Advisor Responsibilities

While not contained within a specific KU Medical Center policy, the following describes the responsibilities of an advisor to a registered student organization.

• Attend house and executive meetings.
• Offer guidance and support.
• Serve as a reference source regarding university policy and procedures.
• Be familiar with the by-laws and the constitution of the organization.
• Be familiar with Parliamentary Procedure (if necessary for business meetings).
• Attend activities and programs sponsored by the student organization.
• Provide approval when necessary (i.e. for fundraising requests).
• Understand budget and financial commitments.
• Help establish goals at the beginning of the academic year.

The advisor should request a meeting at the beginning of the year to discuss his/her role within the group. Both group members and the advisor should freely express their opinions to formulate a position description for the advisor. The position description will likely change from year to year, depending on the personalities and leadership skills of the group.  

Advisors seeking more information about their role might consider consulting the book "Advising Student Groups and Organizations" by Norbert Dunkel and John Schuh.