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Weekly information for student organizations on upcoming programs, policies and reminders, and announcements.

Nov. 2 - 6, 2009

Reminders and Deadlines

Welcome to the Fall Semester of 2009 and Student Organization Involvement at VCU!

Here in the Office for Student Organization Development we are very excited about all the new semester has to offer. Please continue to read the Weekly Newsletter, as this is where important announcements and reminders will be made. And don’t forget, you can add your organization’s upcoming events to the newsletter by e-mailing John Butt, Coordinator for Student Organization Development, at jbutt@vcu.edu.

  1. Don’t forget to nominate a member of YOUR organization for VCU’s 2010 Homecoming Court! This is a great opportunity to get your group’s name out, all the while promoting school spirit! **DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 16** Applications are available in the following locations: Office for Student Organization Development, Break Point Game Room, Office for Fraternity and Sorority Life, and the Programs Office. GO RAMS! If you would like an application sent via e-mail, contact John Butt, Coordinator for Student Organization Development, at jbutt@vcu.edu
  2. Every wonder what it would be like to ice skate on the Commons Plaza? Well, now you can at our annual Winter Lights Celebration. The Commons celebrates its grand illumination with hot chocolate, holiday music, and a real skating rink on the plaza. Come join us on November 20, 2009 at 7:00pm for the fun! Contact Justin Castonguay for additional information at castonguayjb@vcu.edu
  3. Ever wanted to see what sorts of Programming is available to students here at VCU? Visit the following website for an overview of many of these opportunities, including Graduate and Professional Programming, VCU Traditions, and Summer Programs, among others: http://www.usca.vcu.edu/programming/
  4. Want to learn more about myORGS@VCU and how it can help your organization in its success? Don’t miss the following training sessions, specifically designed to walk you through the intricacies of myORGS@VCU. You can also see and RSVP to these via the Events section of myORGS@VCU:

    • Tuesday, 11/10 2pm - Forum Room

  5. Next SGA Presidential Roundtable: Wednesday, December 2 at 7:00pm in the Commonwealth Ballroom.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Spending Workshops: These have been moved completely online and you will no longer have to attend a physical training session. To enroll in the workshop, which will appear in your Blackboard account, e-mail the Organization Finance Manage, Rod Dadzie, at dadziera@vcu.edu.

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Office for Student Organization Development

Monroe Park Campus

New This Week
You can RESERVE the Workroom and the Conference Table located in the Office for Student Organization Development. Reservations are being accepted by the Student Assistants and you can schedule your next small meeting or workroom session today! Reservations will also be accepted via e-mail to: studentorgs@vcu.edu. Reservations must be between 9:00am and 9:00pm Monday through Thursday, and 9:00am and 5:00pm on Friday.

myORGS@VCU - Highlight of the Week

When you log into myORGS@VCU, you can change your settings, including whether or not your name will show up in the Activity Feed, by clicking on “My Settings” and then on “Privacy Settings” on the toolbar on the right side of the screen. This also allows you to decide whether your name will appear in an organization’s roster. Under “My Settings” and “Notification Settings” you can select when and if you receive updates from myORGS@VCU and any organizations that you are a member of (you can also choose to receive updates via Text Message from this screen).

Last Week's Highlight

You can create “News Articles” to keep current and prospective members up-to-date on what is happening with the student organization. These articles will appear on your organization’s primary page and can be viewed by anyone visiting the site. To create an article, follow these directions: From your organization’s primary site, hold your mouse over the blue arrows next to “News”. A drop-down menu will appear, select “Create Article”. Input the title of your news article, when it will expire (no longer appear on the site), a description, and select whether you want it to always appear at the top of the news feed. Once you’ve done that, hit “Create” and you are good to go!

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For Advisors

The Advisor section of the Student Organization Development website is now online. This site will contain various modules and materials designed to assist advisors as they work with student organizations here at VCU. You can access the site from the Student Organizations site at : www.usca.vcu.edu/studentorgs or directly at : http://www.usca.vcu.edu/studentorgs/for_advisors.php

Do you have any suggestions for materials or information that you would like to see on an advisor-specific website? E-Mail John Butt, Coordinator for Student Organization Development, at jbutt@vcu.edu.

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Volunteer Opportunities

Do you or your group need more suggestions for community service projects? Visit room 018 of the Student Commons, or contact Beth Ward at 828-3648, or bhward@vcu.edu.

  1. Staff a "junk food stop" at the Richmond SunTrust Marathon November 14.
  2. Looking ahead to Earth Day 2010-planning begins November 5
  3. You can help the homeless this November 19th.
  4. This Thanksgiving, be a part of a Richmond tradition that serves over 3000 meals.
  5. "One Great Morning of Raking at Maymont" - November 21st
  1. Join Green Unity 4 VCU November 7, 2009 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm and help clean up “Hell Block”, the 1100 Block of West Grace Street. “There is no cost and we'll be providing grabbers, bags and some gloves. Feel free to bring a pair of your own too. Meet us at the Village Cafe and we'll walk over together.” For more details contact Amanda Schutt, 703-994-6542, schuttae@vcu.edu.
  2. Richmond's Annual Earth Day festival will take place in April 2010, and the first planning meeting is scheduled for November 5th. Anyone from the community is encouraged to attend. The meeting will be an opportunity for you to share ideas and expertise -- and to contribute
    to the goal of making the 2010 event the best yet. Time and place - 6pm, Savor Café, 201 W 7th St, Richmond, VA 23224, Call or e-mail questions to Noel McKenzie, Executive Director, Richmond Recreation & Parks Foundation, 804.405.3366, nmckenzie@rrpfoundation.org,
    www.rrpfoundation.org
  3. Project Homeless Connect will bring together numerous social service providers on November 19 at the Richmond Convention Center where the homeless can make 1 stop to receive the services they need at no cost. Volunteers are needed beginning at 8am with the event running from 9am until 3pm. Volunteer duties include “navigators” to walk with the attendees to the various providers, “greeters” to help with intake, discharge volunteers to handle signing out, food service workers, and individuals to help with data entry. For more details, visit www.homewardva.org and look for the event under “hot topics”.  For questions and to volunteer contact Jamie Seagraves at jseagraves@homewardva.org.
  4. Join The Giving Heart, a local nonprofit agency that serves those in need year round, but is known for their Thanksgiving Feast. All are welcome, but dinner always appreciated by those who are homeless, elderly, or simply have nowhere else to go. “Volunteers are the soul of The Giving Heart. Most of our focus currently centers around The Giving Heart Community Thanksgiving Feast to help provide a ‘home away from home’”. Approximately 1000 volunteers are needed to serve over 3000 meals. Jobs include food prep, tasks in service areas, and table hosts. For more details and for the volunteer application, visit http://www.thegivingheart.org/volunteering.html.
  5. If you haven’t experienced Maymont Park, here is your chance to enjoy a great free park less than 2 miles from the Monroe Park Campus. “ONE GREAT MORNING OF RAKING AT MAYMONT” - Saturday, November 21, 9am-Noon, Maymont Hampton Street Entrance, “Bring your gloves and rakes and help rake Maymont's Japanese Garden, Maymont’s Japanese Garden is a favorite place for many Richmonders, but caring for the garden is quite a task. To help with this endeavor, volunteer to assist the horticulture staff in raking the fallen leaves covering the garden. If you are interested in participating or have questions, please call 804- 358-7166, ext. 310. Please meet at the Maymont Hampton Street Entrance. Visit www.maymont.org for directions.” Bring your friends and lunch and enjoy the park in the afternoon.

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Event and Conference Services

Monique Sample, Student Event Planner, will hold walk-in hours in the Office for Student Organization Development every Wednesday from 10:00am-12:00pm. Feel free to stop by and speak with her regarding any events your organization is planning. She can be reached via e-mail at msample@vcu.edu

REMEMBER: Student organizations MUST have a reservation to use ANY space in the Commons. Groups have been using common space (James River Terrace, The Underground) for meetings. This is not allowed. Please use the EMS Reservation System to get space for your group. Building managers will have to disband all meetings that are being held without proper authorization. Contact events@vcu.edu for more information.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Reservations are REQUIRED for academic space usage by student organizations. Reports have been coming in of groups using space in various building on campus without proper authorization. Please contact the Events and Conference Services Office at (804) 828-9502 or at events@vcu.edu to reserve academic space.

Has someone in your organization taken the online Reservations Workshop? If not, contact Events and Conference Services to enroll today at: events@vcu.edu! This is a required step to reserve space in the Student Commons. Remember: ONLY the person who has taken the workshop can make reservations, using someone else’s information to make a reservation can result in a loss of privileges for the student organization.

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Publicity and Promotion

Remember to list your organization’s event on the University Calendar to reach a broader audience! You can submit your events via the following website: http://events.vcu.edu/

Did you know that your organization can advertise meetings and events on the flat-screen TVs located in the Student Commons? All you need to do is create a Powerpoint slide that includes the description, time, date, location, and name of organization and e-mail it to the Information and Marketing Manager of the Student Commons, Amy Taloma, at: talomaa@vcu.edu. You can also send a brief write-up of your event and Amy will place the information in a generic slide to be displayed.

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Student Organization Announcements

Green Unity 4 VCU presents VCU's Year of the Environment Student Kick-Off!

NOVEMBER 18th, 11am-3pm @ VCU Student Commons Plaza (outdoors)

VCU's Year of the Environment officially began on October 1st, and is modeled after Va Governor Tim Kaine's Virginia Year of the Environment which highlights education, research and physical contributions to the University as well as community leadership that will improve both the University's and Virginia's sustainable practices in order to preserve the environment for future generations.

Our event plans to highlight many of these practices. The event will be held outdoors at the VCU Student Commons Plaza, we plan to divide the Plaza into four quadrants that will represent each of the four seasons. In each quadrant, there will be a specific focus pertaining to the season:

  • Winter-Energy Conservation
  • Spring-Gardening
  • Fall-Eating in Season
  • Summer-Recreational Activities and Transportation

    • **All provided by community vendors and student organizations with various activities, workshops, and educational materials to share (generously funded by VCU SGA).

Tentative participant list:

  • (Winter) VCU Recycling, Energy Management, Linux User Group, CFL Exchange
  • (Fall) VCU Dining Services/Aramark, Farm to Family, Center for Rural Culture, The Well, Twin Oaks Community
  • (Spring) Backyard Farmers, Tricycle Gardens, VCU Student Gardening Club, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, VCU Alternative Spring Break
  • (Summer) Outdoor Action Program, VCU Cycling Club, Student Government Association
  • There will be many educational and interactive games and activities that students will be able to participate in to win various exciting prizes.
  • VCU Catering will also be providing lots of FREE seasonal snacks.
  • We will also be providing a rock-climbing wall!
  • VCU community members will be able to bring their old electronics by to be recycled properly
  • Listen to good music!

If you are interested in getting involved, want to volunteer, or learning more about living sustainably, feel free to contact us at GreenUnity4VCU@gmail.com or come see other things our organization is working on at our weekly meetings, every Wednesday evening at 7pm in the basement of Cabell Library, room B-41

Thank you!
Green Unity Executive Board

Yoga Education Student Organization (YESO) will host the “Life and Teachings of Yoga Masters II: Sri Swami Satchidananda “(Video Showing & Discussion) When: Friday, November 13 2009 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Where: Temple Bldg - Rm 1160 (Monroe Park Campus)

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