Pillars of the Forty Acres - Frequently Asked Questions

The student organization can invite a any UT academic or administrative department or even a faculty/staff person to its organization meeting to present on a topic that this not related to the organization's mission. Organizations are encouraged to think outside the box. This can be used as an opportunity for organization members to learn about a new topic, a campus resource or even interesting research being conducted by a professor. Additional requirements for this criterion:

• Event must be submitted and listed on HornsLink (review the HornsLink Event Submission Tutorial) at least seven days business days BEFORE the scheduled presentation. Retroactively adding an event to HornsLink after the presentation has passed will not count.
• Attendance must be tracked using the participant tracking feature in HornsLink. All members must be listed in the organizations HornsLink roster.
• An event consultation is notrequired to complete this criterion.

The student organization is required to host an on-campus or virtual awareness rally about a topic that is important to the organization (social justice, environmental justice, health or disease awareness, etc.). See below for requirements.

• The event must take place by the Pillars deadline.
• Event must be listed in HornsLink review the HornsLink Event Submission Tutorial) at least seven business days BEFORE the scheduled event. Retroactively adding an event to HornsLink after the event has passed will not count.
• Awareness Rally on Campus: No matter the location (indoors or outdoors) an event consultation with Student Activities must be completed at least 14 days before the planned event. This may mean that you have to complete multiple consultations in advance of the event. Please use our Bookings page to schedule a meeting with a staff member on Microsoft Teams.
• Virtual Rally: Virtual events do not require a consultation but Student Activities is happy to discuss your event. See our Virtual Event Planning guide for general tips and best practices.

Student organization leaders are encouraged to think critically on how their organization can support and encourage the academic success of its members. The plan could include events, activities such as study halls, recognition of individual and group success, and utilization of campus resources that promote academic success such as workshops, guest speakers, and tutors. Student organization leaders are also encouraged to think outside the box on how other activities conducted by the organization may contribute to academic success of members.

Student Activities hosts a number of workshops for student organization advisors throughout each semester. To learn more about available workshops, advisors can visit http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sa/wkspstraining.php and scroll to the bottom.

Advisor must meet requirements in Sec. 6-101 17 and/or 19 of the Institutional Rules AND be listed in the organization's HornsLink  roster as a 'University Adviser

Student organization leaders are encouraged to discuss amongst each other and think critically about the goals that they have for their organizations. Leaders are encouraged to view the Goal Setting guide and adopt SMART Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Other aspects to consider include:

• Are the goals meaningful?
• Are there clear actions steps for each goal?
• Do the goals provide a challenge and opportunity for growth for all members?
• Is there a recognition system in place for when goals are met?

Become HornsLink official by completing the following tasks to boost your organizations profile.

• Roster Update - Update student organizations official HornsLink roster with at least 75% of your active membership. Please note, active members must have a HornsLink profile to join a student organizations roster. It is recommended that active members request to "join" the student organization and an officer approve their request in the "pending" section of the student organizations HornsLink roster.
• Create an Event: Create an event for your organization in HornsLink (review the HornsLink Event Submission Tutorial). It can be a virtual event open to the UT community, a general body meeting or an information session.
• Update Profile Photo – Add a profile photo to your organizations page.
• Add Group Photos – Add at least two new photos of members to the organizations photo gallery.
• Publish a Public News Article – Utilize the News tool to publish a public news article highlighting your organization (I.e. outstanding members, initiatives, achievements etc.).

Student organization leaders are encouraged to think critically about their officer transition process to ensure that leadership transition is a smooth and efficient process. Student leaders should refer to the online Officer Transition Module for guidance on creating and implementing an officer transition program on how their organization can help develop and train future leaders of their organization while supporting the success and sustainability of the organization.

The advisor meeting is a 30-minute one-on-one virtual session between the UT faculty or staff advisor off the student organization and a Student Activities staff member. Advisors are encouraged to reflect on their experience and come prepared to discuss the benefits, challenges and resources to better support them in their role. Advisors can use our Bookings page to schedule a meeting with a staff member.

Advisor must meet requirements in Sec. 6-101 17 and/or 19 of the Institutional Rules AND be listed in the organization's HornsLink  roster as a 'University Adviser.

Note: Sorority and Fraternity Life organizations should have their chapter advisor contact their Sorority and Fraternity Life staff advisor to complete a consultation.

The purpose of hosting an Alumni Event is to 1) recognize and honor several alumni of the student organization and 2) provide an opportunity for new and current members to network with alumni in attendance. The structure of the event is up to each student organization but it should be purposeful and at least one (1) alumnus should be in attendance and recognized. Inviting alumni to a general body meeting or to an event already scheduled by the organization will not fulfil the needs of the requirement. Keep the following in mind as you plan your alumni event:

• Whether in-person or virtual, the event must take place by the Pillars deadline.
• Event must be listed in HornsLink (review the HornsLink Event Submission Tutorial) at least seven days BEFORE themscheduled event. Retroactively adding an event to HornsLink after the event has passed will not count.
• An officer must complete an event consultation BEFORE the event takes place.
• For in-person campus events, follow guidelines as outlined on the Student Activities Event Planning Resources page.
• For virtual events, view our Virtual Event Planning guide for general tips and best practices.

Student organization leaders are encouraged to think critically on how their organization supports its new members. The plan should include ongoing education and cover topics including but not limited to:

• Learning about the history and values of the organization
• Developing relationships amongst new members
• Developing relationships between new and current members
• Include a system to evaluate the New Member Education program
• Learning about campus resources that are beneficial to students
• Ongoing education about important topics related to the organization

Note: Sorority and Fraternity Life organizations may contact their Sorority and Fraternity Life staff advisor to complete a consultation.

The student organization is required to host a virtual or campus event that is open to all students and promote it on HornsLink. Keep the following in mind as you plan your on-campus event:

• The event must take place by the Pillars deadline.
• Campus Events: In-person campus events must follow the guidelines and complete an event consultation in advance of the event date as outlined on the Event Planning Resources page. Only event consultations with Student Activities staff members will count for Pillars credit.
• Virtual Events: Virtual events do not require a consultation but Student Activities is happy to discuss your event. . See our Tips for Virtual Event Planning guide for general tips and best practices.
• Events can be open to the UT Community or limited to the student organization members/closed to the public (i.e. ticketed).
• Campus or Virtual Event must be listed in HornsLink (review the HornsLink Event Submission Tutorial) at least seven days in advance.

Student organizations are encouraged to think critically about risk management for the organization and its programs. No matter how big an event or how small an activity, risk (or an undesirable outcome) will be present at some level. The plan should outline efforts to reduce individual liability and ensure a fun, safe environment for participants. Some types of risk to consider include but are not limited to:

• Physical Risk - involve harm or injuries to the physical body.
• Financial Risk - involve both the budget for the specific event and the overall financial health of the student organization.
• Reputational Risk - apply to the reputation of the individual officers and members present, the reputation of the student organization, and the reputation of the university as a whole.
• Emotional Risk - pertain to the thoughts and feelings of the organization's members, participants or attendees, and any other constituents of the event or activity.
• Facilities Risk - include both the safety of the facilities used for your members/participants and the maintenance of the facilities used by your members/participants.

Note: Sorority and Fraternity Life organizations may contact their Sorority and Fraternity Life staff advisor to complete a consultation.

Student organizations are encouraged to think critically about the use of social media and research best practices in the creation of their guidelines. Guidelines should outline the policies, goals, and purposes regarding student organization owned social media only. Questions and/or topics to address could include but are not limited to:

• What platforms does the organization utilize? Why?
• What are the goals of each platform (internal communication, recruiting, promote the organization and its events etc.)? Leaders are encouraged to view the Goal Setting guide.
• How does the organization measure the success of the platforms/achievement of goals?
• Who has access to the organization's social media?
• Is there a written policy for guiding its use? Is it listed in the organization's constitution?