Changes

<span style="font-size:15px; font-family:Arial; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">First, it’s important to understand who you are as a student or student group - what are your goals? Vision for the future? What’s your “brand”? Do some soul-searching on this, because it’s important that you can effectively communicate to others who you are, why you’re an important part of campus, and why you are the appropriate voice for whatever you’re representing.</span><br/> <span style="font-size:15px; font-family:Arial; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">Second, you have to brainstorm a strategy on what you want to get out of your interaction. Do your due diligence on this - is what you want to do, create, whatever, an actual need on campus? Conduct student interviews, faculty interviews, landscape canvas of current available resources, etc. You will always have to prove that there’s a need for something - that students want this stuff at your school. If you have a collection of students who said we wish we had X, Y, Z, and we want it this way, that is much more powerful than outlining a vague concept or vision. The advisory boards are going to ask who you talked to, why did they want this, etc. So, be prepared with your stats and facts.</span>

<span style="font-size:15px; font-family:Arial; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">These boards often only meet once or twice </span><span style="font-size:15px; font-family:Arial; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:normal; font-style:italic; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">a year</span><span style="font-size:15px; font-family:Arial; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">--that means that you have to hustle to get on the schedule. Understand that all groups at the top work very slowly – thus, time in front of them is very limited. You have to fight for the time. Communicate that we want this, other schools are doing this, we’ve interviewed X number of people, there’s very strong need on campus for this. etc. Show your passion and that will get others more excited.</span> <br/><span style="font-size:15px; font-family:Arial; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">Work with the people that you’ve built relationships with on campus and ask, “Is there any time on the itinerary or time on the agenda for me to come to the meeting and speak?” Remember, the university administration wants to present the board with students, because students often make the most compelling cases for increased involvement or funding. Everyone on that board was a student once. However, the university administration also does not want to waste the board’s time, which is why you have to show why you deserve the board’s limited time. Come prepared with your ask to get on the schedule.</span>

<span style="font-size:15px; font-family:Arial; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">You’ll probably run into a few obstacles along the way - it’s not usually as easy as putting together a PowerPoint, asking to speak to the board, getting money and doing your initiative. If you do acquire funds for your initiative, you must realize that it isn’t the same as simply swiping a credit card to get the materials that you want. &nbsp;Often times the method of payment is in the form of p-card purchases and reimbursements which can take a few weeks to go through so make sure you plan ahead in your entrepreneurial endeavors. For example, there are very specific regulations over how money can be distributed and spent within a university system. Where the money is coming from (state or private), where it is going (student group, foundation, department), what particular stipulations are attached to it (all funds must go toward training either monkeys or pigs), how much money you are spending at a time, and a number of other factors affect how you can actually spend that $2 million you just received from the state board of trustees.</span> <br/><span style="font-size:15px; font-family:Arial; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">University bureaucracy is also a big obstacle students may face. Remember, things at the top move slowly. Like, very slowly. There are some ways to try to mitigate this - know who key influencers are at the university and use them to help you move things along a bit. Know your timelines for cutting checks, distributing funds, etc. because these things take time to get approval and go through the system. Most importantly, don’t be frustrated by what you see as lack of progress - good things take time!</span>