The OSPLD staff welcomes all faculty/staff advisors. You were selected by your student leaders to serve them and the organization as a mentor and guide. This is a great honor and an experience we hope that you will enjoy. OSPLD staff and the University appreciate the work you do to support student leadership on campus and are available to you throughout the year. This website was designed to assist you in your role. It is currently in development and new resources will continue to be added throughout the year, so please check back. The Advisor Guide currently includes:

Overview of Faculty/Staff Advisor Roles & Responsibilities
Advisor Orientation
Advisor Support

Overview of Faculty/Staff Advisor Roles & Responsibilities

The faculty/staff advisor is selected by the student organization. This individual serves as an integral component in establishing a partnership and building a positive relationship with the student organizations at San Francisco State University.

The role of an advisor varies, but it is always an important one. The advisor is a non-voting member and serves in an advisory role. The scope of the student organization’s activities, the effectiveness of officers, the time commitments of the advisor and several other factors determine the level of involvement the advisor will have with the student organization. There may be some concerns regarding liability and your role as the advisor to a student organization. As an advisor and employee, one is not to act outside of the scope of his/her employment. At no time should actions occur that would be considered as behavior that is inconsistent with your role as an official representative of the university. While the influence of the advisor is necessary and valuable, they are not responsible for the actions of the individual members or the organization as a whole.

Considering their expertise and experience, the faculty/staff advisor can often provide significant insights regarding student organization issues. For example, goal setting, program ideas, conflict resolution, feedback, continuity and student organization advocacy. Their most important contribution is advising about organizational and interpersonal effectiveness, communication, and personal growth. It is through the aid of the advisors that individual students develop their true potential as leaders.

The advisor should assist the student organization to adhere to all University policies, as well as federal and state law. Furthermore, the student officers are to know where policies are listed, what the policies are, why they exist, and the channels to be followed for changes, revisions or exceptions. Student organization programming/events may require liability insurance, safety and security cost for event planning. The policies are listed in the Student Organization Handbook, which can be found on the office website, http://www.sfsu.edu/~ospld. The Office of Student Programs & Leadership Development is the designee who can respond to questions concerning the interpretation or application of policies and regulations.

Advisor Orientation

Faculty/staff advisors are required by CSU policy to complete a mandatory orientation. Until the advisor completes the orientation, the student organization will not be recognized/registered. IN order to best accommodate your schedule and provide information throughout the year, OSPLD has developed an online orientation for all faculty/staff advisors. Please Click here to download the Advisors Orientation.

Advisor Support

OSPLD and the University are grateful for the work faculty/staff advisors do for student organizations at SFSU. The faculty/staff advisor is encouraged to contact the Office of Student Programs & Leadership Development (OSPLD) with any questions or concerns (Click here). OSPLD is happy to assist any way possible.