Frequently Asked Questions & Training Resources

Student groups recognized under SGi are registered with Campus Activities and included on the Active Organization list. SGI recognized groups have assigned advisors from the division, receive a budget from SGI, have access to CAB and can reserve space on campus for meetings and programs.

Students interested in starting a group on campus are required to apply for Power to Organize (PTO). Power to Organize is an application process facilitated by the SGI executive board in the Fall semester only. The process is competitive, and submission of an application does not guarantee recognition. For more information about starting a student club and receiving SGI recognition, contact the SGI Organization Committee Chairperson at studentgovernment@stjohns.edu.

Top 4 student leaders are classified as the President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. Co positions are not considered top 4 positions.

Email studentactivites@stjohns.edu explaining the changes in leadership on your executive board. Board members who left the group should email studentactivities@stjohns.edu a notice of resignation. The remaining executive board should use the election processes outlined in their constitution to appoint a replacement for the position. The newly appointed board member will need to submit a New Executive Board Registration form.

Email studentactivites@stjohns.edu and CC your executive board. The email should explain the changes in leadership on your board. Campus Activities will make note of the changes.

Weekly email notifications are sent to the St. John’s email address of all executive board members and chairpersons who filled out the New E-Board Registration Form with the office of Campus Activities.

TIP: Add studentactivities@stjohns.edu to your email contacts to ensure that you receive our messages.

Yes. All student leaders will be required to attend and participate in one of the Student Leader training dates. Student leaders that have filled out the New E-Board Registration Form will receive a newsletter announcement with information about registration and other important details. If you have any questions, please email us at studentactivities@stjohns.edu.

The Student Leader Training will take place in-person on Monday, August 28 and Saturday, September 2. All Top 4 members of your organization must register to attend one of the session dates by filling out the Student Leader Training Registration form. Registration form is currently open for late registration.

Use the Student Leader Training Registration form to register for a new date to attend the training.

Yes, use the Student Leader Training Registration form to register to attend on the the training dates.

The CA team will make one final exception to accommodate late online accommodation request. The training will be available online and you will be responsible for completing the training and exam on your own. Failure to pass the exam will result in an automatic resignation. The exam for the online training is longer than the exam for the in-person training.

The AGIA Program was designed to reward students who have made positive contributions to the University through student organizations and leadership.

Students who have been appointed or elected to a Top 4 Executive Board position (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) for the next academic year can apply. Students must be full-time, matriculated undergraduates in good disciplinary and academic standing (minimum 2.75 GPA). Students cannot hold more than 3 Executive Board positions in an academic year. Eligible students must attend the AGIA information session to receive an application. Students who were unable to attend the session are not eligible to apply.

No, you can no longer apply for AGIA for 2023-2024. However, here are some tips to apply for next year. Typically, the online AGIA Application opens in the middle of April(2023) and the deadline is within the first week of May(2023) Application criteria includes: Student Organization activities and responsibilities, individual achievement and goals, the ability to organize an effective essay, creation of your Co-Curricular Transcript (CCT).

Note: A student leader’s position does not guarantee them a grant. The student application is reviewed, not the position. Please be aware that AGIA requirements, dates & availability are subject to change. If you are awarded the grant and you decide to step down from your position the grant will be removed from your tuition.

Currently, we do not have an update for the 2024-2025 Activity Grant-in-Aid process. We will share all updates via email in Spring 2024.

The event reservation process is open for 2023-2024. As space and dates are limited, we encourage all groups to plan both in-person and virtual initiatives. For more information about how to plan an event and regulations, visit the toolkit. Please note these guidelines are based on current public health protocols, and subject to change. Head to the page linked below to learn how to reserve a space, and click the other button below to reserve a room space on Coursedog once you’ve completed the tutorial.

Yes! We can support major events taking place after September 13, 2023. Consult with your Student Group Advisor at least 30 days before the intended date of your event to discuss your event proposal, budget request deadlines, required contracts and to review any event requirements. Note events including celebrity entertainers and equipment rentals can require more than 30 days of planning and are subject to restrictions due to time and budget constraints.

Student groups are allowed to attend/promote cultural, religious, educational, service, & professional development events taking place off campus. Social events such as parties & festivals are not allowed.

If you have not received an event confirmation email including an attached PDF, contact Amanda Ramnarain at saevents@stjohns.edu.

If you need to make any revisions or cancellations, please forward your event request to saevents@stjohns.edu and cc your advisor. Setup, time adjustments, space changes and other event requests requested within (3) three business days may not allow for enough time to accommodate proper support. Cancellations made within 24 hours or "no shows" are subject to staff set up charges for work completed.

If you are hosting an event, speaker, party, dinner, etc. on campus you will need to complete an event resource agreement 10 –business days prior to the confirmed event date. If you are hosting a meeting or tabling, you do not need to complete resource agreement.

Yes, non-sju guests are allowed to attend on-campus student run events under specific circumstances. There is a 1 to 1 Guest Policy and Pre-Registered List in effect for 2023-2024 programming year. Which means a current St. John’s student can invite one guest to accompany them to an St. John’s student run event. Note: The 1 to 1 Guest Policy is not automatic, must be approved by your Student Group Advisor, and is subject to change.

Consult with your Student Group Advisor to discuss Alumni attendance at events. Requests will require 4 weeks for processing and review.

If there is an issue with your event setup, contact Conference Services and Facilities Duty Number: +1 (516) 965-2708

Activity Hours are assigned meeting rooms on Mondays and Thursdays during common hour times (1:50 PM to 3:15 PM) for SGI recognized student groups. Groups are encouraged to use the assigned room and dates to meet with members. Please note classrooms should be left in great condition. No food, trash, or rearrangement of the room. In the event a professor complains about your group, you will lose access to your activity room assignment.

The office of Campus Activities will release the Activity Hour assignments after the Student Leadership Training.

Activity Hour rooms are limited and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. If you group was not assigned an Activity Hour room your executive board either released the room because the room was not being used or your group registered with Campus Activities late. Use the event reservation system to request a meeting space if you are not assigned an Activity Hour room after the Student Leadership Training.

No, at this time rooms were assigned based on the availability of classrooms. If you would like to request a different meeting space, submit an event reservation form, and highlight in the comments why you are unable to use your assigned activity hour room.

The contract process begins with completing the Contract Approval Request Form. Once your request is approved, your Student Group Advisor will provide you with the contracts and instructions to share with the external party. Use this link for instructions on how to start the contract request process and to request approval for a speaker, professor, deejay, artist etc. Vendor and contract requests need to be submitted at least 28 business days before your event date. Failure to submit requests on time can result in a denied request due to insufficient processing times. Note major speakers and celebrity entertainers require additional processing time. Lat requests are subject to be denied.

Yes! Contracts are legal binding documents that protect the liability of SGI, your organization and the individual or group providing a service for your program.

Only the SGI president can sign contracts for events, speakers, DJ’s, rental equipment etc. It is a violation of the contract policy for a student leader of an SGI recognized group to sign a contract. Student Leaders who violate the contract policy are subject to being removed from their position and can jeopardize the status of the student group with Campus Activities and SGI.

Student Government, Inc is responsible for allocating budgets to SGI recognized organizations. SGI will present an update on the budget during the Student Leader Training. For questions regarding your budget or Special Allocations, contact Paul Gaylor – SGi Treasurer at paul.gaylor21@my.stjohns.edu. Campus Activities does not allocate budgets or manage Special Allocation funding. Special Allocation Budget requests for SGI are due at least 30 business days in advance of your event date, no exceptions.

It depends on how much funding you are requesting. Requests for $1,000 and under for events taking place before September 29, 2023 are eligible to apply for Special Allocation. Request over $1,000 for events taking place before September 29, 2023 are not eligible for Special Allocation.

Great question! Special Allocation requests over $1,000 must be submitted 30 days prior to the scheduled event day to accommodate the review and approval process. After a group submits a special allocation form on Engage, it mandatory for the leadership to present to the SGI Budget committee. The presentation should highlight the event and provide a detailed overview of the funding requested. After the presentation, the proposal is shared with the SGi Senate who will vote to approve or deny the requests. As you can see this process requires time to plan and unfortunately events taking place before September 29, 2023 do not accommodate the timeline required to properly review and approve requests over $1,000.

Requests are not guaranteed. Special Allocation funding is an additional resource with limitations. Requests can be denied or not fully approved depending on the funds available and special allocation guidelines. Remember there are over 100 student groups. It is your responsibility to fundraise to support your group.

Engage is the online system student groups will use to access their budget, submit payments, request special allocation and access GivePulse service initiatives. Leaders can access Engage through St. John’s sign on. The Engage icon will appear on your dashboard, as Engage – Student Government.

The office of Campus Activities will update Engage before the Student Leadership training dates.

The process to submit a receipt for a reimbursement or an invoice for a check is online and only accessible through Engage. Remember all receipts and invoices must be uploaded as a PDF. Also separate each receipt. You cannot upload all the event receipts or invoices to one request. The receipt or invoice must be clear, and the items purchased must be listed on the receipt as well. To avoid a delayed or denied reimbursement make sure to answer all of the questions and to attach the correct receipt as a PDF. Watch this short video from SGI on how to submit reimbursements through Engage.

The SGI 2023-2024 Policy Handbook is a great resource. Note policies are subject to change.

The tables are distributed on a first come first serve basis. If you would like your table near a specific group, both groups will need to check in on the day of the fair at the same time.

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Campus Activities will send email an confirmation after the September 2 SLT training, confirming registration.

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The tables are distributed on a first come first serve basis and will take place between 10:30 and 11:45 AM.

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We recommend staying active on your social media pages with fresh content. Share your posts and tag @sjuactivities so we can help spread the word about your organization! New students are on campus, so this is the best time to share information on your Instagram, Twitter, and/or Facebook! CA will also host the Fall Activities Fair.

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The activities fair is scheduled for September 7 from 12 to 3 PM on the Great Lawn. Registered groups will receive an email communication closer to the date. Student groups recognized under a St. John’s department and not SGI will need to select University Department for question 5.

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