Advisor Resources

What is an advisor?

An advisor works with a student organization taking on roles and responsibilities including, role model, guide, resource, counselor and more. Each advisor has their own style of advising. The advisor role helps with the growth and development of students as they work through organizational purpose, structure and programming. In this process, advisors share insight, provide ideas, offer an objective perspective and counsel students. They are also knowledgeable of the institutions policies and procedures, looking out for how they may impact the organization.

Advisors help provide guidance, insight and perspective to students as they develop and see through projects. While advisors should not be doing the work for their students, they should facilitate learning through student engagement.

Are you interested in becoming an advisor for a student organization? Fill out the form below to be added to a list of faculty and staff members that would be interested in becoming an advisor.

Student Organization Advisor Interest Form

Office of Student Involvement

Benefits of Advising

There are many benefits associated with advising a student organization.

  • Satisfaction of seeing and helping students learn and develop new skills 
  • Watching a group come together to share common interests, work toward common goals and develop an understanding of differences 
  • Developing a personal relationship with students 
  • Becoming more aware of the services that UNI provides students and organizations 
  • Furthering personal goals or interests by working with an organization that reflects or shares your personal interests 
  • Sharing one’s knowledge with others

All student organizations are required to have an advisor who is a staff, faculty member or graduate student at UNI. Within the context of the broader mission and policies of the university, advisors shall share insights and directions that allow student organizations to further their objectives and enhance the meaningfulness of organization membership. Specific responsibilities of the advisor may be to:

  • Regularly attend general and executive board meetings 
  • Provide guidance to the officers 
  • Receive all financial statements and oversee all financial transactions of the organization 
  • Ensure that officers meet the minimum requirements for holding office as established by the university and the organization’s constitution and by-laws
  • Provide consultation concerning membership selection procedures and responsibilities

Ultimately, the specific duties of an advisor should be discussed and agreed upon by the student group and the faculty/staff member.

The impact of an advisor “may be the single most underestimated characteristic of a successful college experience” (Light, 2001, p. 81).


Resources for Advisors

ACPA Committee for Office of Student Involvement’s Advisor Manual

 

Important Advisor Information

Student Organizations Registration Information: This PowerPoint recaps the information highlighted during the 2022/2023 academic year registration meeting. 

ADVISOR AGREEMENT FORM: This form needs to be filled out by new advisors and returning advisors yearly.

CLERY ACT TRAINING: All advisors need to complete the Clery Act training each year. This training can be found on your elearning Blackboard. Please review and complete the training. Email Helen Hair to let us know if you have any complications or questions regarding the training. 

Under the federal Clery Act, all institutions of higher education must collect crime reports from certain individuals and organizations who are considered to be Campus Security Authorities (CSA).  Generally, CSAs fall into the following categories:

A campus police department or campus security department of an institution. 

Any individual or individuals who have responsibility for campus security but who do not constitute a campus police department or a campus security department (e.g., an individual who is responsible for monitoring the entrance into institutional property).

Any individual or organization specified in an institution's statement of campus security policy as an individual or organization to which student and employees should report criminal offenses.

An official of an institution who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, student housing, student discipline, and campus judicial proceedings.

Because of the function(s) of your position at UNI, you are considered to be a CSA, and as a CSA, you have certain responsibilities. In order to be knowledgeable of your responsibilities, a short online Campus Security Authority training has been developed for CSAs.  Soon, you will receive an email with information about the training and how to access it through Blackboard eLearning.