Collaborating With Student Groups

Many departments and community groups inquire about collaborating with student organizations or the Student Activities and Leadership Office. This may include cosponsoring an event or an initiative, getting the word out to students on an opportunity, or booking you as a performer or speaker.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Q: How do can I book a performer, speaker, or band at Portland State?

A: There are a few ways to inquire about booking on campus. The student organizations at Portland State decide who they are going to work with and what events they are going to hold. You can search for student organization that may be relevant to your topic or performance by clicking here. There is also a student-run service on campus called Portland State Professional Sound that books bands for twice a week performances.

• Q: I want to have an event on campus and we heard that student groups can get rooms for free. How do we contact a student organization to sponsor our event?

A: It is true that student organizations have access to rooms and other resources at Portland State. Many student organizations are very connected and invested in the community. However, for student organizations to access rooms and event resources on campus; they must be the primary organizers of the event. This means that the organization has a meaningful role in organizing, planning, and benefiting from the event. Student organizations that decide to co-sponsor an event in a nominal way will be charged for the room rental. If you are interested in working with a student organization as a partner in an event, you and the organization will be asked to fill out a co-sponsorship agreement to determine the roles, responsibilities, and privileges of each group.

• Q: I work with student leaders on campus in my department. What services do those students and our department have access to?

A: SALP facilitates a collaborative group of staff that support and work with student leaders on campus called the Student Leadership Steering Committee. Anyone at Portland State working closely with student leaders is welcome to contact us to see if this is a committee you may be interested in joining. Further, all student leaders across campus are invited and encouraged to attend our campus-wide leadership events.

• Q: A student organization has asked me to be a faculty or community advisor for their group. What does that mean and what do I need to know?

A: The Faculty Advisor can be an important part of a student organization; their role is to encourage critical thinking about the mission and goals, to connect student s to the particular field and community networks, career exploration, and connecting academics to co-curricular experiences. The very definition of a student organization is that it is student led. This sometimes leads to confusion about the Faculty Advisor's role. The Faculty Advisor should not be leading the group, making budget decisions, hiring or supervising the leadership, or taking a lead on initiatives, programs, or goal development. In order to foster leadership development of students, these must be the roles and responsibilities of the students. Please refer to the Faculty Advisor Handbook.

SALP is committed to collaborating with and supporting faculty partners to advise student organizations. If you are a Faculty Advisor and would like to be on the faculty advisor listserv to receive updates and helpful information, please e-mail your name, department, and the group you are working with to lorriemATpdx.edu.