Do you have an awesome idea for a unique new RSO on campus? Lucky for you, this summer is the perfect time to bring your vision to life. Any student can create a new group by following the simple steps below, and there are special advantages to getting started over the summer.
The summer session is a good time to begin laying groundwork for an RSO because you likely don't have as much else going on. You may have just a couple classes and a job, and that's much less than during the school year. This gives you loads of time to begin planning our your RSO. Throughout the creation process, you will have multiple coaching sessions with a SLICE faculty member, to assist you in the ongoing steps. Having a free-er schedule in the summer gives you many more opportunities to schedule these advising appointments.
ASUN must give final approval to start your RSO, and they also have much less going on over the summer. This means they can devote more time to reviewing your registration, making things quicker than during the school year.
The summer also gives you time to think of a marketing plan, and strategically think about which mediums and locations you want to use to advertise your RSO in the fall. Joe Hagerty, a SLICE Student Organization Program Coordinator, recommends that you prep all marketing materials over the summer so they are ready to post on campus right as the school year begins.
If you need help designing promotional materials, you can also work with the Student Affairs Marketing & Communication Design Lab to create any items you want.
There is one final required step that all RSO leaders need to complete– an Annual Orientation teaching you all about running an organization. You may assume these orientations pause over the summer, but they actually continue throughout the entire year via Zoom. There is even a virtual on-demand option, so you can complete the training at any time that works for you.
The entire New RSO process can be completed during the summer, so there's no reason not to get a jump start on your awesome idea. There are additional non-required steps that are still extremely useful to new RSOs, so the summer gives you the proper time to continue improving your group. These tasks include adding all members on NvolveU, writing an elevator pitch, developing the "about" section on your NvolveU page and filling out EPR forms for all meetings or activities you plan to hold during the upcoming fall semester.
More details at: https://involved.unl.edu/organizations/start