Student Organization Advisor Resources

Thank you for your interest in student organizations at UW–Eau Claire!

Over 200 student organizations make UWEC a place where students can find a sense of community and belonging, and advisors play a critical role to the success of these organizations.

Explore this page to find resources to assist in advising your student organization. If you have additional questions, email us at activities@uwec.edu.

Advisor FAQs

  • Who is eligible to be an advisor?

    Faculty/Staff Advisors are full-time, salaried employees of UW–Eau Claire.

  • What is the time commitment?

    An advisor's time commitment can vary. Faculty and staff interested in being an advisor should have a conversation with the leadership of the student organization they are interested in advising to discuss their expectations versus those of the student organization. Once a consensus is met around time expectations you can make a decision on whether to advise the student organization.

  • What should I do if my organization isn't performing well?

    Remember that you are advising a student-run organization. Encourage your students to accomplish the goals that they have set out to do but do not accomplish them for them. Allowing them to struggle and discover how to effectively run a student organization will help them out in the long run.

Dos & Don'ts

Being an advisor can be an extremely rewarding experience, but when your student organization is struggling, it can be challenging.

Below are some dos and don'ts to remember while filling your role as a student organization advisor.

  • Do...

    • Serve as a resource
    • Interpret and clarify university policies
    • Suggest program ideas
    • Allow the group to succeed
    • Allow the group to fail
    • Teach leadership skills
    • Discuss concerns with officers privately and praise them publicly
    • Help students find a balance between activities and academics
    • Encourage feedback and evaluations
    • Help resolve conflict
    • Meet with officers and help them establish goals

  • Don't...

    • Micromanage the organization
    • Run organization meetings
    • Use veto power over organization decisions
    • Say "I told you so"
    • Break promises
    • Be unavailable
    • Be afraid to let the organization fail
    • Impose your own bias
    • Assume the organization handles everything okay and doesn't need you

Advisor Guidelines

  • Registered Student Organizations (RSO’s) must have a current UWEC Faculty/Staff Advisor. Faculty/Staff Advisors are full-time, salaried employees of UWEC.
  • It’s possible for a student organization to have more than one advisor (examples: UWEC retired staff member, UWEC alumni member, or a community member may serve as a secondary advisor as long as the primary advisor is an approved UWEC faculty or staff). Students, Graduate Students, or LTE’s/temporary staff may not serve in an advisor capacity.
  • The advisor role has no term limit, however, an advisor must confirm their role during the founding of the student organization as well as during the annual student organization re-registration process.
  • The Activities, Involvement, & Leadership office verifies advisor eligibilities.
  • Advisors may not sign contracts or agreements on behalf of the University for their student organizations.
  • Advisors do not have voting rights within the student organization.
  • Advisors may be removed from their role by the internal processes established in the organization's constitution, bylaws, or other governing documents of the specific student organization.
  • Faculty and staff members may serve as advisors to more than one student organization. However, when considering such commitments, they should carefully assess their capacity to maintain a balanced workload. It’s important to ensure that taking on additional responsibilities does not compromise their ability to provide effective and efficient advising to each organization they support.

Advisor Agreements

By accepting the advisor role, advisors agree to:

  • Act in the best interest of the student organization leaders and its members.
  • Confirm their advisor role during the new student organization registration and annual student organization re-registration processes.
  • Offer guidance to the student organization to ensure the group is following proper procedures and policies. Advisors may refer to the following resources for assistance:
  • Serve as an organization administrator within the organization's BlugoldConnect+ portal to receive relevant updates and important information.
  • Have regular conversations with the student organization and agree on a set of expectations for one another from the onset, possibly even writing a list as a binding agreement. We believe this will help maintain a consistent, high-quality relationship.
  • Maintain regular communication to ensure awareness and be informed about what is happening with the student organization.
  • Notify the Activities, Involvement, and Leadership Office when the advisor role ends. (Important note: Student organizations will be allotted a 2-month grace period to find a replacement advisor. Should an advisor not be replaced within this timeframe, the student organization will become inactive.)

The Student Involvement Center appreciates the work you do to support student organizations at UWEC. Please contact activities@uwec.edu should you have any questions.