Definition: The Student Organizations Oversight Committee oversees all student organizations on campus, providing them with planning support and logistical guidance throughout the year. Working closely with the Student Activities Office, the SOOC is there to ensure that club leaders are taking advantage of Bowdoin’s resources and serving the campus community to the best of their ability. They also manage the chartering process for new clubs, and are tasked with maintaining continuity in club life from year to year to ensure a persistently vibrant student experience at Bowdoin.
Past Accomplishments: The SOOC has worked in years past to reduce the amount of bureaucracy surrounding the leadership of a club, while simultaneously consolidating all essential resources and forms together in the Club Leaders’ Manual. Together with the SAFC, they have ensured that funding guidelines are fair and consistent for all clubs. The SOOC has also worked closely with Student Activities in running and updating Blink – a database of all clubs, events, and members, which increases club visibility and facilitates the process of advertising for events.
Regular Responsibilities:
- The SOOC must assist clubs throughout the year in event planning and advertising, especially earlier in the year as clubs are first getting off the ground
- Once the BSG has begun its regular functioning, the SOOC must manage all club charter applications and approve those clubs that the BSG can realistically support
- Respond to questions from students and club leaders concerning SOOC decisions or the SOOC process and guidelines
- The SOOC also advocates on behalf of club leaders in dealing with the administration and larger policy changes, relaying information as necessary
- At the beginning of each semester, the SOOC also conducts the Student Activities Fair, along with the Student Activities Office, to help increase awareness of what clubs are available on campus
- Given the turnover of club leaders from year to year, the SOOC is tasked with overseeing leadership elections and ensuring the proper training of new leaders before the year’s end
Goals:
Short-Term:
- Review new charter applications and deliberate on the feasibility of the various clubs
- Revisit and revise the SOOC Adjudication process and clarify the SOOC’s role in club-related violations of the Academic and Social Honor Code
- Update the Club Leaders’ Manual and spread awareness of it for all club leaders
Long-Term:
- Draft new documents and tools to further assist club leaders in programming on campus
- Implement and formalize a better working relationship between the SOOC and club leaders
- Work with various departments to create workshops for club leaders to better their leadership skills and knowledge of the campus