INTRODUCTION TO STUDENT ACTIVITIES & EVENT PLANNING 101

Welcome Back!

Spring 2025

Presentation Overview

Student Activities Office (SAO)

• SAO staff & groups
• Where is SAO located?

UCS/UFB/CCB/GSC

• SA Committee
• UFB & finances
• Graduate group recognition & funding

Event Registration

• Event planning tips
• Student staff for events
• Student Org checklist
• Liability waivers & contracts
• Alcohol Policy
• SAO event staff (EEMs, ESS)
• Performance group safety

Financial Guidance

• SAO Guide to Financial Transactions
• Fundraising

Other Campus Offices & Partners

• Catering, Public Safety, Facilities, Media Services, Scheduling, Student Accessibility Services

University Policies

Student Group Resources

Student Activities Office

As part of the Division of Campus Life, the Student Activities Office (SAO) leads campus efforts to support over 400 student organizations at Brown. 

�In addition, the office provides oversight and coordination for the Stephen Robert '62 Campus Center, T.F. Green Hall and Alumnae Hall auditorium for student performing arts.

�Our office works with student groups to plan events and other initiatives on campus, to process financial and budget transactions within university systems, and to manage a variety of risk factors which may arise in co‐curricular activities. 

�We also help students develop leadership skills and address issues (conflict, officer transition, etc.) that may arise within organizations.

Mission

The Student Activities Office supports and partners with students as they engage in identity and community building as well as leadership development through co-curricular involvement. Through mentorship and advising, we utilize a growth-centered pedagogical approach to foster creativity, skill building, and critical thinking.  We cultivate an ethos of ownership and autonomy, by helping students to develop skills to work through challenges, and an understanding of what it means to be a thoughtful and responsible community member.   In support of Brown’s educational mission, we bridge students’ academic pursuits with their lives outside of the classroom while promoting an inclusive campus community.

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Meet the SAO

Joie Forte

Cassie Sutten Coats

Andrew Hollis

Jen Lucero

Marisa Fortney

Antwan Bluster

Malcom Moniz

Mia McKinney

Diane Chouinard

Where is the SAO located?

The second floor of the Stephen Robert ‘62 Campus Center

�Main Office: room 232

Financial Office: room 342

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Staff Offices: second & third floors

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*Our third floor offices are only accessible by stairs, please contact SAO for assistance*

Why visit SAO?

Main Office

• Borrow tables, chairs & cash boxes
• Questions about event planning
• Pick up group mail

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Financial Office

• Use the SAO credit card
• Book travel
• Use computers to complete a payment request or reimbursement

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Meet with your advisor!

Student Government

Undergraduate Students

Student Government Association

• Undergraduate Council of Students
• Undergraduate Finance Board
• Class Coordinating Board

Graduate Students

Graduate Student Council

SGA Relationship with SAO

Undergraduate Council of Students (UCS)

• Works closely with SAO to recognize & support student organizations

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Undergraduate Finance Board (UFB)

• Advised by SAO, allocates the Student Activities Fund to student organizations & initiatives on campus

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Class Coordinating Board (CCB)

• Collaborates with SAO to put together large scale & class-specific programming

*Primary & secondary contacts are responsible for reading all emails that come from UCS, UFB & SAO, as well as sharing that information with other group members*

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Undergraduate Council of Students (UCS)

Categorization & Recategorization

• Process open in the fall semester
• Applications looked at on a rolling basis
• Submit application 🡪 Meet with SAComm rep 🡪 Receive decision in early December
• Recategorization: one full semester of operation before eligible to apply

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Student Activities Contact

• Email UCS_SA@brown.edu or thomas_medlin@brown.edu

Brown University's student government that strives to actively and authentically pursue and advocate for undergraduate interests. UCS aspires to develop and foster collaboration between students, staff, and faculty in order to effectively communicate, represent, and build from the diversity of student interests that shape our campus.

https://www.brownucs.org/

Undergraduate Finance Board (UFB)

About Us

• Student Groups: Category 1, 2, 3
• Student Activities Fee: $400 per year out of tuition
• Funding types - Supplemental, Baseline, Annual
• Baseline will be $200/year; groups must request baseline for the year. Form open when student leaders are confirmed following EP-10/31 (email will go out to student leaders)

Quick Tips

• Keep in line with mission
• Have reasoning ready to justify costs
• Earlier the better
• When in doubt, ask your representative

The Undergraduate Finance Board (UFB) is an elected board of Brown University undergraduates responsible for allocating the Student Activities Fund which comes from the Student Activities Fee in tuition. UFB is committed to representing the best interests of all students in its decision-making.

https://www.brownufb.org/

Class Coordinating Board (CCB)

Promotion Material

• Reach out to classboard@brown.edu to work with our boards and spotlight your events on our class-wide emails

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Experience with D & I in Event Planning

• Email classboard@brown.edu to set up a meeting with our D&I Committee

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Collaborative Work w/ Collaborative Funding

• Scan the QR code to connect with CCB for future partnered events with collaborated funding
• Increase your organization’s exposure across campus
• Share your mission, culture, and values to the Brown Community
• Help us better reflect the interests of the Brown community through partnerships

Class Coordinating Board (CCB) is an organization of annually elected undergraduate representatives, representing each class. They host events & programming for the Brown undergraduate community.

https://brownccb.org/

Graduate Student Council

Networking

•  Follow GSC’s social media pages and sign up for their emailing list to get connected!

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Funding

• GSC supports graduate students or recognized student organizations’ internal events, conference/travel and yearly programming

The Graduate Student Council (GSC) of Brown University is the student government organization for Brown’s graduate student community of approximately 2,600 members.

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GSC’s primary aims are to foster a sense of community among graduate students across departments, to facilitate collective action on graduate student-related issues, and to be a voice for the graduate community within the University and the Providence area. GSC also provide events and resources to support the academic and social lives of Brown graduate students.

https://sites.brown.edu/gsc

Remaining Active

Organization Requirements

The following are required to be completed each year in order for recognized student organizations to remain active:

• Send at least one representative to one session of Event Planning 101
• Complete the Roll Call form in the Spring semester
• At least two student from each organization complete the StandUp to Hazing virtual training

Failure to complete any of the above requirements by the advertised deadline will result in deactivation of the organization. Deactivated organizations must reapply through the UCS recognition process in the fall semester in order to become active again.

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Organization Website Requirements

The following must be on all UCS recognized organization websites:

• Disclaimer: “The content of UCS recognized student organization websites is generated independently from Brown University. The statements, views, opinions, and information contained on the site are personal to those of the authors and student organization and do not necessarily reflect those of Brown University. The content on the site is not reviewed, approved, or endorsed by Brown University or its faculty or staff.”

USC-recognized student organizations that choose to have websites and seek reimbursement or payment by the Student Activities Office P-card for website expenses must use platforms to host their websites that are approved by the Office of Information Technology (OIT). The list of OIT-approved platforms is available on OIT’s Software Catalog.

All UCS recognized organizations that publish content must include the follow on all their digital and print publications:

• Disclaimer: “The content of all News & Publications groups recognized by USC is generated independently from Brown University. The statements, views, opinions, and information contained in the publication are personal to those of the authors and student group and do not necessarily reflect those of Brown University. The publication is not reviewed, approved, or endorsed by Brown University or its faculty or staff.”

Event Registration

What needs to be registered

The following needs to be registered:

• All events or activities where alcohol will be served must be registered three weeks prior to the event date.
• All events or activities off-campus (off-campus venues must be pre-approved by SAO) must be registered three weeks prior to the event date.
• All events or activities where anticipated attendance or venue capacity is 50 or more must be registered two weeks prior to the event date with the exceptions of general body meetings, rehearsals, and practices.
• Other events or activities when required by appropriate campus departments or under special circumstances must be registered two weeks prior to the event date.
• All performances, film, and video production activities

Events that are registered less than two weeks in advance will be denied. Decisions about Event Registration are at the discretion of your SAO advisor and you may be required to register even if your event does not meet the above criteria. If you are unsure about whether an event needs to be registered, reach out to your advisor more than two weeks out from the event date.

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How to register your event

Register three weeks in advance if:

• alcohol will be served (3 weeks prior)
• The event will be off-campus (venues must be pre-approved by SAO)
• The event is expecting a large number of students

The link to the Event Registration Request form can also be found on every page of our new website in the top right corner!

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EVENTS NEED TO BE REGISTERED AT LEAST TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE

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USE THE SAO EVENT REGISTRATION REQUEST FORM

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Updates

Conference Registration Timeline

• We have added new guidelines for registering conferences and tournaments
• Spring 2025: Required timeline for all conferences and tournaments

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Rain Plan Requirements

• All events or activities that take place outside are required to have a rain plan
• Cancellation, move the date, or move the location
• Some require additional event registration requests that are subject to our normal deadlines

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When are events permitted

throughout the Academic Year

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When are events permitted

throughout the week

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Student Organization Resources & Forms

• Student Activities Handbook- Updated 8/22/23
• Event Registration Request Form – Open for Spring 25 events!
• List of Recognized Student Organizations – Now searchable on our website
• Reimbursement/Payment Portal – ONLY to be submitted by Financial Signatories
• SAO Guide to Financial Transactions- Everything you need to know about student organization financial transactions
• Event Operations Request Form – Requesting equipment for an event
• SAO Equipment Rental Form – Requesting tables & chairs for tabling, Underground A/V support, and cash boxes
• Brown Guest Speaker Policy – Updated 2/8/22
• Poster & Banner Policy – Updated 12/13/21

Important resources & forms can also be found on our new website

https://studentactivities.brown.edu/forms

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Student Staff for Events

Event Managers

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All events that must be registered according to the Event Registration Policy are required to have at least two event managers (see table for additional managers required).

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Event Managers are responsible for the event from start to finish and need to be available on-site throughout the event.

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Having one group of people plan an event and a different group oversee the event undermines effective event management.

Event Assistants

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1. Ushers
2. Ticket Collector
3. Monitor the Guest Log
4. Ensure compliance with SAO Policy

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Event Assistants should not also be responsible for tasks which take them away from these duties.

SAO Professional Staff for Events

Evening Event Managers (EEMs)

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• SAO part-time professional staff
• Support late-night events Thursday, Friday, Saturday and some off-campus events

Event Staff Services (ESS)

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• Full-time professional staff in contract with Sao
• They assist with capacity count, crowd management, bag & ID checks

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All staffing in determined by SAO at our discretion. If you have any questions about staffing for your event, reach out to your SAO advisor.

Afua

Stephanie

Liability Waivers

The SAO has three types of waivers which your group may needs depending on what type of event you are holding or what type of activity your group regularly engages in.

If you aren’t sure if your group or event participants need to complete waivers, please contact your SAO advisor.

Contracts

NEVER SIGN CONTRACTS

Standard template contracts can be found on our website.

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Supplier Registration Form is required to pay outside vendors.

Reach out to your advisor ASAP if you need to

• Use an outside vendor for goods and/or services
• Pay a student for services
• Use the Brown Logo

Project & Performance Safety

Performing arts groups may be required to complete additional safety forms.

Your SAO advisor will communicate what forms are necessary for your projects.

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Please reach out to Jen Lucero and SAOProjectSafety@brown.edu if you are unsure if your project requires additional paperwork.

Student Project Safety Planning From

• For any activity involving rigging, lighting or set construction regardless of location

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Film & Video Project Safety Planning From

• For any film or video project

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Travel

Travel Registration

All travel outside of an 100 mile radius on behalf of student organizations must be registered with and approved by SAO via the Travel Request Form prior to making arrangements.

Airfare & Lodging Protocol

• Reimbursement request for airfare & lodging are not permitted
• All airfare & lodging must be purchased in person through the SAO P-Card in the SAO Financial Office
• REMEMBER Booking cannot occur until AFTER the travel request form is completed

SafeDrive Registration

Who needs it?

Anyone driving on behalf of a student organization via ZipCar, rental car, university car, and/or personal vehicle

Requirements?

18+, valid US Driver’s license 2+ years, acceptable Motor Vehicle Record (MCR)

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Important information

• List SAO, sao@brown.edu as vehicle coordinator
• You’ll receive an online quiz after registered
• Certification lasts 5 years for all student org/university driving
• Personal insurance is used for personal vehicles
• Required for driving reimbursements

More info about SafeDrive

Financial Guidance

Guide to Financial Transactions

The Guide is linked on the Finances page on our website.

Financial Signatories

• Review guide & register via the link at the end to become a signatory
• Two required per group as signatories cannot submit reimbursements for themselves

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Deposits

• All cash & checks need to be brought to the SAO Financial Office, room 342, to be deposited
• Checks must be payable to Brown University with the group name in the memo

Fundraising

University Payment Card Industry Compliance

Per university policy

• NO Venmo, Squarespace, EventBrite, Paypal, GoFundMe, Kickstarter or any other web, mobile or app-based transactions
• No other bank accounts can be used on behalf of the group

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Accepted forms of payment

• Cash or Check
• Online via Brown Marketplace

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Interested in contacting alumni?

• Connect with your SAO advisor

Other Campus Offices & Partners

Catering

Brown Catering

• Connect with staff_catering@brown.edu at least 3 weeks in advance of your event
• Submit SAO Catering Form after confirming they can accommodate your request

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AmericaToGo Approved Vendors

• List of vendors
• Submit SAO Catering Form at least 3 business days in advance of your event

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One time Catering Request

• Reach out to staff_catering@brown.edu for a one time approval to use another catering vendor for your event

For any large or complicated orders, please email sao@brown.edu as soon as possible to start the process.

Scheduling

Online Space Requests:

• Book space via 25Live
• Must be a recognized student organization to reserve space
• Wait until confirmation before planning or advertising an event

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Plan early!

• Large event venues go quickly.
• Meet with your SAO advisor & then check your dates on 25Live

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Consultations

• Email scheduler@brown.edu or call 401-863-6217 to talk to the Scheduling Office

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Reminder

• The beginning of the semester is scheduling’s busiest time. Be patient as they parse through hundreds of requests on a first come first serve basis

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Event Operations

Event Operations Requests:

• Submitted to SAO on the Event Operations Request Form at least two weeks before your event.
• Requests are then processed and submitted by SAO staff to the Event Operations team
• Limited equipment is covered by UFB automatically, anything additional will need to be covered by your group

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Late Requests:

• Less than 2 weeks in advance of the event will not be submitted
• $150 late fee charged

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For Consultations

• Reach out to eventoperations@brown.edu or call 401-863-7820 to schedule a meeting with a member of their team

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Media Services

Online Requests:

• Submit a Media Services Request at least 10 business days prior to an event, after the room is reserved on 25Live
• Limited services are automatically covered by UFB, additional services will need to be covered by the group

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Late Requests:

• Will be subject to a $150 rush fee

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Loaner Gear:

• Can be picked up from the CIT Service Desk, Page-Robinson, 5^th Floor

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For Consultations

• Reach out to media_services@brown.edu or call 401-863-3600 to schedule a meeting with a member of their team

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Fire Safety

Important reminders:

• All groups must use the Event Safety Checklist and submit it to fire_safety@brown.edu following the event
• Pay attention to space capacities & do NOT overcrowd rooms
• All decorations must be fire resistant (factory applied)
• Paper, plastic, & dead vegetation cannot be used as decoration
• Balloons are not permitted is most spaces

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For any questions related to fire safety, please reach out to fire_safety@brown.edu or visit their website.

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Student Accessibility Services (SAS)

Important reminders:

• Schedule open events in ADA/accessible spaces
• Know event access (entrances & exits, space between furniture, hearing systems, etc)
• Ensure accessible entrances are unlocked
• Include accommodation request info on advertisements & flyers
• Use microphones for large events and whenever possible
• Interpreters & CART
• Services require advanced notice to be scheduled
• Usually used on request, but for large events should be used

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For any questions or consultation, reach out to SAS at sas@brown.edu or 401-863-9588

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In Brief…

PLAN EARLY

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CONNECT WITH YOUR ADVISOR

REACH OUT TO SAO WITH ANY QUESTIONS

SAO@BROWN.EDU

FAUNCE 232

401-863-2341

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Questions?