RSO Operations

GetInvolvedUC is your online community to discover campus events and join Registered Student Organizations!

Current and prospective students, faculty, and staff can browse GetInvolvedUC to discover campus events and Registered Student Organizations that appeal to a wide variety of interests. 

Registered Student Organization leaders, colleges, departments, offices, and programs can use GetInvolvedUC to manage forms, event marketing, attendance, finances, and more.  

Any UC student, staff, or faculty member can access GetInvolvedUC by going to getinvolved.uc.edu and logging in with your UC username and password. Once you login, you are able to view all of the events and organizations available by navigating to either the events or the organizations page and browsing or using the search bar.  

Registered Student Organization leaders, faculty, or staff can manage their page by navigating to the manage view on their specific page. From that view, you can create and manage events, track attendance, create and manage forms, write news articles, make finance requests, and more.  

For more information on how to use GetInvolvedUC visit the Anthology Help Website.  

RSOs may request a Microsoft Teams or SharePoint page for their organization. To do so, advisors can submit a UCIT Ticket.

RSO presidents may submit a request to change their RSO’s name by filling out the Organization Name Change Form on GetInvolvedUC. This name change must also be approved by the RSO’s advisor and the appropriate administrative unit. 

An RSO event is defined as any activity or gathering that can be reasonably associated with an RSO by one or more of the following: 

• a significant number of attendees are members of an RSO;
• the event, activity, gathering is held at a location reserved for, owned by, rented by, or otherwise associated with an RSO;
• promotional material associates the event, activity, or gathering with a specific RSO; or 
• the activities can be reasonably associated with a particular RSO.

RSOs hosting events on campus must review and comply with all policies set forth in the Use of Facilities Manual.

Due to the high level of risk, RSOs are prohibited from hosting or participating in the following events (this list is non-exhaustive and may be updated at any time):

• Foam Parties
• Humans vs. Zombies (or similar activities)
• Food Eating Contests
• Temporary Pools
• Slip and Slides
• Jail-n-Bail
• Date Auctions
• Fighting or Contact Sports not central to the mission of an RSO

RSOs must submit all of their events and meetings on GetInvolvedUC. The event submission process guides RSOs through event planning and can be used as a helpful marketing tool. Neither the University nor the Center for Student Involvement approve RSO events. However, the Center for Student Involvement staff can provide support to student leaders about mitigating risk and hosting successful events. For more information about event submission, please see Creating a New Event in your Organization on the Anthology website.

Before any event can take place, you must schedule your event with the appropriate scheduler on campus. Only officers or advisors of an RSO are permitted to request space.  For more information on requesting space, visit the Conference & Event Services website. 

RSOs may borrow a table when the Center for Student Involvement is open (9-4pm, Monday-Friday) on a first come, first served basis for tabling on Main Street and other public campus areas.

While planning, it is recommended that RSOs think about how to make the event accessible to everyone on campus, regardless of ability. RSOs are encouraged to contact Accessibility Resources if they have any questions about how to accommodate students with disabilities.

The University has a CARE (Crisis, Assessment, Referral, Evaluation) Team that responds to reports about students whose behavior is raising concerns within the University community. You can learn more about the CARE team on the CARE website.

If you are concerned about a member of your organization, the University has many resources.

• Counseling and Psychological Services
• Student of Concern Form

All RSOs must anticipate, provide for, and meet promptly their financial obligations. RSOs are subject to financial review or audit at any time.     

The following requirements must be met by all RSOs to qualify for funding from the University of Cincinnati: 

• All RSOs must complete the RESET process each school year. 
• President and Treasurer must attend an RSO 101 Workshop (re-registering RSOs only). 
• RSOs must request reimbursement within 15 business days from the date of the initial purchase, or after returning from the trip where the initial purchase occurred.  Reimbursements will not be made after the 15-day period. 

RSOs may be eligible to receive funding from other University sources.  RSOs should consult those funding sources for additional information. 

University Funding Board (“UFB”) provides approved funds to RSOs hosting events on or near campus, traveling to conferences, or purchasing items essential to the RSO.  To be eligible for UFB funding, RSOs must complete the annual RESET process, complete RSO 101 training, be primarily undergraduate, and in good standing. RSOs that receive regular funding from any other portion of the general fee are not eligible for funding. For more information, view the UFB Funding Handbook or visit the UFB GetInvolvedUC page. 

Certain types of RSOs, including competitive organizations and student government, receive funding annually or semesterly. These groups request funding for the next academic year through a budget request and are allocated a portion of general fee money to be spent over the year. 

Fundraising events can be a great opportunity to increase the visibility of your RSO and encourage financial contributions. Information on the University of Cincinnati’s fundraising policies and fundraising opportunities can be found in the Student Organization Fundraising Guide.

RSOs are eligible to collect dues associated with membership. Charging membership dues may make RSOs ineligible to receive funding from other sources, so be sure to review criteria of funding sources before making this important decision.

University of Cincinnati is exempt from paying sales tax within the state of Ohio. When making purchases using University of Cincinnati funding, the RSO  is responsible for providing their vendor with the UC Tax Exempt Form to have tax removed on items before purchase. 

Some purchases will need to go through the reimbursement process from specific locations, including but not limited to Dominos, Kroger, Walmart and Target will need to go through the reimbursement process. Purchases made with personal funds or off-campus bank accounts are not eligible for tax exemption utilizing the University's tax exempt status.

 More information on tax exemption can be found on the Office of the Treasurer website.

Depending on the type of purchase an RSO is making, there may be required forms and documentation to provide within a budget and/or purchase request.

Prior to traveling, an RSO must complete the Travel Authorization & Roster form.  This form must be submitted to the Center for Student Involvement before the expected travel date.  The RSO may not travel without approval from the Center for Student Involvement before departure. 

The RSO must provide an event flyer indicating food will be available OR provide a list of event attendees. 

RSOs hosting events that require payment be made to speakers, performers, or other non-University employees, must have the individual/entity complete the Limited Services Engagement Form.

• Anything in violation of University policies (alcohol, weapons, controlled substances, etc.).
• Items for personal use and items for non-University purposes.
• Payments to current University of Cincinnati students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni that have graduated within the past 2 years.
• Payments to family of members of the RSO requesting funding.
• Goods and services, including software or hardware, requiring an agreement to be signed.
• Costs relating to fundraising (e.g., loans, bake sale supplies, etc.), including any item that will be sold at a fundraising event.
• Donations to charitable organizations.
• No rewards cards (e.g., Kroger Plus, Amazon Prime, hotel rewards programs, etc.) can be used with any purchases made using University money either directly or through reimbursement.
• Purchases and reimbursements through mobile payment systems (e.g., Venmo, PayPal).
• Gift cards 
• Any purchase not made in US dollars.

The Center for Student Involvement has full discretion to require any essential investment purchased by a RSO, utilizing University funding, be stored on campus or in another specified location. 

Treasurer is one of the required positions for all RSOs. A RSO treasurer is responsible for the following:

• Maintain financial records for the RSO;
• Maintain familiarity with the financial process of RSOs at the University of Cincinnati;
• Conduct all financial transactions on behalf of the RSO; 
• Prepare and monitor an annual budget for the RSO;
• Provide advisor and members of the RSO regular updates of the budget status (balance, expenditures, anticipated expenses, etc.); and 
• Collect RSO dues (if applicable).

The University of Cincinnati fiscal year runs from July 1st to June 30th. RSOs should plan a budget for the school year based on anticipated activities and travel. These documents should be updated regularly to plan for the upcoming year.  

When preparing your RSO’s budget, if applicable, you should review and record the last two or three years of actual financial data for each year. Keeping this historical information has a variety of benefits:

• It will allow you to cross-reference and estimate your anticipated budget based on previous expenses;
• You can adjust and modify your estimated expenses based on current information (i.e., more programming, less revenue, etc.);
• You can project a more accurate anticipated budget for the year;
• You can compare trends and identify any major expenses for your organization; 
• You can identify where cost savings may be possible; and 
• For new RSOs, starting this record keeping can provide more accurate financial data for future years and allow your organization continued growth.

Budgets are great tools that RSOs can utilize to help them grow. Budgets should be established annually and monitored at least monthly to ensure the RSO is within its spending means. By creating a budget your RSO will be able to: 

• Review any plans for events or programs based on monetary terms;
• Better allocate limited resources among all the RSO’s activities; and
• Track any revenue and actual expenditures against their goals and plans.

RSOs are eligible to open an off-campus bank account at an outside financial institution. This is especially important for RSOs that are fundraising or charging dues so that they can manage and track their money properly. The Center for Student Involvement recommends RSOs use PNC because of its relationship with the University and easy access to the on-campus branch.

RSOs wanting to open a bank account must apply for a Tax ID (EIN) Number through the IRS Employer ID Numbers webpage. To apply via mail, organizations should complete the SS-4 Form, and follow instructions on the IRS SS-4 Form Webpage. Applying for a Tax ID (EIN) Number is a free service offered by the IRS and you should not have to pay for it. For more information please review the RSO Tax FAQ document.  

The policies for RSO bank accounts are set forth in the Authorized Bank Accounts for Registered University Student Organizations: 4.3.1. RSOs must review this policy and comply with the requirements as set forth within.