Student Organization Manual

Dave Eng
(315) 859-4516
(315) 859-4196 (fax)

AVAILABLE RESOURCES (FOR FULLY RECOGNIZED ORGANIZATIONS)

Use of college name.

  • An organization recognized by the Student Activities Office may use Hamilton College in its name. However, please note that organizations are sorted alphabetically on our website. When entering information into the online system, you should not use “Hamilton College” in the title.
  • If your organization collects dues, the College name cannot be used in an off-campus bank account. While off-campus accounts are not forbidden, they are discouraged. Please see Resource Number 4, Financial Accounts, in this section for more details.

Use of campus facilities.

  • Facilities may be viewed and reserved online using the Events Calendar at http://www.hamilton.edu/events/scheduling.html Select a facility from the “Locations” grid or submit a “New Request,” both from the left column. You will be sent a confirmation email when the space is reserved for your event.

Use of a student organization mailbox.

  • Student organization mailboxes are located in the Student Resource Room on the 3rd floor of the Sadove Student Center.

A financial account through Student Assembly or Student Activities.

  • After the initial 10 week (70 day) probationary period, your organization is eligible to apply for funding through the Student Assembly. Please follow the funding request policies on page 31. If approved, a campus account will be established for your organization.If your organization is not eligible for SA funding and/or collects significant dues or revenue that you would like to roll over from year to year, the Student Activities Office can set up a Liability Account for your organization. These funds can be spent by following standard expenditure policies. 
  • Neither Student Activities nor Student Assembly money can be used to purchase alcohol unless the alcohol is served by a licensed caterer. 

Ability to establish membership dues and raise funds.

The opportunity to request funds from Student Assembly.

  • The ability to use Student Activities supplies to publicize programs, events and activities.

  • Publicity supplies such as computers, printers, markers, paint and paper are located in the Student Resource Room in the Sadove Student Center 3rd floor and are available for use. .

  • Because the sign-making markers are extremely strong, please make sure to place plastic underneath the paper when making signs, otherwise it will bleed through and stain the table and floor. 

  • Utilize the Student Activities Office website to make information available.

Through the online system, you can post information onto the Student Activities website.

  • This information can include a description of your organization, a photo, contact details and, if you have one, a link to your organization’s website.

The opportunity to create an organizational campus email address.

  • Student organizations can work with ITS to create an organizational email address. This can be requested through the online registration system under the heading of Organization Information.
  • Use of campus listservs (see below)
  • Through the Online Registration, you will identify two people in your organization who will be approved to send listserv messages in addition to your organization email.
  • To send an e-mail to STUDENTS about an EVENT use
  • Events-students@listserv.hamilton.edu (sent only to students)
  • To send an e-mail to ALL CAMPUS about an EVENT use
  • Events-all@listserv.hamilton.edu (sent to both students and employees)
  • By an "event" we mean an activity (meeting, performance, lecture, etc.) that takes place on- or off-campus at a specific date and time and is sponsored, or co-sponsored by either an academic or administrative department/program or a student organization recognized by Student Activities. Sponsorship means that the chair of a College department, program or organization indicates that the organization supports the event and that members of the College are actively involved in organizing the event (e.g., as speakers). If someone other than the organizer(s) makes the event announcement, they share in the responsibility for adhering to the guidelines.
  • Posting to the lists will be limited to all employees and two* student representatives, or the e-mail account assigned to each student organization recognized by Student Activities.
  • Violations by the student representatives will accrue to the organization they represent regardless of whether the violator acted alone.
  • An event will be limited to two posts to the mass mailing lists. Corrections count as one of the two messages.
  • If an event is cancelled or postponed, two additional notices are allowed.
  • Each message must have a subject line that is descriptive of the event
  • The first 4 lines of the message must contain:
  • Date and time of the event
  • Sponsor of the event
  • Name of the event
  • Location of the event
  • Clarification: Posting a message to an inappropriate list is a violation (e.g., posting a message intended for students to the events-all list)
  • The notices mass e-mail lists will be used only for the following general categories. A non-comprehensive bulleted list of examples is provided for each category.
  • Reports from Hamilton organizations or departments - These reports must come from individuals representing the academic or administrative offices, or student organizations recognized by Student Activities who generated the reports (e.g., Minutes of Student Assembly, Agendas, reports from faculty meetings, Honor Court decisions, results of campus-wide initiatives or community events such as United Way, Heart Walk & Run, announcement of appointments).
  • Surveys - Student organizations recognized by Student Activities can submit surveys directly to the student lists. These must be surveys that will only be given to students.
  • To send an e-mail to STUDENTS about a NOTICE use
  • Notices-students@listserv.hamilton.edu (sent only to students)
  • To send an e-mail to ALL CAMPUS about a NOTICE use
  • Notices-all@listserv.hamilton.edu (sent to both students and employees)
  • Note: ITS policy states that only two listserv emails may be sent per event. A violation of this policy will result in a loss of email privileges. To review the complete mass email policies visit
  • http://www.hamilton.edu/college/its/policies_standards_plans/sec_5_email.html

Use of College vehicles (when available).

  • The Student Activities Office can assist with your student organization travel plans. There is a Student Activities van available for student organizations to use for approved travel. If you are traveling to an event off campus, this is the van you will want to use. Please refer to the Transportation section of this manual for more information on van usage and travel policies. As this van is used frequently, please plan as far in advance as possible.

Use of College Print Shop.

  • The College Print Shop can assist you with almost all your printing needs. Simply supply them with your organization’s account number and the work can be charged right to your account.

Opportunity to schedule program services through the Campus Activities Coordinating Committee (CACC).

  • No summary of available resources would be complete without a mention of CACC. Simply put, CACC is a one-stop shopping for all your programming needs. CACC meets each Tuesday at 3:00PM in Sadove Student Center Room 112 (First Floor). Representatives from the Student Activities Office, Campus Safety, Physical Plant, Bon Appetite Catering, Audio Visual Support, Tech Crew, Event Staff and often other departments are available to assist you in finalizing the details of your events.
  • To help serve you better, make sure you come to CACC at least 72 hours before your event (earlier is better for complex events) and be prepared to discuss details.

Campus server account in SSS.

  • ITS will assist you in setting up an SSS where your organization can store event documents and files. This will allow for multiple members of your organization to have access to computer files from across campus and allow for an easier transition when changing members and leadership.

Cashbox lending, storage and security.

  • When collecting money, a cash box can be reserved through the Student Activities Office. This will allow for safe and secure method of exchanging money. When money is done being collected, the Student Activities Office can assist in depositing the money back into your student organization’s account.

Computer and printer use.

  • The Student Activities Office has computers designated solely for student organization use. These computers are equipped with software to make flyers, manage organizational budgets and more. These computers are located in the Resource Room of the Sadove Student Center 3rd Floor. If you need assistance using any of the software, please contact the Assistant Director of Student Activities.

Assistance in developing programs.

  • The Student Activities staff is more than happy to meet with student organizations to assist in the development of programs. The Student Activities Office has many resources available to aid in this process. Please contact the Assistant Director of Student Activities for assistance.

Sound and technical support for programs.

  • The Student Activities Office staff can assist your organization with coordinating the appropriate sound and technical support for your event. When you are in the early stages of planning an event, we advise you to meet with a Student Activities staff person to discuss your needs and the equipment and resources available. The most important point is to plan ahead and ask the right questions. http://www.hamilton.edu/college/Student_Activities/venues.html

Artist and event contacts

  • Do you have an idea of what your organization would like to do but have no idea how to get in touch with the person? The Student Activities Office and the Campus Activities Board (CAB) have a significant number of resources that are available to you. In these resources, you can find contact information, short biographies, and references, etc. Stop by and ask the Assistant Director of Student Activities for more information. At the very least, if we don’t have something on hand, we can point you in the right direction.

Tabling and Fundraising in Beinecke Village/Martin’s Way

  • Tables in the display area of Beinecke Village, just outside of the Howard Diner, must be reserved through the Events Calendar at least 48 hours in advance of their intended use. In order to minimize congestion and maximize your group’s visibility, a maximum of three groups can reserve a table in Beinecke Village at any one time.
  • The Student Activities Office must approve all potential fundraising projects in advance. Please note that Beinecke Village is the only approved area for student organization fundraising activities.