This page serves as a repository for student group updates starting with the Fall 2024 semester.

1/23/2025 | Spring 2025 Travel Information

Happy first week of classes, and welcome back for the spring 2025 semester! We are looking forward to working with all of you this semester. We are writing with an additional update for the spring semester regarding planning and booking student group travel.

Travel

For any travel your group would like to plan that takes place during the Spring 2025 semester, you must start a conversation with your adviser in the first weeks of the Spring 2025 semester in order to ensure all timelines are followed.  

Please see below for updated timelines – please note that these timelines specifically indicate when conversations with your adviser should begin. This will make it possible to complete all planning and booking within the required time frame, per the Travel Coordinator. 

Spring Travel (from 1/21/25 - 6/30/25):

Domestic Travel Arrangements

• Monday, March 31 is the final date to initiate new Domestic Travel requests

  • You should meet with your adviser at least 6 weeks before your intended travel start date to learn about funding, the Domestic Travel Form, and the booking process

International Travel Arrangements

• Monday, March 3 is the final date to initiate new International Travel requests

  • You should meet with your adviser at least 10 weeks before your intended travel start date to learn about funding, the Undergraduate Travel Review Committee (UTRC) process, and the booking process

Please note: for any student group travel that is intended to take place before March 1st, 2025 and has not yet been initiated with your adviser, student groups will be able to initiate domestic travel 4 weeks in advance as a one-time exception to the updated timelines.

Summer Travel (from 7/1/25 - 9/1/25):

• All travel (domestic and international) must be initiated with your adviser by the last day of classes, Monday, May 5th

• All travel booking must be completed by Friday, May 30th.

1/10/2025 | Spring 2025 Student Group Updates: Advisers, Spring Club ReFuel, Regular Calendaring Open

Hello Student Group Leaders,

Happy New Year! We hope you are enjoying your winter break. We are writing to share important updates as we gear up for the Spring semester.

Student Group Advising Assignments

Please review our Advisers & Governing Boards webpage, as your adviser may have changed going into the Spring semester.

Club ReFuel

In order to access funding and book space on campus, 4 of your group’s Executive Board members must be up-to-date with Club ReFuel requirements.

Does my group need to do Spring 2025 Club ReFuel?

• Any of your 4 Club ReFuel Executive Board members who did not take the SOKA, attend an Enough is Enough session, or attend a Club ReFuel Adviser Meeting in Fall 2024, must complete these requirements in Spring 2025

  • President and Treasurer (or their equivalents) are required to complete Club ReFuel; the other two positions are typically Vice President and Secretary

    • New folks in these positions should complete Club ReFuel in Spring 2025, even if an old member completed it in Fall 2024

• If your group did not complete the Student Organization Survey (SOS) in Fall 2024, it must complete it in Spring 2025

  • Groups advised by Fraternity and Sorority Life do not need to complete the SOS

Your adviser can tell you which requirements your group still needs to complete. Make sure you share the names, UNIs, and schools of all 4 Club ReFuel Executive Board members with your adviser.

Requirements can be completed in any order, though the SOKA should be taken before your Adviser Meeting, as anyone who does not pass the SOKA must review their missed questions with their adviser. 

Spring 2025 Club ReFuel Timeline

• The SOKA, Enough is Enough registration, and SOS are available now on our Club ReFuel webpage

  • Sunday, February 9 is the deadline to complete the SOKA and SOS

• Enough is Enough and Mental Health Student Leader Training Dates

  • Friday, January 31st: 3:30-5:00pm (Zoom)

  • Sunday, February 2nd: 10:00-11:30am (Zoom)

  • Tuesday, February 4th: 6:00-7:30pm (Zoom)

• Email your adviser to schedule your Adviser Meeting

  • Tuesday, January 21st is the first date for Adviser meetings

  • Friday, February 7th is the last date for Adviser Meetings

  • Be sure to find a time when everyone can attend together

  • Complete the SOKA before your Adviser Meeting

• All requirements must be complete on or before Sunday, February 9

Student groups that fail to complete Club ReFuel on or before Sunday, February 9 will be placed on probation and lose access to LionLink and the Event Management System (EMS). Groups currently on probation that do not complete Club ReFuel on or before Sunday, February 9 will be derecognized. 

Space Reservations

Regular calendaring for the Spring 2025 semester will open in EMS by 10:00 AM on Tuesday, January 14.

As with every semester, classrooms will not be available in EMS for the first ~3 weeks of classes. We expect them to be available by Tuesday, February 11.

Uris Spaces: 

We are excited to announce that 4 new classroom spaces in Uris Hall have been opened for student group reservations for the first few weeks of classes while other classroom spaces are offline. These spaces will be available in EMS as part of the classroom booking template. That template will be available on Tuesday, January 14th with the start of regular calendaring.

Please note the following regarding these spaces:

Reservable hours:

• Monday - Friday, 5:00 p.m.- building close

• Saturday/Sunday: Full building hours

Available Spaces: 

• Uris 309 - Conference room setup; Occupancy 28; Display, computer, camera, speakerphone

• Uris 324 - Advising/Informal gathering space w/ perimeter private offices; Occupancy 34; Display w/HDMI cable

• Uris 201 – Advising/Study set; Occupancy 24; No A/V

• Uris 107 - Reconfigurable lecture/meeting space w/ tables and stackable chairs; Occupancy 64; Projector, screen, computer, 

Guidelines:

• Bookings for a maximum of 60 minutes with 15 minute buffer

• No food/bev without custodial ticket

• No events, just weekly e-board/g body meetings

If your Executive Board is new and needs access to EMS, please email studentevents@columbia.edu and copy your adviser with an updated roster. Be sure to mention which student group you are from in the email’s subject line. You can download and fill out our Spring 2025 Executive Board Roster Template.

Event Policies & Preparation

As you prepare for Spring semester events, please make sure you review the University Event Policy, the Student Group Event Policy and Procedure, and the Vigil Policy, which outline University policies and timelines.

Many events require an Event Review to ensure proper planning and coordination between various campus services. Your adviser will let you know if your event requires an Event Review. Our Preparing for an Event Review video can help you better understand what an Event Review is and how to prepare. 

Spring 2025 Financial & Travel Deadlines

Please review the following financial and travel deadlines. It is best practice to initiate processes well in advance of these deadlines, as certain processes may take more time.

Finance

Protection of Minors Training Requests (submitted by adviser)

• Tuesday, April 1

New Vendor Setup Requests & Existing Vendor Modifications

• Friday, April 4

Purchase Orders, Agreements & Contracts, & Donation Requests

• Friday, April 11

Petty Cash & Cash Bag Requests

• Wednesday, April 16

Inter-Group Co-Sponsorship Transfer Requests

• Monday, April 21

Alert the USL Admin & Planning Team to Missing/Incorrect Charges

• Friday, April 25

  • Request a Trial Balance Report in advance of this date

  • Email usladmin@columbia.edu and copy adviser detailing any missing or incorrect charges

P-Card Purchases/Documentation & New Purchase Requests

• Monday, April 28

  • Last date for P-Card purchases

  • All documents for purchases on your adviser or student group’s P-Card must be turned in by this date

  • New purchase requests, including for Approved Local Vendors for study breaks, should be submitted by this date

Cash, Check, & Eventbrite Deposits

• Wednesday, April 30

  • Last day to submit Deposit Form and cash, checks, or Eventbrite supporting documentation for deposits

Outstanding Invoice Payment Requests

• Wednesday, April 30

  • Last day to share required documents to issue payment to internal and external vendors for any outstanding invoices

9/20/2024 | Fall 2024 Student Group Updates: Classrooms Opening M 9/23 + Lerner Hall AV Fund

Dear Student Group Leaders,

8/23/2024 | Fall 2024 Student Group Updates: Advisers, Training, Space Reservations

Dear Student Group Leaders,

We are excited to welcome you back to campus! Please see below and read to the end for important updates and requirements for the Fall 2024 semester.

*You are receiving this message through a student group’s email alias. If you have graduated/are no longer part of the group, please contact the current board and ask to be removed from their alias.*

Advising Assignments

Find your adviser for the 2024-2025 year. Note that your adviser may have changed from last year, so please be sure to confirm using the link above.

Student Group Leader Training

Student Group Leader Training will open on Tuesday, September 3rd. Student groups must be up-to-date with requirements on or before Friday, October 11th.

This requirement must be completed once per group:

1. The Student Organization Survey (SOS) must be completed by all groups regardless of whether your board transitioned or not. If your group already completed the SOS over the summer, you do not need to complete it again unless you have updated information to file. Your adviser can confirm whether your group has already completed the SOS.
   
   Fraternity & Sorority Life groups do not need to complete the SOS.
   
   Complete the Student Organization Survey (SOS)

These requirements must be completed by the same four members of your group submitted in the SOS:

1. The Student Organization Knowledge Assessment (SOKA) must be taken and passed by the four members submitted in the SOS, including President and Treasurer (or equivalents). If one of these four members completed the SOKA in Spring 2024, they do not need to complete it again this semester. After you complete the SOS, your adviser can confirm who needs to take the SOKA this semester.
   
   All four members must complete the SOKA before meeting with your adviser. If anyone does not pass the SOKA, your adviser will review missed questions during your meeting.
   
   Take the Student Organization Knowledge Assessment (SOKA) (Starting September 3rd)
    

2. The four members submitted in the SOS, including President and Treasurer (or equivalents), must meet with your adviser. After all four members have completed the SOKA, you can reach out to your adviser to schedule the meeting. If one of these four members met with your adviser in Spring 2024, they do not need to meet again unless desired. If you have a new adviser, it is recommended to meet with them regardless.
   
   Only schedule at a time that everyone can meet together.
    

3. The four members submitted in the SOS, including President and Treasurer (or equivalents), must attend an Enough is Enough session. All sessions will take place via Zoom and will be facilitated by Sexual Violence Response and the Title IX office. If one of these four members attended a session in Spring 2024, they do not need to attend one this semester. After you complete the SOS, your adviser can confirm who needs to attend a session this semester.
   
   Prior to registration, take the following steps to ensure your registration works properly:
   
   A. Go to zoom.us and sign in using SSO (single sign-on). Our domain is columbiauniversity
   B. After logging in, use one of the links below to register for a session
   C. Barnard students - if these steps do not work, try using your UNI@columbia.edu email rather than your UNI@barnard.edu email for the email address question in the registration form.
   
   Register for a Session:
   Wednesday, September 25th, 6:00-7:30 PM
   Friday, September 27th, 3:30-5:00 PM
   Sunday, September 29th, 10-11:30 AM
   Tuesday, October 1st, 6:00-7:30 PM
    

Student groups that have not completed all requirements on or before Friday, October 11th, 2024 will face the following outcomes:

• The group will be flagged for probation (groups already on probation will be derecognized).

• LionLink finance access will not be granted, or will be revoked, until the group is off probation.

• Existing space reservations will be canceled, and future space reservations cannot be made, until the group is off probation.

Please share any questions about requirements with your adviser or engagement@columbia.edu.

Space Reservations

If your group submitted pre-calendaring requests in Spring 2024, you may log in to EMS to review your bookings. Please review frequent statuses you may see in EMS below:

Please contact your adviser if you have a question about a status not listed above.

Regular calendaring for the Fall 2024 semester will open in EMS around 9am on Tuesday, August 27th, one week prior to the first day of classes. Once open, you may request space for meetings and events through the last day of events for the semester (Monday, December 9th).

Classrooms will not be available to book directly through EMS during the add/drop period (approximately the first three weeks of classes). We will share a follow-up with details about classroom booking during this period in the coming days.

If you do not have access to EMS, your adviser can help you contact the Student Events team to reset your password and update your roster.

—

Looking forward to a great semester ahead!

Update Thursday, August 29th, 2024: