This document provides guidance for faculty advisors of student organizations at Oregon State University. It outlines the facilitator model approach taken by the university, which views advisors as facilitators who work in partnership with students. As facilitators, advisors are responsible for ensuring organizations receive proper advising, direction, control, access to resources, and risk management training while allowing students autonomy. The goal is to find a balance between guidance and independence that supports student learning and falls within established legal and policy boundaries.

1. An online training module
Sponsored
Student Organizations:
Faculty Advisor Guide

2. Sponsored Student Organizations: Faculty Advising
Information Expectations Rules Resources
The purpose of this module is to provide you with information that is
critical to your success as an advisor and
to the success of your student organization.

3. Information
Oregon State University recognizes that sponsored student organizations are inherently linked to
the University because of their role in enhancing education, representing OSU, and/or presenting
events that are considered an integral part of the institution. In order to best support the learning
of student leaders in our community, we have adopted a philosophical approach of partnership
and collaboration with individual students and student organizations as “facilitators” in the
involvement experience. As “facilitators,” faculty advisors work with administrators, faculty, and staff to
support student organization members and leaders in making intelligent, fair, and reasonable
choices within the boundaries established by state, federal, and local laws, university rules/policies,
and the mission of the sponsoring unit. At Oregon State University, the Faculty Advisor is defined as
“faculty, staff, or personnel responsible for maintaining relationship with a sponsored student
organization that allows for education and development as well as administration of data collection and
University policies, procedures, and guidelines” and serves as
the primary “facilitator” to Sponsored Student Organizations.

4. Student Organization Philosophy
Student organizations provide living laboratories in which leadership skills are gained and honed. They give
students an opportunity to pursue their interests, to succeed, to fail, and most importantly, to grow.
Classrooms don’t always provide the opportunity for responsible and accountable involvement that
engagement with student organizations provides. Leadership is not merely a collection of skills; leaders must
forge their style through experiences that allow them to build and apply organizational and individual
capacities for the public good. Student organizations are one of the few opportunities students have to gain
hands-on experience while working towards the public good.
Oregon State University recognizes the contributions of Student Organizations in creating a compelling
learning environment that prepares students to live in a multicultural society and work in a global
community. The University recognizes that all students should have access to form and join organizations of
their own choosing to enhance their educational experience, support holistic personal development and
retention.
In order to facilitate the development of these opportunities for involvement, the following values serve as a compass in determining the
classification and support for student organizations at OSU.
• Alignment - As advisors, administrators, educators, students, and student organizations, we are aligned with the core mission and values of
Oregon State University.
• Access - We believe that a student’s ability to form and join organizations of their own choosing is a high priority. As a result, we are committed
to having clear, visible, and student- friendly resources and processes that facilitate easy access. This is inclusive of, but not limited to: a
mentoring relationship, advising, assistance with recruitment, and access to meeting and activity space.
• Engagement - We recognize the value of co-curricular and academic involvement throughout the student experience and are dedicated to
facilitating partnerships with students that support shared accountability, responsibility, and learning. Through engagement with student
organizations, students develop leadership and organizational skills which enhance knowledge, holistic growth, community development, and
student retention.
• Health & Community - We support clubs and organizations that enhance our community by providing opportunities for leadership, learning,
diversity, and social responsibility. The health of the community will be one of purposeful, open, safe, just, and celebrative outcomes that allow
students and the campus to flourish in meeting institutional goals.

5. 50 Years of University Student
Relationships
1950 – In Loco Parentis
Faculty Advisor’s Duty of Care 1960-70’s – Civil Rights Era
As an advisor you assume these duties of care, and these duties 1980-2010 – Bystander Era
include:
2010 – Duty Era
1. Training – it is important that you know and understand what kind
The University has a duty to care
of knowledge, skills, and abilities are needed for the students to be for the well-being of its students,
successful in their endeavors, as well as play a role in identifying and the students have a duty to
who is the most qualified person or persons to provide this training. care for themselves. The
2. Risk Management – this does not mean that you are expected to University and the students share
Facilitator Model
have a crystal ball and know every possible situation that may arise; the responsibility for the actions
however, you will be expected to provide reasonable care and of the students and their campus
guidance regarding any foreseeable risk. This includes training on
organizations.
completion of risk management plans for activities, etc.
3. Advising, Direction, and Control – identification of the most
appropriate person to advise, direct, or control the organization’s
activities. It is not expected that, as the faculty advisor, you attend “The facilitator model adapts
all organization meetings, activities, etc. However, you do have the business law to the unique
responsibility for knowing that the proper advising and direction and university community and to
each college uniquely” (Bickel
control of actives is being provided by qualified individuals. and Lake 1999: Rights and
4. Equipment, Facilities, and Finances – resource access by student Responsibilities of a Modern
organizations are governed by laws, statutes, policies, and University).
procedures. Faculty advisors are responsible for identification of
and engagement with all of these to ensure that students can meet
or exceed the University Standard of Care.

6. Guiding Boundaries:
• Mission and values of the
Duty Era – Finding Balance •
University and Sponsoring Unit
University and student rules
• Local, state, and federal laws
The facilitator university model is a philosophical • University Standard of Care and
Procedures
approach to working with students in the Duty Era.
• Organization governing
While the university has the responsibility of documents
ensuring that students are prepared and capable of • Administrative documents from
making fair, intelligent, and reasonable decisions,
Facilitator Model
affiliated local or national
the students also assume responsibility for their organizations
actions and decisions.
A facilitator university seeks shared responsibility, “ The vision of the facilitator university
model illustrates what is reasonable
and the goal for advisors is to find a balance and positive in the relationships among
students, universities and the legal
between directly guiding the organization and system… A legal paradigm that asks
colleges to exercise reasonable
allowing students to guide the organization care…and asks students to be
accountable… is fair, balanced and
themselves. Facilitation of student organizations also safer, and contributes to a sense of
community” (Bickel and Lake 1999:
implies an appropriate and reasonable degree of Rights and Responsibilities of a Modern
University).
risk. We want our students to take risks and try new
things, provided that they do so within the guiding
boundaries.