Tips and Tricks from Student Organization Services

How to be an Effective and Dynamic Organization:

1. Meet Regularly – This is absolutely essential for all groups! Even if your group is seasonal, it is a good idea to schedule regular meetings, make sure you keep to it! There is nothing worse or more frustrating to a new member than to show up to a meeting that has been canceled. Sometimes this is unavoidable. We get it. If you do have to cancel, make sure you notify everyone as soon as possible, so you are not wasting people’s time.
2. Have an Agenda – Meetings are most effective when everyone knows what is going on. Agendas can be simple or elaborate. Do what fits your organization the most. Student Organization Services is happy to help you learn how to create a meeting agenda if you need it. Just email us and let us know!
3. Create a Sense of Belonging – With any group or team, it is important that everyone feels a sense of belonging and that they are a part of something bigger than themselves. If a new member arrives at a meeting and does not feel welcome, they may not want to return. Be sure to contact all members regularly, and most of all, be a friend to them. By doing this, each and every person feels a sense of belonging and will ultimately contribute to the team. When people feel as though they belong, they are more likely to stay in the organization and contribute to the growth of the organization.
4. Do What You Say, Say What You Do – A good member and leader always follows through. Attending an event, running the meeting, whatever the case may be. Do what you say you are going to do. Hold yourself and your members accountable.
5. Recruit New Members – This is a must for any student organization! People will come and go from your organization. They will graduate and move on. If your roommate or best friend is not involved in your group, invite them to an event or meeting! There are lots of people who want to be involved and asked to be involved, so take a chance! The worst that will happen is they tell you no! Participate in the Involvement Fair every Fall and Spring, and during the New Student Orientation Organization Fair.

Successful Fundraising Tips for Your Student Organization:

1. Know Your Purpose – It is crucial to understand the purpose of your student organization’s mission, the objectives of your efforts, and the goals of your fundraiser. If you or the other members do not understand why you want people to donate, you will not be able to tell someone why they should support your cause.
2. Know Your Target Audience – Are you hoping to reach current Lamar students? A specific demographic within LU? Fundraising within your organization? Fundraising to people outside of Lamar? Understanding whom you are hoping to reach is key to understanding how to approach them.
3. Think Outside of the Box and Be Creative – If you know that there are 4 different bake sales going on in the Student Center at the same time as yours, how will you stand out? Have fun getting creative with your approach to getting donors and participants! You can create thank-you cards, post on your social media, and make it fun!
4. Marketing and Social Media Coordination is Key – Anyone who manages social media accounts for a student organization understands that there is more to social media marketing than just hashtags and Facebook likes. Here are some useful tips from Forbes!
5. Collaboration and Synergy – Although it may seem like there is great competition for funds, collaboration and bringing diverse groups and student leaders together can work well for your cause! Reach out to other organizations that may have similar missions to you and see if you can partner!
6. Professionalism – For any fundraiser or event, it is important to know that you are representing your organization to potential members, collaborators, and supporters! Try getting free business cards and staying on top of email correspondence! Always show up early and be prepared!

LUHub Tutorial Video for Advisors

Does your organization keep submitting forms on LUHub but you aren’t sure how to approve them? Look no further! Student Organization Services is here to help with this tutorial video! Please contact our office if you still need assistance at (409) 880-8721

LUHub Tutorial Videos for Student Organizations

Did you miss the workshops for LUHub last week? No worries! Below are tutorial videos on how to generally use LUHub, how to reserve space, and how to request funds. If you need more assistance, please email Student Organization Services and let us know how we can best assist you!

• General
• Budget
• Reserve Space

Student Organization Services Announcements

Cardinal View - LAMARdi Gras

Don't miss the opportunity to showcase your organization to future LU students during this year's Cardinal View - LAMARdi Gras. Sign-Up Here!

Student Organization Workshops for Spring 2021

• LUHub/App - learn the basics of LUHub and the best way your student organization can utilize the appÔÇï
  • 2/16 – 1PM
• Virtual Event Planning - Are you struggling to plan events virtually? Come meet with Canaan Daniels, the Associate Director for Programming and Events to get the best tips and tricks to make your virtual events a success
  • 2/4 – 10AM
• Officer Transitions - Not sure where to start to transition your new officers? Join Morgan Pulliam, the Coordinator for Student Engagement to get helpful tips and best practices on how to smoothly and effectively transition your executive board. 
  • 2/9 – 6PM
  • 2/11 – 9:30AM
  • 4/9 – 10AM
  • 4/13 – 2PM
• Appreciation Languages Workshop - Everyone wants to feel appreciated, but did you know everyone has their own language they like to be appreciated in? Join Brandie Van Zande, the Director for New Student and Leadership Programs to learn the five appreciation languages and how to use them in your student organization to boost morale
  • 2/17 – 3PM
• Robert’s Rules of Order - Most governing body uses Robert's Rules of Order to run meetings. Join Morgan Pulliam, the Coordinator for Student Engagement to learn how to use Robert's Rules of Order. 
  • 2/23 – 11AM
  • 2/26 – 1PM

If there is something we are missing, or something else you would like to see, send an email to studentorgs@lamar.edu and let us know what else you want!!

In addition, if those times do not work, and you want a more one-on-one approach, you can complete this workshop request form and Morgan Pulliam, the Coordinator for Student Engagement can come to your student organization meeting and help you out!

Co-Sponsorship during COVID-19

Even though your organization is not traveling right now, there are still ways for you to receive co-sponsorship funds! Below are ways to still receive co-sponsorship funds during COVID.

• Partner with Cardinals Activities Board on an event
• Host an event with your organization – as long as you are in a space that you can socially distance, events are allowed to be happening – Event Services can work with you on making sure you have a location that will work

Re-Registration for 2020-2021

Re-registration for the 2020-2021 school year is now closed. If you have not completed this process and would like to make sure that your organization is active and can host events, hold meetings, recruit members, etc., please contact Student Organization Services at studentorgs@lamar.edu or call: (409) 880-8721.

Student Engagement Announcements

A Message from Career and Professional Development

• Coffee & Connect on February 9 from 1-2:30 PM via Microsoft Teams
  • Students can view attending companies via Handshake
• Computer Science Career Fair on February 18 from 1-3 PM via Microsoft Teams
  • Students can view attending companies via Handshake

Also, student organizations may request a career-related workshop (in-person or virtual) over topics such as resume/cover letter, networking, LinkedIn, career exploration, interviewing tips, and more. The requests may be submitted here.

Career Action Plans - Don’t wait until it’s too late to utilize Career and Professional Development. They are here to help you, no matter what part of your journey you are on.

Career Action Plan – Freshman Year

Career Action Plan – Sophomore Year

Career Action Plan – Junior Year

Career Action Plan – Senior Year

For more information, please contact Career and Professional Development at (409) 880-8878 or email: careercenter@lamar.edu

New Student and Leadership Programs

CO Team Applications – Apply to be on CO Team today! Do you have tons of Cardinal Pride? Make your mark at LU and apply to be an Orientation Leader on our Cardinal Orientation Team! OL's greet new students at each summer orientation and teach them all about life at LU. Get more details and apply at lamar.edu/coteam

Track Your Service Hours - Tracking your service hours is now easier than ever! The Office of New Student & Leadership Programs is using LUHUB to aid you in keeping track of your service hours.
You can click here to be taken to LUHUB to begin tracking. Once there, follow the directions here to log your service hours.

Leadership Workshops - Student Organization Leadership Workshops are available to provide foundational education for student organization leaders and/or members. Do you need help building a team, running effective meetings, understanding leadership styles, creating community service projects, or achieving your goals? At the NSLP office, we offer customized workshops on these topics - and many more - based on the specific needs of your club, group, or organization. 

Before you request a workshop, please see if the topic is already offered through our Workshops for students. If you don’t see a Workshop that meets your needs — or if you need to schedule a workshop for your group or class — please request a workshop using the Workshop Request Form here.

A Message from the Health Center

During this time, we know it may be difficult for students to focus on their wellness. The Student Health Center encourages students to utilize resources (FREE to students) called CampusWell (formerly Student Health 101). You can visit the website here: https://lamar.campuswell.com/ Students can elect to sign-up for emails or download the free app to continue to receive health information.

Please visit their navigating wellness website for tips and tricks: https://www.lamar.edu/students/student-engagement/student-health-center/health-education/wellness.html

Wellness Wednesdays Spring 2021 Schedule - The Student Health Center will be continuing to offer the Wellness Wednesday program in the Spring 2021 semester. This program, covering a variety of health topics relating to college students is offered every other Wednesday at 4:00pm. To begin the semester with an abundance of caution we will be providing this program for the first couple weeks via Zoom. Details and registration for the Zoom link can be found on LUHub. Students are also encouraged to visit our YouTube channel to view past events: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLsKgN-WJKumcdfopptjxaw.

NCHA Survey - Students be on the lookout for the National College Health Assessment email coming to your inbox. This nationally recognized research survey helps the Student Health Center provide better wellness services for you by anonymously informing us of student’s needs, habits, and health behaviors. For more information please contact Marie Murray at mculik@lamar.edu.

A Message from Outdoor Pursuits

Group Development or team building is where a guide or facilitator leads a group through an activity, series of activities, or discussion of activity, and where the group grows as a team or individuals grow as more productive members of that team. The ultimate benefits of the team building experience are that team members learn more about one another away from normal interactions, build relationships, and improve communication. It also allows the team to celebrate their successes, look at where they can improve, and make connections back to their everyday life.

https://www.lamar.edu/students/student-engagement/recreational-sports/forms.html

Group Fitness

Lamar University Campus Recreation offers the following Group Fitness classes. To sign-up, please visit their website!

• Barre
• Cardio Kickboxing
• Cycling
• Killer Core
• Killer Glutes
• Martial Arts Style Kickboxing
• Pilates
• Red Zone Circuit
• Release, Relax, and Restore
• Total Body Conditioning
• Yoga
• Yoga Tone
• Zumba

Intramurals

Don’t miss the deadline to sign your student organization up to participate in Intramural Leagues. For specific sports offered and their deadlines, please visit the website or contact Jason Harrington for more information.    

Group Fitness

Rec Sports is committed to promoting health and wellness at Lamar University and to providing continuous opportunities for fitness every semester. We offer the latest Group Fitness classes from Zumba to Cycling and more! Our programs are tailored to every fitness and skill level. We encourage you to try something new this semester!

Classes are free and registration is not required.

Go to Fusion Group Fitness Classes to check out our full list of classes!

* click on a class to see its schedule!

Outdoor Pursuits

Outdoor Pursuits is your gateway to new friends, adventure, and all things wild! Open to all active Lamar University students, staff, and faculty. Outdoor Pursuits provides the LU community with fun ways to connect with the natural world and its inhabitants.

• Push yourself to new heights at our 1,850-square-foot Climbing Wall. Open M-TH 1-6pm.
• Challenge your group to think differently with our Team Building programs.
• Set out on your own adventure with gear from our Outdoor Shop. Open M-F 8am-5pm.
• Join the OP Staff this semester in all the amazing programs we have offer including, S’mores, Crate Stacking & Project Chill! See recsports.lamar.edu for dates and times!

Indoor Pool

The Lamar Indoor Pool is back and ready for you! Join us this semester for our reopening!

The pool will be open for lap swimming starting January 19^th!

Hour of Operation will be:

Monday & Wednesday 4-7pm

Tuesday & Thursday 11am-2pm