STUDENT ORGANIZATION LEADERS
Tools and Resources
Organization Recognition & Affiliation
Viterbi Affiliation
A student organization that wishes to be affiliated with the Viterbi School of Engineering must apply for Viterbi affiliation each academic year.
Was your student organization recognized in the 2021-2022 academic year?
- Yes: Your organization will be applying for re-recognition, which will be opening on EngageSC on August 1, 2022.
- No: Your group will need to wait until Campus Activities opens the application for new student organization recognition in the Fall 2022 semester.
Campus Activities Recognition
All student organizations must complete USC’s Campus Activities recognition process in order to be an officially Recognized Student Organization (RSO). Recognition status runs for one academic year.
Annual Recognition is required for all returning Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs).
Application for re-recognition of existing organizations will begin on August 1, 2022 on EngageSC.
Affiliation Criteria
Viterbi Admission & Student Engagement will review each organization’s application to determine if they will be granted Viterbi affiliation. To be Viterbi-affiliated, student organizations must:
- Be a USC Recognized Student Organization (RSO) for the current academic year.
- Demonstrate a clear connection and benefit to Viterbi students and/or the field of engineering.
- Not replicate the purpose of an existing Viterbi-affiliated organization.
- Have a majority (50% + 1) of interested members be engineering students.*
*If student organizations do not have a majority of engineering students as members but meet the other criteria, they will be granted partial affiliation. They will be able to take advantage of all benefits list below EXCEPT Viterbi funding.
Student Organization Responsibilities
In order to remain a Viterbi-affiliated student organization, the following criteria must be met during the academic year:
- Follow regulations and rules for student organizations established by USC and Viterbi.
- Submit an annual report during spring semester (April 1).
- Attend all Viterbi Presidents Council (VPC) meetings.
- Participation the VPC Retreat, held in the beginning of the fall semester.
- Coordinate, co-sponsor, or participate in an event or program during E-Week.
- Participate in Viterbi-wide student organization fairs.
- Fall – New Student Welcome/Get Connected! (week before classes begin)
- Spring – Get Connected! (January)
Benefits of Viterbi Affiliation
The benefits of being a Viterbi-affiliated student organization include:
- Opportunity to apply for additional funding from Viterbi Admission & Student Engagement via the Viterbi Funding Board and the Student Organization Support fund.
- Ability to list events in the Viterbi Events Calendar and Experience Viterbi App (EVA).
- Ability to place announcements in #ViterbiConnect.
- Ability to list student organization on the Viterbi web page.
- Ability to post ads on Viterbi digital signage.
- Ability to submit nominations for outstanding student organization/design team and have the opportunity to attend the Viterbi Undergraduate Awards.
Annual Reports
As part of your Viterbi affiliation, all student organizations must submit an annual report. The annual report is a helpful tool for your organization to use as you reflect on your accomplishments and plan for the next year.
Report Guidelines & Criteria
Annual Reports should cover the organization’s activity from April 30, 2022 through the present.
Reports must be submitted by Thursday, March 24th, 2023, 11:59pm in PDF format with the file name “orgname_Annual Report_2023". Link: https://airtable.com/shrLqXZQDuKQumRlj
Reports submitted by the deadline will be considered the for the Viterbi Outstanding Student Organization Award and Best Design Team Award.
Reports submitted after the above deadline will not be considered for the Viterbi Outstanding Student Organization Award or the Best Design Team Award.
Organizations that fail to submit a report by May 5, 2023, 11:59pm will be restricted from accessing funds from the Viterbi Funding Board for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Outstanding Student Organization/Design Team Award Criteria
The below guidelines for report submission will enhance the judges’ ability to fairly and equitably judge the quality of the reports submitted. They will consider the following when judging these reports for the Outstanding Student Organization/Design Team Award:
- Overall quality and variety of programs to enhance student life.
- Involvement by percentage of group members.
- Involvement of total number of engineering students including percentage of women engineering students on e-board.
- Clarity and quality of report and adherence to report guidelines.
Reports Must Include the Following Sections:
I. Cover Page
II. Table of Contents
III. Organization Overview
- Name of organization
- Brief overview of organization (purpose/mission)
- Executive board members (must include percentage of women engineering students)
- Total number of members (must include include number of undergraduate Viterbi and graduate Viterbi students)
- Name of contact person
- Contact person’s email
IV. Organizational Goals
- What were the organization goals for this reporting period?
- Please state each goal and provide a brief description of how these goals were met.
V. Report of Activities
Each event description should contain the following information (in order):
- Date of event
- Event title
- Event Type
- Target audience
- Detailed description of event
- Event marketing/promotion details
- Total attendance at event
- Was this event sponsored by another organization?
- If yes, who was the sponsoring organization(s). Example: Participation in the Get Connected! Fair (The event was sponsored by Viterbi).
VI. Transition Plan
Outline the organization’s plan for transfer of information, processes, and documents to new leadership
VII. Donor Solicitation Information
- Copy of the current year’s donor solicitation package
- List of company sponsors, amounts, and contacts
- If your organization has not solicited funding this year, please indicate this under this section. If you have plans of soliciting funds in the future, you may describe your plan here.
VIII. Appendix (optional)
Include supporting documents, brochures, flyers, etc. that relate to the events listed in section VI.
Additional information about "report of activities":
- If an event is a “joint venture” with another organization, it must be stated and the following information must be included: Who was the “lead” organization? What specific role did your organization play in this event?
- Event Types: The listing of events shall be broken down into the following categories and presented in the following order. If no such events in these categories were held, state “None:”
- Professional: Activities that further the understanding of the engineering profession and specific disciplines within engineering. Such activities include technical lectures, talks by professionals regarding engineering in general or specific projects, presentations by industry representatives, etc.
- Outreach/Volunteering: Events held either on-campus or off-campus that promote the engineering profession, the Viterbi School, or K-12 involvement.
- Job Search Activities: Events/activities that promote full-time, part-time or co-op employment opportunities for continuing students and graduating seniors. Events/activities may include employer networking receptions, presentations by company representatives, etc.
- Social: Social activities include either on or off campus dances, sporting events, and social receptions etc. that are held to improve campus life and school spirit.
- Miscellaneous: Events that are held within the reporting period not classified by the above categories.
- Upcoming: Firmly planned events in any of the above categories that will be held in the next semester beyond the reporting period. Provide the status of the planning and organization for tasks that have yet to be completed.
*Special Note about "Outreach/Volunteering" Events: Please include how many hours the event was and how many students in your organization participated.
Funding Information & Resources
Any Viterbi-affiliated student organization seeking funding must follow the guidelines outlined below. It is your responsibility as an organization leader to familiarize yourself with the funding policies and procedures set forth by the University and the Viterbi School of Engineering. Please take time to review these recommendations and policies all of which constitutes the Viterbi Student Organization Funding Guide.
Recommendations & Best Practices
- PLAN AHEAD. The deadlines are always sooner than you think they are.
- Review ALL guidelines, policies, procedures, and requirements for the funding sources you are applying to.
- Prepare and submit funding applications as soon as possible.
- SUBMIT EVERYTHING ON TIME. Pay close attention to dates and deadlines. Late applications are not considered. Late post event reports are not processed.
- Diversify your funding strategy. DO NOT rely on one source to fund your events. Strategize based on what sources fund.
- Pay close attention to the supporting documents you need to submit. If you don’t know what something is or what you need – ask!
- Create an estimated budget for the entire academic year. This will allow you to plan ahead and avoid missing funding application deadlines.
- Review your budget regularly and make adjustments as needed.
Policies
- Only undergraduate, USC-recognized student organizations are eligible to apply for any funding source outlined within. Viterbi funding sources are limited to Viterbi-affiliated student organizations.
- Funding is never guaranteed. No student organization is entitled to funding by virtue of being recognized. Please do not assume your organization will get funding.
- Organizations may not sign any contracts or agreements (including venue, catering, or speaker agreements). All agreements must be signed by authorized university personnel. Any agreements that contain an unauthorized student signature cannot be funded under any circumstances.
*Please note that VFB and SOS funding are for student organization-affiliated expenses. They do not fund individual student travel not affiliated with a Viterbi student organization for conferences or otherwise.
For more funding options in general, please visit the Undergraduate Student Government Funding page.
Travel & Waiver Information
Which Waivers Do I Need?
To figure which waivers you need to have your organization’s members fill out for an event or activity, answer the following the questions:
1. Is your event/activity off campus?
No: Consider the GENERAL LIABILITY WAIVER for each participant if your event involves some degree of risk or potential injury.
Yes: Fill out one STUDENT TRAVEL FORM and go to question #2. On the Student Travel Form, list one person going on the trip and one person in Los Angeles as your emergency contacts for in case of outside emergencies.
2. Are you receiving any university funding? (USG, VFB, SOS, etc.)
No: Each participant needs to fill out a GENERAL LIABILITY WAIVER as well as theASSUMPTION OF RISK FOR EVENTS NOT SPONSORED OR SUPERVISED BY USC.
Yes: Go to question #3 (your event counts as a university sponsored event).
3. How are you getting there?
Individual Cars/Public Transportation/Walking/Etc.: Each participant must fill out a GENERAL LIABILITY WAIVER as well as the STUDENT SELF-TRANSPORTATION WAIVER.
Bus or Group Transportation booked for the event: Participants taking a bus fill out a GENERAL LIABILITY WAIVER as well as the AGREEMENT AND RELEASE FROM LIABILITY FOR OFF-CAMPUS SITE VISIT. Participants NOT taking a bus (but there is a bus!) fill out the GENERAL LIABILITY WAIVER and the ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION WAIVER.
FORMS
- General Liability Waiver (no witness signature is needed if 18 or older)
- All Transportation Waivers (parent or guardian signatures are needed only if participants are under 18 years old)
Submitting Your Forms
All waivers are due to the RTH 110 front desk (collect them from all participants and turn everything in at one time) before your departure. Remember that RTH 110 is open during business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30-5:00). Plan ahead for weekend events!
Protection from Liability
Completing the appropriate waivers gives your organization some LIMITED limited liability coverage, but it is up to you as an student organization member and leader to use good judgement in making decisions to ensure protection in terms of liability. These waivers are not free passes to conduct yourself in ways not supported by the university. Clearly communicate any and all risks to participants.
International Travel
Additional steps are required for student organization travel outside of the country. Detailed information on the guidelines for student-led international travel is available in the USC Student Handbook.Design Team Release of Liability
Each member of a design team must complete a Release of Liability. This is different from the General Liability Waiver because it covers the entire academic year, not just a one-time event. Design teams must collect and return all Release of Liability forms to RTH 110, along with a membership roster, at the beginning of each academic year before they will be allowed to access any Viterbi funding.Design team members will also need to complete the waivers listed above for any off campus event associated with the design team.Additional Resources
Directions for Submitting Ads for Viterbi Digital Signage
- Create a JPG or PNG image file that is 960×720 pixels (4:3 aspect ratio).
- Submit request online: Viterbi Digital Signage Request
- We will only post ads from Viterbi-affiliated organizations, ads must include name of sponsoring organization
Directions for Submitting an Article or Announcement for ViterbiConnect
- Submit your request online: Viterbi Connect Submission Form (Only Viterbi-Affiliated Orgs can submit posts)
- Submissions have to be received by 4:00 pm on Thursday in order to be posted for Sunday’s email.
- Posts are usually larger/signature events that would be open to the general Viterbi undergraduate community.
- For smaller events like general meetings, please post in the Viterbi Events Calendar.
- Email kgiang@usc.edu with additional questions
Travel & Waivers
Published on August 8th, 2018
Last updated on December 18th, 2023