Student Organizations

Description:

Student organizations offer a critical avenue of involvement at GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences and serve as a pillar to our SMHS community. Student organizations allow students to engage with others with similar career interests, provide service opportunities or support student’s holistic well-being while developing critical leadership and organizational skills. Involvement in and leadership of a student organization has widely cited benefits, including greater affinity for the institution; positive relationships with peers, faculty, and staff; and a greater sense of belonging and community. Student organizations will glean knowledge and skills that are applicable in the field of medicine and health sciences, including professional skills, communication skills, relational skills, fiscal management, critical thinking, and more. Student Organizations are overseen by the Medical Center Student Council (MCSC) and in partnership with oversight by the Office of Student Professional Enrichment and the Office of Student Affairs.

Registration/Renewal Process:

• Watch this MCSC Organization Enrollment Video
• Fill out this Student Organization Registration/Renewal Form
  • Section 1: Contact information for officers and faculty mentor & Constitution Upload
  • Section 2: Questionnaire over pertinent questions from the Enrollment Video
• Please refer to this MCSC Organization Slide deck for more information about student organizations policies and procedures

Deadlines 

• Fall 2024 New/Renewing Student Organization Deadline: September 11 at 11:59 PM
• Spring 2025 New/Renewing Student Organization Deadline: Late January/Early February 2025
• Student Organizations wishing to register/renew outside of these deadlines will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please email mcsc@gwu.edu and ospe@gwu.edu for more information. 

Constitution Requirements:

All SMHS student organizations must maintain an up-to-date constitution, which serves as a governing document of the organization – an agreement among members of how the organization should be structured and how it should operate. A strong constitution provides direction and guidance to the membership and is a resource to resolve disputes about the organization’s structure or operations

Required Constitution

In compliance with GW’s Office of Student Life, all constitutions must include the following three clauses:

A non-discrimination clause:

[Insert student organization name] does not unlawfully discriminate against any person on any basis prohibited by federal law, the District of Columbia Human Rights Act, or other applicable law, including without limitation, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.

A statement that the organization will abide by University policies.

[Insert student organization name] will abide by all University policies.

Membership statement:

Only currently registered GW students are considered members of the organization; all others (alumni, friends, family, faculty, staff) are considered guests. Guests are welcome to attend events, but they cannot hold officer positions or handle money on behalf of the organization.

Constitution Resources

• Writing a constitution resource from GW Student Life
• For more information about developing your SMHS organizations Constitution, please refer to this Example Constitution.

Current SMHS Student Organizations:

This list managed by the Office of Student Professional Enrichment is updated at the end of the current enrollment period.

Current SMHS Student Groups

SMHS Faculty Advisor Expectations:

• Each SMHS Student Organization is required to include a Faculty Advisor as part of their application to start or renew a student organization. Students solicit faculty members to serve as faculty advisors.
• Faculty Advisors provide support and guidance to SMHS organization, its leaders, and its members on specialty specific expertise, professional goals and/or research interests.
• Faculty Advisors serve in a support role to the student organizations. Providing recommendations, and guidance with the purpose of furthering the goals defined by the students in the organization and ensuring safety and compliance with SMHS and GW policies.
• Eligibility to be a Faculty Advisor includes having a SMHS faculty appointment. 
• Faculty Advisors serve as one part of the multi-pronged support structure for SMHS Student Organizations. Additionally, each SMHS student organization also has a Staff Advisor, currently the Associate Director of the Office of Student Professional Enrichment (OSPE). As Staff Advisor, the Associate Director of OSPE serves as a liaison with the GW Office of Student Life and will ensure specific policy and process-related duties are adhered to (contracts, conduct, driver authorization, etc.). These policies and procedures are outside the purview of the Faculty Advisor role. Student Organizations also work with the Medical Center Student Council (MCSC) who approve and allocate funding to student organizations. OSPE and MCSC work in tandem with the SMHS Office of Student Affairs.

Faculty Advisor Qualifications

Eligibility to be a Faculty Advisor includes having a SMHS faculty appointment.

Faculty Advisor Expectations

Organizations can expect the following from any individual working with their organization in the role of

Faculty Advisor:

• Flexibility, accessibility, and adaptability
• A timely response to questions and inquiries
• An ability to connect your organization with appropriate resources, which may include but is not limited to regional resources, professional networks, shadowing and research opportunities
• Familiarity with components of the student organization including their constitution, student leadership and events

Budget

• All organizations will receive a base allocation of $250 for the year (GWU fiscal year runs from July 1st to June 30th)
• All reimbursements must be requested through this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPM-70KxNYw3dGYc1m5Apj04f3tFna13_0lEHEC-cV0oqCPw/viewform?usp=sf_link
• To ensure a smooth reimbursement process:
  • Complete the reimbursement request form within two weeks of the purchase
  • Set up a Concur Profile
  • Go to ibuy.gwu.edu and select iBuy+ Concur Portal
    2.Log in using your GWID credentials
    3. Select Profile, then Profile Settings
    4. Select Expense Delegates, Click Add, Search the following names and add them all as delegates. *Please be careful to choose the correct name!
    • Ruth Mogus
    • Tamilore Ikomi
    • Sophia Kerr
    • Lauren Parra
    • Alanna Gauto-Kennedy
    • Korsal Lim
    • Jiaye Fang
    • Mitali Thepade
  • 5. Check boxes "Can Prepare", "Can Submit Reports", "Can View Receipts", and "Receive Emails" and Save
  • 6. To Add/Update banking info, select Expense Settings**
  • 7. Click Bank Information, complete form and Save**
     
• Additional funding for specific events can be requested through completion of the co-sponsoring request from found here: https://studentcouncil.smhs.gwu.edu/co-sponsorships

Questions?

Please contact mcsc@gwu.edu and cc ospe@gwu.edu

Funding

How much funding is allocated?

Each organization is allocated $250 per year.
 

Does funding roll over?

No, funding does not roll over from year to year. 

When does the funding year begin?

The funding year follows the GW fiscal year which begins July 1 and runs through June 30 each year.

How can my organization keep track of our budget for the year?

Each organization is responsible for managing their $250 allotment. We encourage organizations to utilize the budget tracker, found here, as a tool to assist with this process.

My organization has money to deposit into our account. How can we do this? 

All money collected must be submitted to MCSC Finance Chair in the form of a check. Alternative methods may be possible if needed, please reach out to MCSC and OSPE for more details. 
 

Reimbursements

How can I get reimbursed?

All reimbursements require an itemized receipt and proof of the event occurring, such as a flyer or email. Please fill out the student organization reimbursement form (found under the Budget section here) and set up a Concur profile with all the correct delegates included within two weeks. 

How long does it take to get reimbursed?

It can take up to 3 months to receive reimbursement. Please be sure the person who will be reimbursed has direct deposit set up; otherwise, a check will be mailed to the address listed on their Banweb account (which may not be their current address). 

Are there any general guidelines for reimbursements to be aware of?

• Most importantly, all receipts submitted must be itemized.
• The person being reimbursed must be the person who paid. 
• All requests must be submitted within 15 days. 
• For a food reimbursement to be processed, you must upload a list of attendees for the event, as well as proof of the event occurring (such as a flyer, social media post, or email). 
• To be reimbursed for a tip written on a receipt, you must also upload a screenshot of the line on your bank statement proving you paid the amount equal to that tip and the cost of purchase.
• Gift cards, flowers, alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and contract payments (such as speaker fees, a DJ, etc) cannot be reimbursed. 
  
   

Registering or Renewing an Organization

How do I register or renew a student organization?

• Please refer to the Student Organization website. All organizations must watch an enrollment video and complete a registration form, which can be found online. All organizations must have a constitution; please refer to the website for guidelines and requirements for the constitution.
• The deadlines for registering an organization each semester can also be found on this website.
   

I see that as part of the registration/renewal process, I have to upload a proof of my faculty advisor’s commitment to supervise my student organization for this academic year (2024-2025). What are some of the expectations of faculty advisors?
 

Please see the SMHS Faculty Advisor Expectations for more information. 

How can my organization reserve a room?

To reserve a room in Ross Hall or the Watergate for an event or meeting, please visit the classroom services page located in Academic Scheduling. 

Resources and Contacts

What is GW Engage?

GW Engage is a university platform designed for student organizations where organizations can create rosters, post forms, and share events. We encourage student organizations to utilize GW Engage, as it’s an easy and high-impact way to share events with the campus community. If you would like more training on the functionality of this platform, please email OSPE. 

The Student Organization Handbook (last updated 8/2023) is a helpful and comprehensive resource for any GWU student organization.

Please see here for a complete list of MCSC officers.

For additional questions, please contact mcsc@gwu.edu and cc ospe@gwu.edu.