Recognized Student Organization Advisors

Recognized Student Organization (RSO) advisors play an invaluable role in contributing to the development and impact of both student leaders and student organizations at Tulane University. We value and thank you for your time, energy, and dedication to your organization(s).

If you are interested in starting an advising role for a RSO here at Tulane, please fill out the Advisor Interest Form.  We will work to match organizations that are looking for an Advisor with faculty/staff that are interested in advising a RSO on campus.

Overview of Student Organization Advising

All RSOs must have a Tulane faculty or staff Advisor. The primary role of the advisor is to serve as a resource for the RSO officers and members. Advisors have four broad functions:

  • To contribute to the growth and development of students: The advisor can assist students in the development of skills such as time management, problem-solving, delegation, communication, and leadership.
  • To ensure compliance with university policies and procedures as well as local, state, and federal laws: Advisors are responsible for ensuring the organization’s compliance with their own constitution and bylaws as well as university policies and applicable local, state, and federal laws. Advisors are expected to warn the organization if what they are planning or doing is not in compliance, inappropriate, illegal, or risky, and offer alternative suggestions.
  • To add to the continuity of the organization: The advisor can share the history of the organization, explain why past decisions were made to new officers, and assist with the transition of organization leadership.
  • To assist with program content and purpose: The advisor will assist in the development of projects, events, and activities as it relates to the mission of the organization.

Additional expectations of an individual RSO advisor should be determined by the advisor and the RSO leadership. This role may vary from RSO to RSO, based on the group’s needs and goals. The advisor should never be considered just a signature on required forms. The student leadership of the RSO and the advisor should have a conversation early on to determine roles and clarify the students’ expectations of the advisor and the advisor’s expectations of the students.

Time Commitment

The amount of time required of an RSO Advisor is based on the needs of the group. Minimally, advisors are expected to attend quarterly one-hour advisor meetings and spend two to three hours per month on organization issues during the academic year. An active advisor for a large RSO could expect to spend as many as two to four hours per week engaged in related activities.
These activities may include:

  • Attending meetings (executive and all-member)
  • Attending various events sponsored by the student organization
  • Meeting with the RSO president(s) or leader(s) to discuss and reflect on event programming, organizational development, budget, and assessment data

Risk Management and Liability

Agreeing to serve as an Advisor comes with a great deal of responsibility. Advisors are expected to stay well informed of their RSO’s actions and decisions and to stay visibly involved in their role. RSOs must comply with all university policies and procedures, local, state, and federal laws. Advisors are expected to help RSOs understand their responsibilities and to ensure activities and events are in compliance with the aforementioned policies and laws.

Advisors do have potential liability exposure and it is important to remember when advising, advisors are serving as ambassadors of the University and are therefore covered by the university’s insurance policies. This does not guarantee that advisors could not be personally named in a lawsuit as a result of RSO activities. It is important advisors not ignore any foreseeable risk and advisors educate the RSO to follow all university policies and procedures as well as local, state, and federal laws. Intentionally harmful, willful acts of negligence, or omissions by an advisor are not covered by the university’s insurance policies.

Approvals – Events, Finances, Transportation

RSOs are required to get advisor approval in WaveSync for requests including, but not limited to, event registrations, motor pool vehicle requests, budget submissions, and financial transactions. When reviewing documentation for approval, advisors should read the information thoroughly, communicate with the RSO for questions or clarification, ensure that the activity is compliant with university policies and local, state, and federal laws, verify there is adequate designated funding to support the activity if applicable, and provide a timely approval or denial.

Requests for approval for event registrations, motor pool vehicle requests, and budget submissions will be sent through WaveSync to an advisor’s Tulane email address. The email will include a link to the specified request and buttons to select approval or denial of the request.

Budget Management

RSOs may have one or more university fiscal account(s). RSOs are not allowed to have an off-campus bank account. Advisors should have access to financial information for their student organization(s). Advisors can be provided Cognos access to monitor account balances and to ensure adequate funding for organization activities and resources. If an organization has been provided a budget, advisors can view the budget in WaveSync.

For questions about RSO accounts and budgets, contact Jane Rushing, LBC Associate Director of Administration and Finance, at rushing@tulane.edu or 504-314-2915.

Clery Act, Campus Security Authority, Hazing & Incident Reporting

Clery Act & Campus Security Authority
A requirement of student organization Advisors falls within the purview of The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or more widely known as the Clery Act. This federal legislation requires the university to report campus crime data, support victims of violence, and publicly outline the policies and procedures they have put into place to improve campus safety.

Campus Security Authorities, or CSA’s, have duty to report criminal incidents, as defined by the Clery Act, to the crime collection body of Tulane. CSA’s include a wide range of individuals with responsibility for campus security or student and campus activities.

RSO Advisors are considered a Campus Security Authority (CSA) because they have “significant responsibility for student and campus activities.” This means Advisors have the duty to report incidents of Clery Act crimes.

Incident Reporting
CSAs must report allegations of Clery Act crimes to the official or office designated to collect the information. In most cases CSAs can fulfill their role while still maintaining victim confidentiality, if requested.

A CSA report does not result in automatic police or disciplinary action if the victim does not want to pursue those actions.

CSAs are not responsible for (unless they serve in a law enforcement or investigator capacity) investigating a crime, determining whether a crime took place, trying to convince the victim to contact law enforcement if the victim chooses not to do so, reporting incidents they overhear in the hallway or shared during an in-class discussion, speech, workshop, group presentation, or otherwise learned about in an indirect manner.

Advisors should report incidents to https://tulane.edu/concerns. For questions regarding reporting crimes or other issues, please contact Margaret E. Martin, Clery Act Coordinator at 504-988-9898 or mmarti24@tulane.edu.

If there is an emergency incident, Advisors are directed to call TUPD at 504-865-5911 or NOPD at 911.

Hazing
Hazing includes, but is not limited to, acts of servitude and/or behavior that humiliates, degrades, embarrasses, harasses or ridicules an individual or otherwise is harmful or potentially harmful to an individual’s physical, emotional or psychological well-being, as an actual or apparent condition for initial or continued affiliation with any group. A student violates this standard regardless of either the lack of intent to cause harm or the hazed individual’s own willingness to participate. Advisors are expected to report any allegations of hazing to the University at http://tulane.edu/concerns.

Officer Transition & Organization Renewal

Some of the key elements to ensure an organization’s smooth transition from academic year to academic year are to complete a timely renewal of their organization and to conduct a successful transition for their officers. An advisor can and should play an active role in the transition process. There are many methods of transition, including passing on notebooks/manuals and electronic records, having one-on-one meetings between incoming and outgoing officers, or planning day long retreats.

The following elements are important in organization transitions:

  • Conduct an elections/selection process for new officers based on the timeline outlined in the organization’s constitution
  • Complete the annual renewal of the organization each spring, including updating officer information, on WaveSync
  • Schedule transition meetings and communicate key information to new officers
  • Coordinate an opportunity for the advisor to meet with the new leadership, particularly executive officers

Fall 2024 Advisor Meetings & Trainings

Undergraduate RSO Advisor Meetings

Graduate RSO Advisor Meetings

New Advisor Trainings (Only for advisors that have started after August 23rd 2023)

Checklist for New Advisors

  • Review the Advisor Role and Responsibilities document to gain an understanding of your role as an Recognized Student Organization (RSO) advisor.
  • Review the Advisor roles document to learn more about the roles you may assume as an advisor.
  • Review the RSO Handbook to become familiar with RSO policies, resources, and procedures.
  • If your organization is GAPSA sponsored, check out the GAPSA website to become familiar with the structure, policies, resources, and procedures related to these organizations.
  • Review the advisor section of the RSO Handbook which features information and resources, upcoming meeting schedules, past meeting presentations, and more.
  • Review the hazing section of the RSO Handbook to be aware of university and state policies as well as how to report concerns.
  • Attend the New Advisor Training. Training will be offered early in the fall and spring semesters each year. This training will provide a comprehensive overview of RSOs at Tulane and your role as an advisor.
  • Visit your organization’s WaveSync page to explore their information. Be sure that you are listed as an advisor on their page. Contact Greg Feiling, LBC Associate Director for Student Involvement at gfeiling@tulane.edu if you have any issues with accessing your organization’s page or being listed as an advisor.
  • Set a meeting time with key student organization officers including the president and treasurer to discuss plans for the year, expectations, their role in the organization, and more.
  • Review your RSO's constitution. The president should be able to provide you a copy or it can be accessed in the “Documents” section of their WaveSync page.
  • Attend an organization meeting and introduce yourself and your role to the organization members.
  • Be aware of some key pieces of information:
    • RSO events are required to be registered at least three weeks in advance of the event.
    • Contracts must be signed by the LBC or Student Affairs designee. Student organization officers and/or advisors may not sign contracts.
    • There is no student organization programming allowed after the last day of classes.
    • You can check out more details about these and other policies/resources in the RSO Handbook.

Return to RSO Handbook