Student Group Information
There are dozens of existing student groups at SIPA. Every year, students carry on the activities of existing groups and create new ones. Some of the groups last a long time and become stronger and well-known in the SIPA community because of the quality of the activities they sponsor; while other groups have a very short life for a variety of reasons. All new student groups must have the following:
- A minimum of ten (10) members. It is not practical to have one or two students start a group.
- A clear and coherent mission statement (minimum one paragraph) which will describe the group and its goals. The mission should not duplicate that of any existing student group. Any student group should aim to enhance the well-being, academic and professional interests of the SIPA community.
- A list of names and contact information of students who will be serving as officers in your group.
- All groups must have a President, Co-President and Treasurer. There can be no more than two people serving as co-presidents for a group.
- A tentative plan of activities for the year: conferences, talks, workshops, film showings, etc. These activities should be attainable, as well as useful and interesting to the SIPA community.
- A list of possible sources of funding for the group.
- A list of other student groups, departments, institutes or other schools at Columbia that will be willing to co-sponsor events with your group or support your group in any way.
- A defined election and transition process that the group wishes to adopt.
N.B. All transitional elections must take place in the Spring Semester. If a change of board is not in place by the deadline provided by SIPASA the group will become inactive and will not be able to reapply for student group status until the next spring semester - All student members must be SIPA students
- Student Groups can be representative of a regional area but cannot be country specific.
- Student groups cannot pursue a partisan political or religious agenda.
Please note that the SIPA student Association (SIPASA) may have additional requirements for approving new student groups
SIPASA conducts a funding application process each semester to allocate money to Student Groups. Only registered groups may apply for funding. SIPASA is not obligated to fund new groups, but may consider their applications. The Student Affairs Office will periodically notify student groups of other funding opportunities via a student groups email list.
Each registered student group that receives funding will be given an account number for the school year. This account number will be solely for use by that particular student group for expenses incurred against available funds. Funds allocated to student groups are for use in the current school year only. Therefore, at the end of each year (6/30) all student group balances will be transferred back to SIPASA. However, if your group received money from other sources (i.e. President's and Provost's fund, Alice, etc.) for a specific event that will take place in the next year, a memo stating that information should be submitted to the SIPASA President so these funds are retained.
The Regional Institutes at SIPA also provide funding in some cases. Additional sources of funding may also be found at: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/sgb/funding.html and http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lernerhall/.
Student-sponsored events may often involve finding (and sometimes paying for) space, arranging room setup and cleanup, ordering food and beverages, publicity, and possibly providing transportation, expense reimbursement or honoraria to guests. Included in the information provided below are specific tips and school guidelines for arranging events.
Failure to follow the guidelines or to conduct events in a responsible way will result in withdrawal of recognition for the student group.
Student Group Event Request Form | Event Planning Form
Food and Drink Supplies
A list of vendors is available on the Event Planning form. Event Planning Forms, orderf forms and vouchers are all available from the Business office on the 14th Floor. All order forms can be obtained from Natasha Gordon and must be signed by an approved Business Office representative in order for you to place an order with the vendor.
Sponsorship
All events held in SIPA must be sponsored by a recognized SIPA entity such as a program, concentration, institute, office, or recognized student group. The sponsoring body should be identified when booking rooms, arranging services and in any publicity associated with the event. It is important that SIPA staff be able to identify the organizers of an event in case of any questions or problems that arise in connection with the event. Student groups should consult and collaborate with relevant concentration and program directors, institute staff, etc. when bringing speakers to campus in order to insure maximum participation and recognition for events. Co-sponsoring with a concentration, program or institute will improve your chances of booking venues at SIPA such as the Kellogg Center and Altschul Auditorium.
Space
The following spaces are available for student groups use, listed in order of prioritization for student groups' use (i.e. Lerner Hall is exclusively for student groups, the Kellogg Center only occasionally so). All space rental will require authorization from the Business Office prior to you making the reservation to verify funds.
- Lerner Hall: Please visit, http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lernerhal l for information on how to reserve space.
- Institute and Department Conference Rooms: Please contact Institute personnel for information on space reservations
- IABClassrooms (including Altschul Auditorium and Erooms: Groups must complete a room reservation Form (available in the Student Affairs Office and in Faculty Affairs Room 1418) and submit to Awilda Medina in Room 1418
- Electronic Classrooms (403,410 and Altschul): In addition to booking the room you will need to submit an online form at: http://www.columbia.edu/acis/classrooms/reservations.html
- Kellogg Center: Send an e-mail to Kellogg@Columbia.edu to inquire about reserving space.
Publicity
The various media for publicizing events at SIPA are listed below. Utilizing these resources and observing the policies will help to standardize communication at the school and insure that all constituents distribute and receive information about events in a predictable and consistent way.
Official modes of communication for publicizing events include:
Student Group Events at SIPA
A weekly listing of events organized by student groups, including film screenings, cultural events, speakers, community service opportunities, social events and other student activities. It appears online at: http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/events/sgroups/ and is e-mailed to students on Fridays.
Submission Process:
Submit complete event information including date, place, names, sponsors, admission requirements (SIPA ID, CUID, tickets, etc by e-mailing the information at http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/news_events/submit_event.html. The submission deadline is 5:00 pm Wednesday the week prior to the event.
SIPA Events
A weekly listing of events It appears online at: http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/events/tws/ and is also distributed via e-mail to students, staff, faculty and friends of the school on Fridays, and via hard copy to staff, faculty and distribution points in other schools and departments. Some student group events may be appropriate for listing in the SIPA Calendar of Events as well, particularly if the event is co-sponsored by an institute, program or concentration.
Submission Process:Submit complete event information including date, place, names, sponsors, admission requirements (SIPA ID, CUID, tickets, etc.) using the online form at: http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/news_events/submit_event.html. The submission deadline is 5:00pm Wednesday the week prior to the event.
Broadcast Mail for Student Groups
While the online Student Group Events at SIPA and the weekly email digest listing these events are meant to be the main resource and venue for student groups' information, student groups can also use broadcast mail as medium for promoting events. Broadcast mail should be sent to sipa_studentgroups@columbia.edu. More information regarding broadcast e-mail including guidelines can be found in the student group handbook.
Faculty Newsletter and Listserve
A newsletter and faculty listserve is managed by DIPA (the Department of International Affairs). Information to be distributed to faculty should be provided to the Departmental Administrator, Room 1318, 212-854-3213, for integration into the newsletter or distribution to the faculty listserve.
Bulletin Boards
Take advantage of bulletin boards throughout the building, especially those on the fourth, sixth and fourteenth floors and in the stairwells. The only allocated spaces for publicity in the IAB are the bulletin boards and the elevator banks on the 4th and 6th floors. Please do not tape flyers to painted, marble or wood surfaces or windows.
Posters
Large posters for events must be approved by the building manager, Micaela Ordahl (Room 1513), particularly if you wish the poster to stay up for a period of time and not be removed by the cleaning staff.
Business Policies and Procedures
The SIPA Business Office is responsible for providing/monitoring account information, processing all financial transactions and distributing monthly breakdown reports. The office is located on the 14th floor, room 1420 IAB. The Business Manager can be reached at 854-6301 and Natasha Gordon, Administrative Assistant at 854 4116 or ng2037. The office is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. The main phone line is: 854-5406 and fax number is: 864 4847.
All financial transactions for Student Groups must be routed through the Business Office. Procedures for paying expenses vary, depending upon thetype of expense involved. General instructions for the most common expense types follow.
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Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing of all payments. Checks will be mailed directly to vendor/student, unless check pick-up service is requested. Be advised that the speed with which checks can be generated depends upon the workload of the Accounting staff. RUSH requests generally take 2-3 days and is at the discretion of the Accounting Dept.
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All outside vendors should submit invoices to :
Business Manager
School Of International & Public Affairs
420 West 118th Street, Room 1420
New York, Ny 10027 -
Fill out an event planning form prior to all events that will generate invoices, check requests or student reimbursements (please see Administrative Assistant in room 1420).
* Please attach a copy of the flyer or email used to advertise the event. This helps the Business Office to track invoices and payments. - Vendor Accounts//Voucher System (see event planning form for list):
* We have billable accounts with most of the vendors in the Columbia area and a few outside. If your vendor of choice is on the Event Planning Form, please see Natasha Gordon for a voucher form for that specific vendor. Either Ms. Gordon or the Business Manager will need to authorize the form before you can fax/hand deliver it to the vendor. For authorization, please submit flyer/memo/e-mail advertising event. If the vendor is not on our list, please see the Business Manager.if possible we will set up an account. We try to avoid any student spending their own funds.
Invoices
Invoices are vendors' bills submitted directly to the University. Please alert Business Office staff if an invoice is being mailed or faxed so that we can look out for it.
Check Requests
Please check with the Business Office before contracting with vendors we do not have accounts with. They can advise you the best way to make your arrangements and ensure that your vendor gets paid as quickly as possible. A W-9 form is required to pay individuals and new vendors, so please get this completed as soon as you know you will be using a vendor we do not have an account with. Generally, your need to request a check will be limited to three types of expenses:
- Goods and services to be provided by vendors who require prepayment;
- Reimbursement to individuals who are not affiliated with the University;
- Professional services stipends paid to individuals who are not affiliated with the University.
The SIPA Business Office staff will complete check request forms. You mustprovide the following:
- For prepaying goods and services: an invoice made out to Columbia University describing the goods or services to be provided and itemizing the price thereof;
Note: You must get the Federal Tax ID (W-9 Form) number of the vendor so that request for payment can be submitted. The University will not pay any vendor without that information. - For reimbursement to individuals:
- Name of individual to be reimbursed
- Person's home address
- Person's social security number
- Business purpose of the expense (e.g.: flight to conference, dinner with guest, etc.)
- Original receipts showing payment of all expenses to be reimbursed
- W-9 Certificate completed and signed by the recipient
- Flyer or agenda where appropriate
Note that the University observes all INS and IRS regulations regarding payment to Nonresident Aliens. Certain visa types preclude payment of expenses, professional services, per diem or salary. Before you commit to paying any Nonresident Alien for any service whatsoever, find out what type of visa the payee holds and check with Business Office to find out whether and what type of payment can be made to the individual. - For Professional Services (lecture, meeting participant):
- Name of individual to be paid for professional services
- Person's home address
- Person's social security number
- Description of the service for which payment is provided
- W-9 Certificate completed and signed by the recipient
- Flyer or agenda where appropriate
Nonresident Aliens holding certain types of visas are NOT eligible to receive payment for professional services.
Expense Reports
For reimbursement of occasional cash purchases:
Travel and Business Expense Reports must be filled out by individuals associated with Columbia University (i.e. faculty, graduate students). In order to be reimbursed for payments made directly by the individual you will need to provide:
- The name, home address and social security number of the person to be reimbursed;
- The Business purpose of the expenses (Fliers, memo, etc.)
- An original receipt showing proof of payment for each expense item
It is important to show all receipts for your expense report. Groups should tape the receipts to plain white 8 x 11 paper. It is important that all expense reports are signed by payee. In addition, they do not need to fill in the bottom portions where it asks for a description of items and for a listing of account numbers, the Business Office will handle this.
Do Not pay by personal check - you cannot submit for reimbursement until you receive your canceled check and attach it--the original--to the expenseform.
Do Not pay for purchases and orders out of pocket. It is best to order directly from customary university suppliers with whom we have accounts.These vendors know the University is tax exempt and will not charge salestax. We have heard repeatedly how someone was able to save a little bit ofmoney by going to a different supplier, but that small bit of savings is notworth the delay and frustration that often ensues in the attempt to getreimbursed.
Interdepartmental Invoices
Interdepartmental invoices are automatically charged to the account givenfor goods or services provided by Columbia University. Some of theseoffices include, Audio Visual, Facilities, Columbia Catering, Faculty House and Printing Services. Please ask for estimates where possible to ensure your account has adequate funds to cover expenses. These offices will callt the business office to verify sufficient funds and will cancel orders if funds are not available.
Maintaining your Group in Good Standing
To remain in good standing, a student group must :
- Have a minimum of ten (10), members who share a common interest and collectively pursue their activities in a collegial and professional manner. A membership list will be required when renewing student group status
- Hold transitional elections in a timely manner that will allow for installation of the new officer board by the beginning of Spring term and submit the names of the students that will comprise the new officer board to OSA and SIPASA by the given deadline. NB: All officers must be able to serve the full term spanning the calendar year, January to December.
- Hold at least one event per semester that contributes to the academic or social environment at SIPA.
- Attend mandatory monthly SIPASA Student Life committee meetings.
- Not engage in commercial activity with non-Columbia University affiliates.
- Not use the group or the SIPA name to promote a partisan political or religious agenda
- Attend officer training/ information sessions in the Spring
- Be open to all members of the SIPA community, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender and age.
- Not duplicate the function of any other recognized student group.
- Have its members assume personal financial responsibility for damage caused by the members of the group to any SIPA space or any other University or off-campus facility.
- Accept all rules mandated by University policy and local, state, and federal law.
- Not deviate from the guidelines and goals set forth in their Mission Statement
- Coordinate with the Student Affairs Office about all information related to the student group.
- Maintain a current student group webpage if applicable.
- Renew their registration at the end of every academic year.
The status of any student group may be revoked at the discretion of the Student Affairs Office and SIPASA.
Recognition as an official SIPA student group comes with many benefits including:
- The ability to request and reserve space for group use.
- The ability to apply for University funding.
- Permission to esablish a webpage.
- A student group account number.
- Ability to publicize events using School resources (see student group handbook under "Publicity".
- Inclusion in the On-line directory of student organizations.
- The ability to use the School name in association with the student organization, under very strict guidlines (plese check with the Student Affairs Office before using the School name).