Vanderbilt Student Organizations, Leadership and Service implemented a training program for newly registered on-campus student organizations. The five-week program serves as a required orientation for all new student organizations, consisting of two-hour weekly sessions that began on Sept. 13.
According to SOLS Program Manager Wilalberto De Los Santos, the purpose of the program is to provide RSOs with guidance on communications, finances, leadership and service, as well as introduce them to relevant university resources. The program also includes a Career Center workshop to mentor leaders on applying these skills to the workforce.
“It is imperative for new RSOs to attend each program session. This not only ensures they’re primed to operate effectively but also maintains their eligibility to apply for Student Organization Funds next year,” De Los Santos said in an email to The Hustler.
De Los Santos said the program was piloted in 2022 but fully launched this fall. Going forward, it will be hosted once per semester for new student organizations.
Various changes have been made to the student organization registration and re-registration process over the past two years, including adding questions to the registration form, requiring adviser review and approval and requesting additional documentation. De Los Santos declined to explain why these changes were implemented.
“During the New Organization Cohort program, we encourage leaders of new organizations to familiarize themselves with the policies in the Student Handbook relevant to student organization operations,” De Los Santos said. “This is an especially critical message this year since the Student Handbook was recently reorganized and transitioned to a new digital platform.”
Policies reviewed during the first session of the program include Protection of Minors, procedures for setting up a new organization on AnchorLink, university trademarks and travel rules.
Sophomore Hanna Kostiv attended the program as a representative for her new organization, the Ukrainian Student Association.
“I really appreciate this effort to help students with organizational details,” Kostiv said. “Mainly, I’m interested in how to allocate finances and how to work with them.”
Sophomore Yuxi Song founded the Chinese Traditional Culture Association this semester with the goal of enriching Chinese culture on campus. She serves as the organization’s president.
“I believe this event allowed many organizers to gain a deeper understanding of the resources within the school and facilitated more interactions with the staff of the student organization office,” Song said.
