Officer Transitions | SOLID: Student Organization Support

Why the transition process is important:

Properly transitioning your officers is crucial to the continued success of your Registered Student Organization. If you do not properly transition your new officers into their positions then your new officers will be left with little to no guidance on how to lead your organization. The more you prepare your new officers for their positions the less likely they will have questions once you are out of your position and they will be able to keep your organization strong and running.

Outgoing officers

Things you should provide:

Full list of roles and responsibilities (should already know this though)
- What you do
- When you do things
- Important yearly deadlines
Contact Information
- A full list of all members in the group
- List of University approved vendors (if applicable)
- A list of organization websites, emails, and passwords
A copy of the organization’s constitution
- Preferably in a word document file to make editing easy
- Include past meeting minutes that may be relevant or important in the future
Any Business Office bank account information
- This is generally passed on from Treasurers but all exec members should know this information
Any organization archived materials
Anything that you deal with for the group, even if you do not think it is important (storage units, vendors, email accounts etc.)
- Best if given in a binder or possibly a google doc folder that could be passed down to all future leaders.
- Make this document early so it does not come at you all at once and so you do not forget anything
Things that you wish you knew when you first took on the leadership role
- Use your past struggles and mishaps to help the next generation of leaders avoid those mistakes or complications
People you need to contact
- Please inform the business office as well as event services about your officer changes. Provide contact information of the new officers because otherwise they will not receive information from those offices.
  - The business office can be contacted by phone at (860) 486-3163, by email at dsabusinessoffice@uconn.edu, or in person in the Student Union room 314.
  - Event services is located in the student union room 106 but can also be contact by phone at (860) 486-3421

Post - Transition Period

From Officer back to General Member

If you are not an officer anymore but you’re still in the group, you need to give the new leaders their space to lead how they want
- but if you see they need help, or they reach out, make sure to be that resource for them.
- don’t be an inactive member, influence and support your group to the best of your ability.
If you’re graduating, don’t cut off new officers completely; be available to them so that your RSO can be successful.
- However, the more information you provide before you leave the less likely you will need to be contacted after you graduate.

Incoming Officers Information

Important information to know
- What tier are you?
  - Tier-I: If you’re a Tier-I group, you keep a lower profile on campus. You’re probably a group that has a common interest and meets to explore this interest. Tier-I groups can reserve meeting space on campus but cannot hold events on campus or apply for USG/GSS funding.
  - Tier-II: If you’re a Tier-II group, you have more visibility on campus. You can hold meetings as well as events. You can apply for USG/GSS funding. You have a President, Vice President, Treasurer, a Secretary, and a faculty/staff Advisor. And you are required to have a constitution that is updated every two years.
  - You can change your tier if you would like
- What are SOLID workshops
  - In-Person Requirements
    - All officers must take the Values and Culture in-person workshop
    - Presidents and Vice Presidents take the Executive leadership in-person workshop
    - Treasurers are required to attend the Organization Financial Management in-person workshop
    - Secretaries take secretary training online through HuskyCT.
  - Online Requirements
    - All officers must take 3 online workshops that are on HuskyCT called SOLID 101, Pertinent Policies & Procedures, and RSO Hazing, Harming & Harassment.
  - How to sign up
    - Log in to UConntact.uconn.edu and press “Register for In-Person Fall/Spring SOLID Workshops Here!” in the center of the page. There you will see all available dates and times for workshops. To sign up, fill out the registration form with the date and time that is most convenient for you.
    - For the online workshops, follow this link http://solid.uconn.edu/enroll-huskyct to self-enroll into them.
      - All online workshops, except for SOLID 101 need to be redone at the end of each academic year. The system clears July 1^st so please redo the necessary online workshops then. This is due to the fact that policies may change and different information is added to the workshops.

Incoming Officer: Skills

What you should know how to do:

UConntact
- Access your organization page through “Involvement” under your name.
- Edit profile
- Manage the roster
  - Include executive board positions and any extra positions
- Create events
Review and/or reserve space
- To reserve a room on campus, go to Event Services in the Student Union or visit their website: https://studentunion.uconn.edu/reservations/
  - Fill out this form and explain what you need the room for and where you would like it to be.
  - Event Services will do their best to accommodate your request, but remember that there is limited space and rooms fill up fast so you might not always get your first choice.
    - Make sure you make your request at least two weeks in advance.
  - If you need a room for weekly meetings for an entire semester, you need to make this request at the end of the previous semester.
  - You will lose your reservation if your group is not active or becomes frozen during the semester.
- Off campus events
  - Can be done by following the previous link, however, when asked what room you would like, simply state Off Campus
Re-register the organization
- Organizations are required to re-register every spring. The current President of the organization will receive an email in April asking them to fill out a simple form to re-register.
Apply for the involvement fair
- The Involvement Fair application for the fall generally is available on UConntact mid-April and for the spring it is available mid-November.
  - The current President of every organization will receive an email notifying them when the application is live.
- The Involvement Fair tables are given out on a first-come, first-serve basis.
  - However, even if an organization is the first to apply for the fair, they will not receive a table if their organization is not active a week before the fair.
- The date of the fair is always the second Wednesday of the semester unless stated otherwise.
Apply for USG/GSS funding
- To be eligible for USG funding someone from the group needs to take the USG funding workshop.
- Your group also needs to be active for at least 15 weeks before applying.
- For official USG/GSS policies, contact someone from those offices.
- For GSS:
  - https://gss.uconn.edu/
  - (860) 486-3907
  - gssuconn@gmail.com
  - SU room 213
- For USG:
  - https://usg.uconn.edu/
  - 860-486-3708
  - info@usg.uconn.edu
  - SU room 219

SOLID Status

How to check your status

To check your status, go to uconntact.uconn.edu and press the Campus Links tab then SOLID Status. There you will see the full list of student organizations and all the requirements that have been fulfilled.
- If all the boxes are check your organization is active, if they are not then you are frozen unless otherwise notified. Your officers also get monthly updates regarding your RSO SOLID status.
What does my status mean?
- Active: An active organization has fulfilled all requirements and has full access to the opportunities allotted to student organizations.
- Frozen: A frozen organization has not completed all their requirements. They cannot reserve space, withdraw money from their Business Office Account, or have their UConntact page visible to anyone besides organization members.
- Locked: A locked organization has not completed their requirements and has missed a certain deadline. They have no access to any opportunities allotted to student organizations and only organization officers can view the UConntact page. You must meet with a Student Ambassador in the Student Involvement and Leadership office to change this status.
- Inactive: An inactive organization is no longer a recognized organization at UConn.

Know Your Advisor!

Why have an advisor?

It is a requirement of being an active student organization
A Student Organization Advisor is a resource for the organization and can offer support and guidance in several broad areas:
- Helping with the growth and development of students within the organization
- Serving as a source of continuity to the organization as members graduate
- Serving as a liaison between the University and the organization
- Advising the organization regarding program/event content and purpose

Remember: Advisors do not have decision-making rights within an RSO!

Helpful Hints

Steps to take early
- New officers should take SOLID training asap
  - Will make matters less stressful in the new semester especially if your RSO plans to be in the involvement fair
- Make sure all new officers are acquainted with each other and the other members of the group
New officers should be meeting when current/outgoing exec meets (at least the last 2 meetings)
- Helps them understand how meetings run, why they are necessary and what is important to mention.
Don't be afraid to ask questions
- The Involvement Ambassadors in SU302 are always happy to offer advice or answer any questions that you may have
- Outgoing officers have been in your place and have had the same challenges that you have, so talk to them when you are having struggles.
Coordinate with similar clubs
- More often than not there is another student organization with a compatible goal or purpose, reach out to them and see if they want to team up on events or meetings.
- They might also have tips on how to handle common problems during transitions