Student Involvement

COVID-19 will affect Student Organizations greatly over the next several months. Guidelines have been created to assist student organizations leaders in successfully leading their organization. All student organizations are expected to conduct their organization business in accordance with these guidelines. To access the guidelines, click here.

Auburn University Event Guidelines Updated 1.04.21)

Auburn University has currently released event guidelines for events effective November 16, 2020. The operational changes, effective immediately and applicable through Feb. 7, are as follows:

Informed by the best medical advice available, Auburn has continuously evaluated the university’s policies, guidelines and timeline for returning to full on-campus operations since the onset of the pandemic. Out of an abundance of caution, the university is making operational adjustments in response to emerging health scenarios in Lee County, in Alabama and across the country.

The operational changes, effective immediately and applicable through Feb. 7, are as follows:

1. Events with more than 50 attendees are not permitted.
2. All Auburn University-affiliated events hosted on or off-campus require prior approval and full compliance with university protocols.
3. This guidance does not apply to commencement, athletic events or academic classroom settings.
4. Events with 50 or less attendees, that match the criteria in the Events policy should be submitted to the Campus Event Planning System (CEPS). Submit request in CEPS at least 30 days in advance of the proposed event date.  Additionally, any student organization event should be submitted to AUinvolve.
5. All requests must include a description of how event planners will ensure appropriate physical distancing in a space that accommodates the group.
6. Event coordinators are expected to maintain a list that includes name, telephone number and email address for every attendee, which will be used if there is a need for contact tracing.
7. All event attendees are required to wear masks or face coverings. University faculty, staff, and students must complete their Auburn Healthcheck Survey and show their A Healthier U Pass (green screen) to attend events. Non-university event attendees must answer questions regarding symptoms, all of which will occur daily for multi-day events.
8. The preferred method of food/drink service is premade boxed meals and drinks that are sealed and unopened. Served buffets will be permitted if they are catered by Tiger Dining or The Hotel at Auburn University. Work through regular channels (Campus Events Planning System, AUinvolve, etc.) for guidance.
9. Event coordinators are responsible for ensuring adherence to all guidelines.

All operational changes are informed by health trends in our community and state and may be adjusted if scenarios change or new information becomes available. Continued cooperation and adherence to important safety protocols remain essential.

For updates and more information regarding COVID-19 visit AU’s official coronavirus webpage.

Virtual Event/Activity Management

During this time period, virtual events and meetings may continue to occur. Student Organizations should submit any virtual meeting in AUinvolve and indicate that the event location is virtual. Organizations are encouraged to continue to utilize AUinvolve to track attendance and manage their organizations memberships. Below are links to learn how to track attendance without the Mobile Event Pass and how to create and join virtual meetings/events on Zoom.

1. Manual Attendance Tracking
2. Hosting Meetings on Zoom
3. Joining Meetings on Zoom
4. Make your Zoom Meeting fun (Thanks to our friends at Elevate Experiences for the tips!)
5. Pulling ZOOM Attendance/Adding Attendance to AUinvolve Event

Virtual Communication with Organization

Communication with your members and advisor is critical during this time of remote delivery. Organizations  are encouraged to use AUinvolve to message their members. Organizations should also use this time to ensure that their contact information is accurate on AUinvolve so students who wish to learn more about their organization are able to contact the appropriate individuals.

1. Messaging (Video)
2. Messaging (Screenshots)
3. Update your contact info for virtual communication

Virtually Host your Organization Elections

Leadership Transitions should not stop just because your organization may not meet in-person. AUinvolve provides organizations the opportunity to host elections virtually. Creating an election is easy! See the video below on how to manage your organization’s elections.

1. Creating Online Elections

Service Activities

When participating in service or volunteer activities, we recommend students and student organizations:

• Search for opportunities through the Service tab on AU Involve that are approved on https://auburn.givepulse.com/
• Participate in no or low contact service opportunities, avoiding any high contact experiences
  • Virtual/Digital examples include: online tutoring, creating marketing or media content for a nonprofit, online socialization with older adults, etc.
  • Low Contact examples include: working in a community garden, doorstep food distribution programs, trash pick-up, etc.
• Wear a mask when participating in low contact service opportunities
• Practice physical distancing, maintaining approximately six feet of distance from others at all times
• Limit group sizes to no more than 10 people
• Avoid sharing supplies (gloves, rakes, tote bags, etc.)
• Follow Auburn University’s Travel Policy when traveling to and from service opportunities
• Communicate with the nonprofit partner in advance regarding their COVID-19 operations
• Avoid contact with populations at higher risk for COVID-19 related illness

Additional information regarding service has been made available through the Alabama Postsecondary Alliance for Community Engagement.  PACE Statewide Recommendations for Community Enagement

Organization Management Tips

Now is a great time for student organization leaders to plan for their organizations future. Below are a list of suggested actions organization leaders can take to set their organization up for success upon our return to campus.

• Create officer transition reports for new officers
• Review your organization’s constitution & bylaws to ensure it reflects current practices
• Continue your organization selection processes by hosting interviews via Zoom. Here are some tips on out to organize your interview
• Prepare for organization re-registration by cleaning up your AUinvolve roster
• Create or revisit your organization’s annual goals
• Create or revisit your organization’s annual timeline
• Survey your members on organization satisfaction (what could make their organization experience better?)
• Check in with your organization advisor to ensure that expectations and communication is clear
• Upload new photos to your AUinvolve photo albums
• Check out our marketing resources and think through plans for promoting your organization’s upcoming events and initiatives
• Check out our social media resources and plan out your organization’s social media content
• Create forms on AUinvolve to capture information you would have normally collected during meetings
• Check your close dates for upcoming forms. You may need to extend to accommodate a new timeline. You may also need to close forms that are no longer relevant

Student Organization Advising Team

The Student Organization Advising Team is available to answer questions you may have. Zoom with the Student Organizations Advising Team by virtually dropping in from 10:00 am-2:00 pm every Thursday to have your questions answered and learn new tips and tools for designing safe and successful events! Please reach out via email to schedule phone calls or Zoom meetings.