STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS & ACTIVITIES

Here is SOA’s record of student organizations and their advisors. Please contact Hayley Kretchmer if you see missing or incorrect information on this spreadsheet.

All registered student organizations must complete the annual registration process (which launches every spring and lasts through the summer) to remain in good standing with SOA and maintain an active org status. More information about RSO annual requirements is here.

• 2024-25 Advisor Orientation Recap: Here is the slide deck from the Advisor Orientation that took place in October 2024.
• Advisor Virtual Office Hours: These Office Hours typically happen once per quarter, and serve as a time for any current or prospective advisor to drop in and ask questions. The Office Hours are announced in the weekly advisor newsletter, which you can access by joining the advisor Listserv.

• Trainings: SOA hosts training topics throughout the academic year with input from current advisors. If you have topics you want to know more about or you are a department representative who is interested in presenting to the advisor community, please contact Hayley Kretchmer.

Domestic Overnight Travel

International Overnight Travel

• Group trips are defined as 2 or more students participating in a Northwestern funded and/or affiliated international trip.
• please check in with Andrea Mendoza at the Office of Global Safety and Security (OGSS) to get started on pre-departure preparation. 
• Your student leaders should start planning with the RSO Trip Leader Checklist.
• Undergraduates planning to travel to restricted locations must submit a Travel Permission Request at least 8 weeks before departure. 
• Communication with OGSS is essential to facilitating a smooth process, and students are encouraged to reach out before plans are finalized to avoid plan disruption. 

• Most campus (and some off-campus events) require contracts for everything between venue, audio-visual needs, speaker/guest honorariums, performers (including enrolled students), media rights, and more. More information about when a contract is needed including the process for processing them can be found here.
• In the meantime, remember two quick facts:
  • RSO Advisors are not authorized to sign student group contracts. Students are not allowed to sign these agreements on behalf of Northwestern either.
  • At a minimum, contracts should be turned into the appropriate Northwestern signatory office (frequently, Campus Life in Norris) at least two weeks prior to the organization's event. For contracts with more money involved or events with alcohol, and other conditions, contracts must be submitted to Campus Life at least six weeks in advance of the event.

Please refer to this tab to better understand how and where on campus student organizations are permitted to promote their events.

Student Organization Finance Office (SOFO)

SOFO is the bank for student organization accounts located on the first floor of Norris University Center. It is free to open a SOFO account for registered student organizations. Accounts are managed by specific student officers in the organization. SOFO conducts their own account use training and communications with officers. For more information about their services, visit the SOFO website here.

Cashier's Office

The Cashier's Office in Norris, located next door to the SOFO window, offers a variety of other financial services for student organizations including cashier bags, accepting deposits for SOFO accounts, and more.

Debit Cards

The Cashier's Office in Norris manages a debit card program for registered student organizations to load cards for use. This comes with specific conditions and responsibilities for use. The advisor is responsible for maintaining the cards when they are not checked out. More information about the Debit Card program is available here.

Funding & Grant Opportunities

Please click here to learn more about the various funding opportunities across campus that SOA has been made aware of.

All RSOs are listed on Wildcat Connection. Search by keyword, category, or name. There are also some non-RSO pages in the platform (e.g. social fraternity & sorority chapters, departments, and residential units). If you search for the group you advise and it does not pop up, it is likely frozen; please reach out to Hayley Kretchmer to inquire about this.

Here are a few common topics for advisors to learn about as they advise registered student organizations at Northwestern.

Hazing Prevention Resources

The Office of Community Standards leads our community in educating our student organizations on acceptable recruitment activities and behaviors. The Hazing Prevention website offers resources regarding how hazing is defined at Northwestern, actions to take when hazing incidents are reported, and ensuring a safe community for our student organizations.

Alcohol Policy

Any campus events where alcohol may be present on- or off-campus sponsored by a Northwestern registered student organization must abide by university event planning procedures. Details regarding alcohol at events for undergraduate students can be found here.

University Policy Index Resource

Northwestern also offers a Policy Index A-Z for various topics.

• Advance Scheduling
• ASG Funding Cycle
• SOAcon: Mid-Spring
• Annual Registration: Launches mid-spring, extends through summer
• Student Organization Fairs: Fall Week 1, Winter Week 1, Spring Week 1

This document offers helpful tips and tools for supporting your students.