UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Office of Student Activities has a variety of online offerings and virtual support resources for Student Organizations during the remote-learning period, including Zoom organizational chats to assist recognized student organizations with the many challenges they may be facing during this transition to remote activities.
The office is holding remote Organizational Chats to help students with various aspects of running an organization remotely, such as online elections through OrgCentral, end-of-year officer transitions, effective remote meetings, and constitutional changes.
Jen Grossman Leopard, assistant director of student organizations in Student Activities, explained that the goals of these initiatives are to provide a seamless transition to a new working environment for Penn State’s Student Organizations.
“We are committed to ensure organizations’ continued success," said Grossman Leopard. "This is a critical time to prepare them to wrap up this academic year and to set them up for successful for the following academic year. We want them to know we can provide them the same amount of support in these efforts as we did in-person. If they are struggling, we are here to help. If they want to try something new, we are here to help. If they want to start working on programming for next year, we are here to help."
The Office of Student Activities, a unit of Penn State Student Affairs, has also built an online resource room with tips to move forward with many of the typical organization activities that are important during this time of year. Students can explore resources related to the following activities:
- Online Elections Through OrgCentral
- Officer Transitions
- Running a Meeting Remotely
- Marketing & Advertising
- Fundraising Tips
- Planning a Retreat
- Recruitment & Retention
Training and leadership development programs for student organization leaders and members also are available online. One development program called the Student Leadership Practices Inventory is a 360-degree leadership inventory pairing that includes a facilitated workshop. Mandatory Officer Training for organizations who still need to re-activate before the end of the academic year is provided in a remote format as well.
The annual re-registration of currently recognized student organizations is available now on OrgCentral. Registration for the Fall Involvement Fair is open, and the new organization recognition process is open from April 20 to May 8.
“Typically, organizations are not very active when they aren’t on campus. However, my hope is that they will get used to communicating and meeting from various locations and will carry that through the summer months; with a desired outcome that they are even more prepared to start the 2020-21 academic year,” Grossman Leopard said.
For more information or for further support in operating an organization remotely, email studentorg@psu.edu.