CLUB ADVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES

• LIAISON: Serve as a point of contact to help clubs navigate the college. Respond to questions from the club.
• PRESENCE: Be at key events/meetings when required (see below).
• PAPERWORK: Sign off on forms (finance, events, travel, etc.) and make sure they’re submitted correctly.
• SUPPORT: Encourage students, help them build organization skills, and intervene if safety or conduct concerns arise.
• REPORT EMERGENCIES: Report safety or conduct concerns to Student Life so they can be addressed early. The Student Life department is always available for help/guidance, and it's good to catch incidents while they are small before they balloon into something worse.   

 

WHEN YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUIRED

• Any on-campus meeting or event outside normal business hours (before 8am or after 5pm)
• Any meeting that is off-campus or involves higher-risk activities (sports, travel, or activities with safety concerns)
• Officer elections and any meeting where money is involved/financial decisions are made (help ensure there's a majority agreement).
• Official online events (hosted on SRJC-affiliated Zoom)

 

ACTIVITIES, EVENTS, FOOD, & TRAVEL

• Please go to the Event Policies & Applications page for all details regarding: events, facilities use, campus service & equipment, food, travel, working with outside vendors, and contracts.
• Food & Travel rules: Advisors are responsible for confirming that an Event Application is submitted before food is ordered or travel is booked.
• If the club name, SRJC branding, or club/college funds are used → it’s an official event and must follow Event Policies.
• If students simply hang out as friends (pizza, concerts, casual meetups) → that’s personal, not a club event.
• Risk point: If something is advertised with the club’s name but not approved, the college may still be held liable.

 

CLUB FINANCES & REQUESTING MONEY

As the college and college clubs are part of the public sector, all club-related money must be processed through the club’s Trust account. Personal or external accounts (e.g., Venmo) may not be used.

• Please go to the Club Funding & Finances page for all details regarding: purchases, reimbursements, and grants.
• Your role is to confirm that students discuss and agree on financial decisions (ensure majority agreement), then sign forms so Student Life can process the rest.
• CONTACT: ICC Finance Advisor, Melissa Cowan (clubaccounts@santarosa.edu).

 

CLUB PERSISTENCE & THE INTER-CLUB COUNCIL (ICC)

Clubs come and go, and that’s normal -but it's nice to build a club that lasts so that they can accomplished even bigger goals. This section is here to suggest ways to encourage your club persists!

1. THE INTER-CLUB COUNCIL (ICC):
   Consistent ICC attendance is the #1 strongest indicator correlated with club sustainability. This makes sense, clubs are optional and they rely on the dedication of its members. ICC is dedication manifested; clubs that consistently attend ICC:
   • Stay connected to resources and funding
   • Hear about district operations and policy changes
   • See models of meeting and event planning
   • Network with other leaders (btw, we also usually have snacks)
     
     If a club is struggling to send a delegate to ICC, there's of course a lot of understandable reasons why that may be the case -it's also true that there may just not be the dedication needed to sustain the club. It may be worth considering merging with another club until you can get off the ground. Dedication it foundational, it's very rare (but not impossible!) that another solution will suffice
      
2. ADVISORS:
   The other key indicator to a club's success is their advisor. Clubs are student-led. With student consent, advisors may be actively involved in supportive and mentoring roles. So long as the student leaders consent advisors are encouraged to be involved. Some ways that I've seen advisors help with a club's persistence:
   • CURIOSITY: Shared, enthusiastic interest in the club goes a very long way.  
   • CHECK-IN: Meet with the club president regularly (once a month seems like a good minimum).
   • COMMUNITY CONNECTION: Often an advisor has a network that a student might not have. Bring in professionals, and opportunities to club meetings.
   • REMINDERS: Having that extra voice to help keep important dates at the front of the mind. 
   • MENTORSHIP: Be that staff member that models best practices and provides help on the individual level.
      
3. ELECTIONS:
   Advisors are encouraged to support early officer elections to ensure leadership continuity. Don't wait until the last minute to hold your elections. Hold elections early that way there's a known path moving forward. Create a "president-elect" system that allows for the future president time to shadow the current president. Advisors don’t have to run the elections, but should be present to ensure fair process and majority agreement.