Resources for Clubs and Organizations

Idea — A new student organization should be unique and intentional. Think about the goals of your organization and what you will bring to the Coe community. If there are other student groups that are similar and already exist at Coe, what will be different about yours? You will need a well-organized purpose statement.

Identify Leaders  — You are required to have five students involved to start a new organization. There are two required officer positions: president and treasurer. Decide what you would like from your officers and seek out appropriate people.

Find a Faculty/Staff Advisor — The faculty/staff advisor should be interested in the activities of the organization and will provide overall insight and guidance on college policies and processes. The advisor needs to be full time and on campus so they can serve as a resource for students. Ask the faculty/staff advisor if they are willing to serve in this capacity.  

Write a Club Constitution — Before you can be recognized by the college, you need to have a completed constitution. For a sample constitution, please go here.

File it with Student Activities — Once you have completed steps 1 through 4 you will need to submit the New Student Organization Interest Form.

Get Approved by Student Activities — To be a recognized student group your application materials will be reviewed by Student Life staff. They will contact you within two weeks with a decision on recognition.  

Clubs and Organizations that are registered are able to request money from Student Senate as operating budgets for their club or organization. The money Student Senate has to allocate to clubs is from the Student Activity Fee that all Coe Students are required to pay as a part of their experience here. Every semester there is a day called B&F Day (Budget and Finance Day) where recognized student organizations can submit a budget to the B&F committee to get approval for the following semester.

There are a couple of requirements that must be met to be able to request a budget, which Student Senate will communicate in the weeks leading up to B&F Day. All funds requested must be within the Student Senate guidelines. These can be found on the Student Senate Moodle page, which can be accessed through MyCoe. All Event Worksheets, Budget Requests, and other necessary documents can also be found on the Student Senate Moodle page.

How to Spend Senate Funding Senate

Credit Card

Senate has a credit card that all clubs with funding can reserve to use to purchase supplies for their clubs. The credit card is located at the Front Desk of the Student Life office. Clubs must reserve the card via the Senate Sign Up Genius (located on moodle). Clubs must fill out the sign up with their club name, the individual who is picking it up, and where they plan to spend the money. The card can only be checked out from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. The credit card must be returned back to the Senate binder at the Student Life front desk, and the club must fill out the log in binder as to the money they spent and where it was spent. A digital copy of the receipt(s) must be sent to the Senate Finance email. Failure to do so will result in credit card privileges being terminated from the club.

Check Request

Clubs can pay for services via check request from the business office. These are typically requested for vendors or substantial purchases. The club treasurer fills out this form, has it signed by their advisor, and it is returned to the business office physically or via email. Clubs need to know their account number in order to complete this request. They also need an invoice/receipt/contract and a W9 from the vendor.

It is important to note that checks must be requested by Noon on Tuesday to be sent out the Friday of that same week.

Personal Reimbursement

Clubs can also purchase supplies with their personal money and be reimbursed at a later date. This typically happens when a club isn’t able to secure the senate credit card or is in a pinch! Once the purchase has been made, the club treasurer fills out this form, has it signed by their advisor, and it is returned to the business office physically or via email.

Clubs need to know their account number in order to complete this request. Clubs need to know their account number in order to complete this request. They also need an invoice/receipt/contract and a W9 from the vendor. If the reimbursement amount is under $50 cash will be given for the reimbursement. If the amount is over $50, a check will be given for the reimbursement.

The same process applies for reimbursement checks - must be turned in by noon on Tuesday to be cut by Friday.

All current and active student organizations and Greek Life Chapters are required to register with the Office of Student Life every academic year. 

Prior to submitting the re-registration form, first double check with your advisor that they are still available for the upcoming school year.  Second, make sure your constitution is up to date. 
After those two steps fill out the Clubs and Organizations Re-Registration Form.  

Questions about re-registration? Email studentactivities@coe.edu for more information.

It is natural at the end of the Fall or Spring semester for clubs to hold elections and elect a new executive board. Here are some tips and tricks for this transition to happen more smoothly: 

• Keep good documentation from year to year
  • The best option for this is a shared drive where all documents and information about the club can be kept and who has access to the shared drive changes year to year. Your advisor should also be included in this shared drive.
  • This allows the outgoing executives to put any documentation into the shared drive and the incoming executives have access to look back over it any time they wish for any questions they may have.
• Transition Meetings
  • Ask the outgoing executives to create a document with everything that their role entails and gather any other documents or information they used in their position to give to the incoming executives. Then have the incoming exec sit down one on one with the outgoing exec to go over questions they may have about the position and the documentation to help set them up for success in their position.
  • If the same person is holding the same position two terms in a row, still have them create the document for the sake of having good documentation.
• Executive Retreat (Optional)
  • It may be beneficial to set aside a couple hours with the new executive team to go over the coming semester or year to make sure everyone is on the same page with what events you want to do, when to have meetings, and the overall mission and vision of the club for the coming year.

Also when transitioning executive boards, please have the new board send in an updated executive board roster to the Student Activities email for our records.

Coe College has a policy for student clubs and organizations that travel for school-sponsored events. You can review the full Travel Policy here.

In general, if a club/organization is renting cars or buses to travel in or using personal vehicles, they need to be authorized drivers approved by the business department beforehand. All trips need to be registered with the student activities office through the Travel Plan Request form. This form must be filled out 10 days prior to students traveling.

An advisor is required to be on the trip if any one of the following occurs:

• The trip is longer than two consecutive nights
• The destination is more than 300 miles from campus
• Vehicles are rented through the College Please take the time to read the full policy to understand all aspects of the Travel Policy.

After a trip is approved by Student Activities, all attendees must fill out the Student Trip Waivers. These will be sent to you when it is approved and due 48 hours prior to the departure time. A digital copy will be given to the Trip Leader for the trip and kept with Student Life. For any questions read through the full travel policy here or contact studentactivities@coe.edu.

Submit a travel request form

Even though Coe is a private, educational institution, we need to abide by copyright laws in regard to public viewings of copyrighted movies and videos. The concept of "public performance" is central to copyright and clearly defined by the law. For films, this means anytime a movie is shown outside of someone’s home, it must be properly licensed.

What is a public performance?

• Anytime a film viewing is in a public space (a lecture hall, a residence hall lobby, a meeting room, outside on the quad are all considered public spaces, even though Coe is considered private property).
• If a viewing is open to the public (no matter where it is held).
• If a viewing is open to people outside of a normal circle of friends/acquaintances, no matter where it is held (this would include a student organization hosting a movie night, an RA hosting a floor event, a department hosting a movie with a Q&A).

Generally speaking, ALL showings of films, videos or TV shows to an audience need to have a public performance license. The only time public performance rights are NOT needed is when an instructor is showing a film in the classroom as part of a scheduled class, which is open only to the members of that class.

How do I get a license?

Most licenses can be purchased through a licensing company.  Most licenses will cost somewhere between $500-$1000.  To request rights for a movie screening on campus please email studentactivities@coe.edu with the following information:

• Organization name
• Date and time of showing
• Name of movie
• How many attendees you expect
• If you're showing it indoors or outdoors
• Where you are showing it on campus
• If you have a copy, plan to get a copy, or need a copy of the movie
• Any other questions or concerns you may have
   

Coe College does not purchase a gaming license. As such, any form of gambling on Coe College property or involving college functions is prohibited, including raffles. Gambling is defined as playing a game for money or property or otherwise placing a bet on an uncertain outcome. Students found responsible for participating in gambling activities are subject to disciplinary action by the college under the applicable policies.

Students or advisors are not allowed to sign contracts on behalf of Coe College. If your student organization is planning on hosting an event for which a contract is required (for renting equipment, hosting a speaker, booking a vendor, etc.) please send the contract to studentactivities@coe.edu.  

If you need a contract for a performer or speaker you can request a contract by emailing studentactivities@coe.edu the following information: 

• Name of performer
• Date and time of performance
• Duration of performance
• Performance type/description
• Any questions or concerns you may have
   

All performers and speakers brought to campus must sign a Hold Harmless agreement with Coe College.  This agreement outlines that in the event of some sort of accident occurs while on Coe College property they will not sue.  

Contact the Campus Life email (studentactivities@coe.edu) for this agreement.  

Coe College is dedicated to providing students with an educational environment that will foster those habits of mind and action vital to engaged citizens in a democratic society. This is the goal of a liberal arts education, a goal that cannot be met without maintaining free and open inquiry within our college community. As an academic community, we also seek to have our engagement in political expression be of a civil and thoughtful form. As a tax exempt entity, Coe College is prohibited by federal law from participating in or attempting to influence campaigns for any elective office or ballot proposal. The following policy attempts to balance these competing considerations of free expression, civility and federal election law while providing members of the college community, its faculty, staff and students with guidance in conforming their political activity to these considerations.

Click here to access the Political Activity Policy

For all clubs considered to be at risk for injuries such as Combat Club, Fencing Club, Archery Club, etc. members must fill out the Club Waiver that releases Coe College from any liability.

The Student Life Office will hold a record of every member of these types of clubs and their filled out waiver as well as sharing a digital copy with that club. Every new member will have to sign this waiver upon joining the club and every member will have to re-sign it yearly to keep up to date records as member rosters change.

Bring completed physical waivers to the Student Life Office or send a digital copy to the Student Activities email.

Coe College defines hazing as any actions, on or off campus, which recklessly endangers the mental or physical health or safety of another person or persons for the purpose of initiation or admission into, or affiliation with or as a condition for continued membership in any organization group sanctioned by or recognized by Coe College. Any individual student, student group, student organization, or athletic team found to be involved in hazing activity or behavior will face disciplinary action and may be subject to suspension or expulsion from Coe College. A violation of this policy may exist irrespective of any alleged voluntary or consensual participation in the activity by the person(s) being hazed or abused.

All clubs and organizations are required to sign the Anti-Hazing Agreement sent out by Student Activities. This must be re-signed annually.

Reporting Hazing: Any student that witnesses or is harmed by hazing should report the incident to the conduct office immediately. This applies to any student organization, club, group, or team. You can report hazing incidents here: Coe College Public Reporting Page

Student groups can reserve rooms/spaces on campus to host their events or meetings. Please note that all reservation requests are simply requests and they should not be done last minute. Our general rule of thumb is to advise students to book spaces at least 2-4 weeks in advance of the event.

• Academic Rooms (including Cherry Auditorium and Kesler Auditorium): Academic Rooms Reservation Form
  • For other spaces not listed above, see the contact list below.
    • Alumni House: Kris Hale, khale@coe.edu
    • Dows/Mills: Emily Ganfield, eganfield@coe.edu, & Ben Schmidt, bschmidt@coe.edu
    • Dows, non-theatre spaces: Jen Rogers, jrogers@coe.edu & Emily Ganfield, eganfield@coe.edu
    • Marquis/Sinclair Aud./DK Aud.: Carter Broszeit, ext. 8462 or cbroszeit@coe.edu
    • Sinclair Galleries: Aunna Escobedo, aescobedo@coe.edu
    • Sinclair Auditorium: Carter Broszeit, ext. 8462 or cbroszeit@coe.edu
    • Stewart Memorial Library: Sandra Blanchard, ext. 8595 or sblancha@coe.edu
• Athletic Spaces (including Eby and the Racket Center): Athletic Rooms Reservation Form
• Gage Spaces (including Upper and Lower Gage and The PUB): Gage Rooms Reservation Form
• Outdoor Spaces (AD Quad, Library Quad, New Apartments Quad): Outdoor Spaces Reservation Form

All posters/flyers must be approved before they are hung up. To have posters approved, bring them to The Campus Information desk or The Student Life Office front desk where a student worker will stamp them. All posters must have the organization, event name, date, time, and location.

All posters must also be hung with blue tape. Campus Information and Student Life offices have Blue Tape for clubs/organizations that need to hang up posters. Posters must be removed from walls after the event has passed. It is recommended that students print 25-30 posters to distribute across campus

• Poster placement recommendation:
  • 7 posters between Upper/Lower Gage and The PUB
  • 2 posters in Eby, 1 at each entrance
  • 7 posters, 1 at each entrance of Armstrong/Douglas, 3 in the lobby/lounge area
  • 3 posters, 1 at each entrance of Greene
  • 3 posters in Hickock, 1 at each entrance to the stairs and 1 on or near the columns in the lobby
  • 3 posters in Marquis, 1 on the bulletin board and 1 at each entrance to the stairs
  • 3 posters in the Center for Health and Society, 1 at the entrance to the stairs, 1 in the study/lounge area, 1 on the bulletin board across from Cherry Auditorium
  • 2 posters in Voorhees, 1 by the elevator, 1 by the stairs
  • There may be more opportunities to place posters around campus by placing them in stairwells in educational buildings and on floors in residence halls

Chalking on campus sidewalks must be pre-approved by the Director of Campus Life, email studentactivities@coe.edu for approval, except for the patio behind the PUB, which is a designated open chalking zone.

Groups can reserve a table outside of the U by submitting a table reservation with Campus Information. Groups typically use these tables to advertise events by talking to students during mealtimes. Tables must be reserved ahead of time and are sometimes limited.

Table Request

Sodexo

Coe has a catering partner that works specifically with all event needs on campus. There are locations on campus that are required to use catering from Sodexo, like the Alumni House, but you can request Sodexo to be served anywhere on campus. For clubs, Sodexo is a great partner that often understands clubs do not have the full funding to spend on Sodexo. Still, we encourage our clubs to utilize Sodexo when they can!

• Consult the Sodexo Catering Guide
  •  Everyday Catering Guide
  • Premium Catering Guide
  • If there’s something you’re looking for that isn’t listed in either of these guides, feel free to email them what you’re hoping for and they can work with you to figure something out.
• Contact Sodexo: catering@coe.edu
  • Include the following in your email
    • Date
    • Set Up Time
    • Expected Number of People
    • Account Number
    • Food order

If you choose to not go through our campus partner Sodexo, here’s some simple things to keep in mind when offering food and drink:

• Be mindful of any possible religious or personal beliefs about food (Ex. pork, meat, vegetarian, etc.)
• Be mindful of common food allergies (Ex. peanuts, tree nuts, gluten, dairy, shellfish, etc.)
• Create a plan for keeping warm food warm and cold food cold
  • Any food items that are temperature sensitive become at risk for going bad after being out for two hours.

Food Trucks

Clubs often use food trucks at campus events. Before doing so, please review some basic guidelines on how to communicate with them beforehand.

• Notify Sodexo of the date and time as a courtesy to our campus partner
• Make sure to agree to a set price with the food truck in accordance of your budget
  •  Communicate based on what specific menu items you want and the amount of items they can sell. You should have an agreed upon price for items sold over the specified amount of items, or if they sell out, they are done.
  • Food trucks also need to provide their own generators as there are no spaces for them to hook up to power anywhere on campus. Provide clear directions as to where they can park on campus. Do not have them park on any grass.

Clubs and organizations may send out a MAXIMUM of two (2) emails to All Students each week (Monday - Sunday).

Email Frequency Suggestions to meet the requirement of two or less emails a week:

• Weeks with an Event or Meeting
  • One email on Monday to bring the event to the attention of all students
  • One email on the morning/afternoon of the day of the event as a reminder to all students
• Weeks with an Event AND a Meeting
  • One email on Monday to bring the event AND meeting to the attention of all students - One email on the morning/afternoon of the event OR meeting as a reminder to all students
  • A reminder email cannot be sent for both the event and the meeting if they are taking place on separate days
• Weeks with NO Event or Meeting
  • One email reminder about any upcoming events the following week

Any emails sent over the allotted two per week per club will result in a violation.

• First Violation: This will result in an email warning sent to the club/organization's president and advisor.
• Second Violation: This will result in a meeting with the Director of Campus Life and loss of email privileges for one academic month.
• Third Violation: This will result in an email stating that email privileges have been lost for the remainder of the current executive board term.

*First-time violations deemed egregious by the Student Life Office, will result in an organization’s loss of email privileges for an entire academic semester.

Clubs and Orgs must include the names and positions of every member of their executive board in their email signature.

Clubs and Orgs must also include a statement directing students to join them over on the Involvement App: Flight Path. 

Content of any emails must follow the following policies

• Coe College Campus Civility Statement
• Coe College Political Activity Policy
• Emails also may not contain foul language, derogatory, demeaning, or targeted comments (this includes satire), or inappropriate references to alcohol or drugs.
• Any content deemed to go against any of the above policies by reasonable judgement will result in a violation.

All student clubs and organizations will each have their own page on the Coe College Involvement App: Flight Path. All student clubs and organizations are responsible for updating their own pages with up to date club officer information, upcoming events, and other information regarding their club. All student clubs and organizations will be responsible for adding their own events which will be submitted to the approval work flow.

Members of the student life team who have approval abilities are the Dean of Students, the Assistant Dean of Students, the Director of Campus Life, and the Campus Life Coordinator. 

Students who submit events will get one of the following responses

• Approved: The event is approved and a QR code for the event check in will be sent to the student who submitted the event for approval
• Approved, with suggestions: The event is approved but suggestions have been made to update the event submission such as listing a different level, different competencies, a more thorough description, or a missing location.
•  Denied: The event has been denied due to failure to align with Coe College policies or procedures.

The app can be accessed by downloading the Suitable App on the App or Google Play Store and logging in with your Coe College credentials. All club presidents will have access to manage their organization’s page, but can add other executives and members. They can delegate the management of their involvement app page to another member by adding them to their organization’s page as “Managers” of the page.

Questions about the involvement app can be directed to: studentactivities@coe.edu

Through the Cedar Rapids School System we have the ability to request buses and vans for off campus events. If you would like to request a bus for your event please follow the following steps:

ALL BUS REQUESTS ARE DUE 3 WEEKS IN ADVANCE

• Email studentactivities@coe.edu with the following information
  • Club/Org Name
  • Group contact
  • Date
  • Time of departure and return
  • Event Location
  • Number of participants

All pick/up drop offs will be from the Alumni Circle.

Campus information has several, free resources that all registered clubs and organizations can utilize. They have yard games, volleyballs, basketballs, kickballs, and more to reserve for your event. Check out everything you can reserve with Campus Information and fill out the proper forms.