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Resource:How to create a cross-cutting student organization

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KCVelaga moved page How to create a cross-cutting student organization to Resource:How to create a cross-cutting student organization

However, you need to be careful. Someone that can be commonly seen in the student body is the 'resume builder.' These are the students who see leadership positions as little more than an opportunity to utilize the name of the group to invest in their future. Their past is filled with leadership experiences, but none of them probably lasted more than a semester. They are always looking for something new and exciting, but when it comes down to getting work done in the long run, they will be off to something new. They may feign interest in your mission to begin with, but somewhere down the line that interest will fade and they will walk away. When interviewing a potential leader, go in-depth about their experiences. Look for leadership opportunities that proved difficult over a long period of time. An experience that lasted over a year but was a failure can be much more valuable than that that lasted only a month or two but was a great success.

Although running into resume builders can be a discouraging experience, Atin Mitra provided an important insight on the matter. In his experience, although some resume builders do wind up leaving after a short while and moving on to newer things, others wind up staying after finding a passion in the group at hand. Perhaps a resume building student is simply looking for the best fit for him/her, and when it comes to student innovation, that's about as new and exciting as things get.

== Make sure they align with your mission ==

= Finding the right members to move you forward =

After a group's leadership team, its members will take it from just a startup to a thriving organization with the ability to influence I&E change all across your institution. Cross-cutting student groups need to focus on finding students with diverse backgrounds and many connections to other students, faculty, and community entities across different diciplines. Here are some techniques to get your student group noticed, and rope in the members to take it to the next level.~~ ~~

== The cold-calling method ==

When it comes to hosting networking or social events to try and attract members, there has to be something to draw the crowd. Have the meeting in a central location at a time when most people would be able to attend. Have at the least some food, but get creative. Your event doesn't even have to have anything to do with your group's mission, because sometimes the best informational meetings aren't even informational at all. For example, have a game of pickup soccer or ultimate frisbee in the park, and encourage people who pass to join in. Eventually introduce your group and your group's purpose. By showing how inclusive and cohesive your group is, students will be much more interested in joining.

For instance, Atin's group ''The Academy ''hosted what they fondly called 'Innovation Fridays,' a creative think tank session that brought the likes of all kinds of inter-diciplinary majors and personalities. They would use their central creative laboratory to house the event, and always provided food or goodies to fuel the minds of the masses.

= Creating and solidifying faculty relationships =

If the students in your group are the fuel for your mission, the faculty is the engine. They are the people you need to pull together to actual become a change catalyst in your institution. They have the funding, connections, and experience to create change in your members, other faculty within the university, and beyond in the community. To start, focus your attention on a single faculty member that can provide the know-how for your first few months of becoming a student group. Look for a professor that you already have a relationship with, or a faculty member that has assisted with the establishment of student groups before. Also, make sure that they align with the mission of your I&E student group. Perhaps they are a part of an office within the school that has a similar mission, or are a professor that specializes in student entrepreneurship or engourages innovation.

From there you can use the relationships that that faculty member has, and the involvement of your group members to further the cause of your group. Because you have focused your efforts on creating a cross-cutting, diversified student group, connecting and influencing faculty across different institutions or fields of study should be relatively simple. Start with professors and work your way up to deans and department heads.

= Focusing on funding =

Atin provided some great advice when it comes to funding. He speculated that the money will always come if the students are ready for it. If you are unable to obtain adequite funding from the current resources and relationships that you have, maybe you aren't ready for that ammount of funding. Focus on spreading your network of faculty and students. Break down barriers, and bring people together. If you just do that, the money will come.

= Use 'Innovation,' not 'Entrepreneurship' =

When approaching anyone with the concept of I&E right out of the gate, use the concept of innovation rather than entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship lends itself mainly to students in business or engineering curricula, where as the idea of innovation can be more easily explored by students in all fields of study. In order to attract students from a variety of disciplines, it is vital to stress the idea of innovation rather than entrepreneurship. When someone thinks of an “entrepreneur”, they think of technological advances or big business ventures. Innovation can take place with any idea, large or small, in any discipline. For example, a student in the arts and humanities college may not think of themselves of having an “entrepreneurial” spirit, but when asked to simply come up with some innovation, will be able to find something of interest to them to focus on. Above all, make sure that all efforts to innovate are met with positive reinforcement. We need more people like you out there

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