adequate health services for all students.
Promote the general health and welfare of the Georgia College & State University community.
Provide opportunities for the development of positive lifestyles and attitudes for students.
Recommend policies and procedures to student health services.
Assist in the dissemination of information about student health services.
Advise in the development of the budget for student health services.

The membership of the Advisory Board shall include:

Vice president and dean of students (or designee) - Chairperson
Dean of the school of nursing - Co-chair
Director of counseling services
Athletic trainer
Director of disability services
Student health services coordinator
Three nursing faculty members
Student representatives appointed by the president of the student government association
The student health services consulting physician is an ex-officio member

Student Media Advisory Board
The Student Media Advisory Board shall serve as an advisory board to the vice president and dean of students on all policies and procedures for student media on the Georgia College & State University campus. All media which are supported in whole or in part by funds from student activities fees shall be defined as student media and shall be under the jurisdiction of the Student Media Advisory Board.

Georgia College & State University provides advisers to the student media. Advisers guide rather than censor. Student media are free to exercise their rights under the first amendment guarantees, with no restraints beyond the limitations of ethical and legal responsibilities in matters of libel, obscenity, and invasion of privacy. Publications, both oral and written, are expected to conform to professional ethics and standards.

The following advisory boards have been established under the Academic Affairs Division to provide leadership and direction for the student newspaper and the student radio station:

The Colonnade Advisory Board:

Publisher of The Colonnade - Chair
The Director of media services
One journalism major appointed by the faculty coordinator of the major program
One student appointed by the Student Government Association President
Editor of The Colonnade

WGUR Advisory Board:

Director of media services - Chair
Student activities representative
WGUR staff adviser
Student station manager
One student appointed by the Student Government Association President

These boards shall have the option to elect from the voting membership a vice-chair and a secretary.

The media advisory boards shall advise the vice president and dean of students in the following areas:

Development and/or approval of operational policies for student media.
Approval of student media budgets and student staff salaries.
Recommendations for reallocation of funds within student media budgets.
Approval of any individual student media contracts in accordance with Georgia College & State University procedures.
Approval of candidates for head student media positions (editors and station managers) according to minimum standards as determined by the Student Media Advisory Board.
Declaration of vacant positions and recommendation of student media positions according to procedures enumerated by the Student Media Advisory Board.
Chartering of all student media and determination of the interpretation of individual student media rights and responsibilities.
Submission of the student media budgets for each fiscal year to the SABC.

Amendments to all the foregoing guidelines must be presented in writing at a meeting and voted upon at the next meeting by a majority of the Student Media Advisory Board members.