Table of Contents INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 3 HOW TO BECOME A YFS RATIFIED CLUB............................................... 3 Benefits of Recognition.................................................................. 3 How to Register.................................................................................. 3 Club Renewal....................................................................................... 3 YFS CLUB FUNDING................................................................................ 4 CLUB RESOURCES................................................................................... 5 How to Book Space............................................................................. 5 How to Book Technology................................................................. 6 Applying for Office Space................................................................ 6 YFS Clubs Services............................................................................. 6 CLUB BEST PRACTICES........................................................................... 9 Club Bank Accounts.......................................................................... 9 How to Create a Budget................................................................... 9 Writing a Constitution.................................................................. 10 Club Structure................................................................................. 10 Elections............................................................................................. 10 Retaining Institutional Memory & Transitioning................ 11 Diversity & Inclusion...................................................................... 11 Anti-Oppression Training.............................................................. 12 EVENT PLANNING ................................................................................ 12 Catering & Food................................................................................ 14 Showing Movies................................................................................ 14 Parking for Guests.......................................................................... 14 Fundraising Ideas............................................................................ 15 Security Costs.................................................................................. 15 Meeting Facilitation........................................................................ 15 Preferred Vendor List.................................................................... 16 important contacts........................................................................ 16 Notes..................................................................................................... 18
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INTRODUCTION Clubs are at the very core of community life at York University. Collectively, they represent the variety of interests and ideas on campus through cultural, religious, academic, political, recreational, social and charitybased clubs. Those whom participate in clubs are active students who are engaged in, and care about the York Community. The York Federation of Students (YFS) plays an important role in enhancing and fostering the student experience by advocating for students’ rights, hosting a range of inclusive events to cater to the diverse student body, and offering cost-saving services in the form of anything from the YFS Health and Dental Plan to discounted movie passes and YFS Club Funding.
HOW TO BECOME A YFS RATIFIED CLUB Benefits of Recognition At York University, clubs may register with two different organizations for recognition as a club, the YFS and/ or Student Community and Leadership Development (SC&LD), and each have their own benefits for joining. As an SC&LD club, you may have access to booking space on
campus for events, the ability to post banners and posters, and to apply for office space on campus, other than the Student Centre. As a YFS Ratified Club, you will have access to several very important services, some of which are: event funding, a dedicated Clubs Services staff person, and access to free printing, photocopying and graphic designing. How to Register In order to register as a club with the YFS, you must fill out the Club Ratification Form available on the YFS website. Clubs must be open to all York students and must have a minimum of fifteen (15) members, a majority of which must be York students. Find the ratification form here: www.yfsclubs.ca/ratificationform/ Ratification forms are reviewed by the YFS Clubs Committee, which consists of club community members, YFS board and executive members. The Clubs Committee works collectively to review and grant (or decline) club ratification requests, in accordance with the Club Ratification Policy and YFS Bylaws, both of which can be found on the YFS website. Club Renewal Clubs who have already been ratified as a YFS club in the
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previous year, must only renew their status by filling out the Club Renewal Form found on the YFS website and submit a year-end financial statement, along with the election process and results for the incoming executives. Find the renewal form here: www.yfsclubs.ca/renewal-form
Base funding will only be available until the last day of classes in the Fall semester and in order to receive it, your club must apply through the YFS website.
allocated to events and due to financial protocols for Not-forProfit Corporations. If receipts are not submitted future-funding requests can be declined.
Find the base funding form here: www.yfsclubs.ca/ basefundingapplication
Emergency Relief Funding
Event Funding
YFS CLUB FUNDING Recognizing that the rising cost of post-secondary education hinders students’ abilities to financially support club events and initiatives on campus, the YFS offers clubs on campus different types of funding to accommodate their needs. The Clubs Committee reviews and grants (or declines) the three types of applications in accordance to the Club Funding Policy and YFS Bylaws. To ensure that all clubs do receive funding for their events we recommend that clubs submits funding forms at least a month in advance. Base Funding All YFS Ratified Clubs are eligible for, and guaranteed $100 in base funding Base funding is a resource for clubs to be used primarily for start-up expenses. Items eligible for funding including but not limited to: equipment, supplies, advertising and other operational expenses.
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All YFS Ratified Clubs are able to apply for a maximum of $800 through event funding, per event. It should be noted that event funding is not guaranteed. Find the event funding form here: www.yfsclubs.ca/ pre-eventfundingapplication Clubs approved for funding greater than $200 will be given the funding in two installments. Initially, clubs will receive 40% of the funding prior to the event. In order to receive the final 60% of the funding, a Post-Event Funding Application must be completed within 28 days of the event taking place. Upon submitting the application and receipts, clubs will receive the remaining 60% of funding. Find the post-event form here: www.yfsclubs.ca/ post-eventfundingapplication Clubs approved for funding under $200, will receive the full amount upfront. Receipts must be submitted to the YFS in order to ensure that funding is being
The YFS acknowledges that clubs may unexpectedly have taken a significant loss on an event, and offers relief funding to help clubs offset those unforeseen costs. The maximum amount of relief funding that can be given to clubs is $800. It can be applied for through the YFS website, and must include a letter to explain the situation. Each club may apply for relief funding only once per year. Find the relief funding form here: www.yfsclubs.ca/relieffunding
CLUB RESOURCES
University Space In order to book classrooms, lecture halls, outdoors and other university spaces, requests must be made by submitting a Temporary Use of University Space (TUUS) form. Applications should be submitted 10-15 business days in advance to ensure space is available. For larger events it is recommended to submit the application 15 days in advance. Find the space booking form here: http://tuus.info.yorku.ca/ files/2013/01/tuus.pdf Tabling If your club wishes to table, a tabling request form must be submitted though YU connect. Bookable spaces include, Vari Hall, Ross-Vari Link, Central Square, and the Upper and Lower Bear Pit.
Campus Resources
Student Centre
How to Book Space
The Student Centre also has bookable space and the only requirement to use these spaces is to be a student. Available spaces include bookable meeting/ boardrooms, tabling space in the colonnade, and applying for a club office.
In order to be allowed to book indoor, outdoor, tabling and academic space on campus (not including the Student Centre), clubs must register with SC&LD. This can be done by registering your organization through YU connect: http://yorku.collegiatelink.net/ organizations
Space can be booked through the Student Centre website, or in person in room 335. Tables are provided by the Student Centre,
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but require a $20 deposit.
outlined by each college.
Find the table booking form here: http://yusc.ca/student-groups/ tabling/
Prime space for clubs is in the Student Centre because of its high traffic and centrality on campus. Offices are allocated once a year, by the Student Centre, through an application process. Forms become available in February and clubs are notified by March. These spaces are usually approved for clubs that are very active on campus and contribute greatly to student life.
How to Book Technology If a club is booking a lecture hall or classroom and use of technology such as projectors, or microphones are needed, a Classroom Equipment Order form must be filled out and submitted to the ITC Office in 110 Central Square, but only once the Temporary Use of University Space Application has been approved. The ITC Office will then confirm the booking of equipment once it has been approved. Applying for Office Space Club offices are available in several buildings at York University and can be applied for through the various offices that offer space. For club offices in the various colleges (Complex 1 and Complex 2), you must contact the Master’s Office of the college in which you would like an office. There are both shared offices and single club offices depending on the building and allocation of space. If you are an affiliate club of a college, it is more likely that you will be able to get club space in the colleges. Office allocation is determined in the summer and is based on a variety of factors
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YFS Clubs Services Popcorn/Cotton Candy Machine You can rent both machines from the YFS, including free sugar, popcorn kernels and butter. Only one club may use either machine per day between 10:30am and 4:30pm. The machines are to be booked in advance, on a first come first served basis, accompanied by a $50 deposit. There are detailed guidelines on the YFS clubs website. Xbox One, PS4 and Projector This year the YFS has introduced a new rental service to better fit your needs as a club. Clubs can now rent out an Xbox One, PS4 or Projector Machine. Only one club may use either machine per day between 10:30am and 4:30pm. The machines are to be booked in advance, on a first come first served basis, accompanied by a $50 deposit. There are detailed guidelines on the YFS website.
Find machine rental forms here: www.yfsclubs.ca/rentals Printing & Photocopying Each club ratified by the YFS has access to $125 in free clubrelated printing and photocopying credits, which can be redeemed at the YFS Printing Centre in room 346 of the Student Centre. The credits can be used from the time the club is ratified (or has renewed) until August 31st of the following year. Please ensure all club printing adheres to the Club Ratification Policy. The Club Ratification Policy can be found here: http://www. yfsclubs.ca/ratificationform Any printing requests over 100 pages must be e-mailed at least two (2) working days before it is needed to clubs@yfs.ca. Ethical Club Swag The York Federation of Students is proud to offer swag as one of the many services available to YFS ratified clubs for free. We are continuing to strive to improve the swag process as well as tailor the items offered to you, so that we can get it just right. Our aim this year is to be able to offer our clubs the best prices and more variety for pulk-purchased items in a timely manner.
Clubs can order a maximum of $800 worth of swag through the YFS Club Swag Guide 2015/2016, fully covered by the YFS including taxes and set-up fees, If you wish to go over $800, you must pay the difference at the time of submission, via club cheque only. Liability Insurance Sometimes clubs will hold largescale events where there may be liabilities. In order for the university to feel assured that things will run smoothly; the YFS offers clubs access to liability insurance. This means that the club can be insured in case there are unforeseen damages or injury to a person, which can be a possibility when holding certain types of events. To acquire the insurance you can contact your Vice-President Operations at vpoperations@yfs. ca or your Clubs Services and Outreach Coordinator at clubs@ yfs.ca. Graphic Design The YFS believes it is important to promote community life, and one way to help clubs do that is by offering clubs graphic design services. The YFS graphic designer is available to assist in designing logos, event posters, banners, event tickets and much more to ensure clubs can have impactful messaging and communication to reach out to their members and the wider York Community. To
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request your work to be made you need to download the graphics design request form from the YFS website and submit it. To ensure you receive your design in a timely manner, you are required to submit your request at least 14 days in advance. Find the design request form here: www.yfsclubs.ca / graphicdesignrequest
Free Business Cards Enjoy 100 free full colour, 2-sided business cards for your club on us! If your club cannot create the design, keep in mind that our graphic designer can help! If you require design assistance by our graphic designer, please fill out a graphic design request form and submit to the YFS office 14 days in advance.
Free Banner Understanding that purchasing a club banner can be expensive, and that it is important for clubs to be able to advertise their club, the YFS offers this service free of charge. Each ratified YFS club is entitled to one free vinyl banner each year up to a maximum size of 3’ x 5’. If your club cannot create the design, our graphic designer can assist in the creation of a design. Please keep in mind that the file must be in either .ai or .pdf format, the file must be vectorized and have all fonts outlined with a border around the image.
Opportunities to Table at YFS Events At least a couple times during the year the YFS holds largescale events, such as York Fest Welcome Week, which provides opportunities for clubs to table and advertise their club or upcoming event to a wider audience than normal. These events typically attract lots of students, making outreach much more engaging and fruitful. Clubs will be notified of any tabling opportunities through your club e-mail.
A complete list of the YFS ratified clubs can be found here: www.yfsclubs.ca/clubdirectory YFS Staff Services The Clubs Services and Outreach Coordinator is a dedicated staff person who is the link between the YFS and clubs on campus. This staff resource person often assists clubs requesting banners, graphic design needs, assistance with navigating space booking procedures, swag orders and accessing other clubs services. The Student Rights and Support Services Coordinator is an important resource, not only for students in general, but for clubs as well. It is essential for students to be aware of their rights on campus and know who to go to for advice when facing red tape with the university.
CLUB BEST PRACTICES
Club Listing on the YFS Website If you require a banner to be created by our graphic designer, please set up a meeting with our Clubs Coordinator at clubs@yfs. ca to discuss how to go about doing so.
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Club Bank Accounts The YFS website averages about 20,000 hits per month, which means a lot of students are accessing the information there. Therefore, each year the YFS lists all of the ratified clubs and contact information on the website to help clubs get more exposure to students who may not know about the different communities on campus.
It is important for clubs to have a bank account in order to manage finances, and apply for YFS Club Funding. Club funding cheques are made out to the club, and not an individual person, therefore, there needs to be a collective bank account in order to take advantage of funding. Bank accounts can be opened at the
Bank of Montreal located in the York Lanes Mall by bank letter from either the YFS or SC&LD to prove to the bank that they have club status. Only two signing officers from a club can be authorized on the bank account. Find the bank letter form here: www.yfsclubs.ca/bankletterrequest How to Create a Budget The YFS currently provides a very basic template for clubs to begin writing a budget. In general, a budget must include two major sections: revenue and expenses. Revenue can consist of different things such as membership fees, external funding, donations collected, and funding from the YFS. Expenses are everything that money is spent on including events, supplies, food, et cetera. The YFS encourages clubs to uphold financial accountability and document all transactions. Not only is budgeting a fundamental skill that you will carry throughout life, it is beneficial for your club and executives down the line. Documenting income and expenditures will also provide institutional memory so that executives in the years to come will be able to see what types of events or initiatives were financially feasible and what the spending guidelines were.
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Writing a Constitution The YFS Club Ratification policy includes a very basic outline of a constitution. It includes a guide to explaining the name and purpose of the club, membership criteria, the roles and duties of executives, committees, meeting requirements, elections procedures, removal from office, and how to make amendments to the constitution. As this is simply a guideline, clubs are free to add sections to better suit their needs. It is best, however, to keep the constitution concise – simple and detailed, but easy to interpret. If it is too restrictive, it may hinder the club from actually functioning in a way that benefits the York community. Similarly, if it is too broad, it may give free reign for interpretations that move outside of what the club was originally mandated to represent.
Elections All clubs must have elections if they wish to be recognized by the YFS. The club’s constitution must indicate election timelines including nomination and campaigning periods as well as voting days. Elections must be held at least once a year. To have the most membership participation, it is suggested to have the elections before the end of the academic year. • All elections must have a CRO (Chief Returning Officer) supervising the electoral process. The CRO must be unbiased and must be approved by the club Board
Find the policy here: www.yfsclubs.ca/ratificationform
• At least one-week notice shall be given before the election
Club Structure
• Only registered club members are eligible to vote
Club membership must be open to all York students, and each club must be structured so that there is an executive team or board to make decisions on the day-to-day activities of the club. Executive roles may include a Chairperson/ President, Treasurer/ Vice President Finance, Secretary/ Vice President Internal, et cetera.
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Each club must have two signing officers who will be in charge of signing off on any final items such as expenses and will also be the ones who will have access to the bank account.
• Voting shall take place by secret ballot • Elections are to be open to all interested candidates that are members of the club • A nomination period should include all those interested in positions getting nomination
signature of eligible voters • The nomination period should be followed by a campaign period • A person shall be considered elected if s/he receives a majority vote cast by members of the club • A person shall be considered acclaimed if s/he runs unopposed during the election • In the case of a by-election, the above regulations must still be followed Retaining Institutional Memory It is suggested that meeting minutes are documented regularly and archived in order to keep the club memory ‘alive’. This means that incoming executives in the years to come would be able to look back at meeting notes to see what sorts of things were discussed and what types of decisions were made in terms of choosing events, contacting sponsors, et cetera. By keeping institutional memory, clubs can avoid ‘reinventing the wheel’ every year when less experienced executives and members come in. It would be good to keep both a hard copy and electronic copy of documents such as meeting notes, election reports, contact information for sponsors, invoices and receipts, et cetera.
Transitioning It is also a good idea to have some overlap between the outgoing and incoming executives, so that the previous leaders can help orient and train the new team. This can include passing on the information mentioned earlier and explaining the general practices of the club. Transitioning can also include things like teaching the new executive how to fill out different forms for space, funding, banners, etc, and explaining the difference between the various offices on campus that serve clubs.
Diversity & Inclusion First and foremost, the YFS encourages all events that are inclusive and contribute positively to community life at York. It is highly encouraged, when planning events, to keep in mind the various experiences and social locations of your fellow students and attendees. This means taking into consideration accessibility, language, food options, affordability and timing of events and more, to ensure that everyone can enjoy the various events on campus in a safe and inclusive space. It is generally understood that the nature of some events (i.e. pub nights), cater to a very specific audience and may not always adhere to this idea, however, it is
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still important to be as respectful and accommodating to all York students who wish to attend. Anti-Oppression Training The York Federation provides anti-oppression training as part of our commitment to combating discrimination and creating safer spaces on campus and in our communities. Anti-oppression training, and working under an anti-oppressive framework allows organizations to operate in a fair, equitable and accessible manner. Participants of the training engage in a dialogue about power, privilege and forms of oppression that exist in our society. This training equips club representatives with the skills to identify and combat inequality, inaccessibility and discrimination in order to best serve your members.
Event Planning
purchasing supplies, designing promotional materials, etc. As you get closer to the actual event, the more specific tasks will become evident, but it’s good to get a head start so you know what to expect. 2 Budgeting
Determine how much money you have for your events in general, and develop estimates for each event based on similar events from the past year. Decide whether your club will charge a fee to attend the event, whether there will be external sources for funding, or whether your event needs much funding at all. It is important to plan realistically so that your club is not in a deficit following an event. Events should be planned as efficient as possible. Efficiency in spending funds means that more clubs can access club funding and that your members may not have to pay as much to attend an event.
Five Steps to Organizing Events 3 Promotion 1 Making a Plan
YU Connect Place all of your events in a calendar from your first event to the last. Make sure to coordinate around exam dates and holidays, and plan your events at a variety of times during the day to accommodate students’ schedules. For each event, develop a list of tasks that need to be completed such as booking space,
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Through SC&LD, clubs can have their events advertised on the listserv, and their club and events promoted on YU Connect, an online community for student groups on campus. Through YU Connect you can apply for tabling, and promote your events. http://yuconnect.yorku.ca/
Banners Another important method of advertising is by hanging banners and putting up posters. In order to hang a banner, clubs must apply to SC&LD using the Banner Application on the TUUS website. Spaces reserved for hanging banners are located in Central Square and Vari Hall. Posters Putting up posters is one of the many ways to give your club event exposure on campus. A design that pops, along with a quick message, can at least make people stop and take a minute to read what’s on the poster. Key areas to poster include the colonnade, Ross Link, and Central Square. The colleges also have some high traffic areas where it may be worthwhile to poster. Leafleting & Talking to Students One of the most effective ways about getting the word out about an event is to talk to people, especially if you want new people to come out to your event. Face to face contact and a description can easily bring the details of your event from the leaflet to life. Colleges Colleges have the ability to advertise events through media screens in the complexes as well as through listservs. For this, contact the Master’s office for the
college in which you would like to advertise for more information. 4 “Day-of” Preparation
Check in the day before your event to see if there are any last minute tasks that need to be assigned. Make sure to identify one individual as the crisis person who will be called upon to deal with unexpected circumstances. During the event, it is important to be flexible and have regular communication as things change all the time. Remember that as chaotic as it may feel to the organizers of the event most people are having a great time. One of the details, which is often forgotten, is “teardown” but it is essential that there is a team present to help wrap things up after the event. 5 Evaluation
Hold a post-event meeting for organizers and volunteers to debrief and gain closure. Treat this as an opportunity to celebrate your hard work and to delegate post-event tasks. Evaluate the event by reviewing participation, facilitation, planning and outreach. Examine the strengths and weaknesses and compile your experiences into a final report which can be used to help improve future events.
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Catering & Food
Bake_Sale_Guidelines.pdf
On Campus
Barbeques & Fire Safety
On Campus catering is the easiest way to get approval for serving food at your event because these are trusted and already approved food providers on campus. A copy of the invoice must be sent to food services and SC&LD, who will also provide a 5% rebate.
If your club is planning to hold a barbeque on campus, there are certain safety precautions that must be followed, in addition to the previously mentioned items. An Application for Barbecue Permit must be submitted to the fire marshal at York. From there, the marshal will then either deny, approve or make suggestions on how to make your event adhere to fire safety codes. This application is submitted in addition to the Temporary Use of University Space application.
Off Campus Although it is almost always cheaper to bring in food from off campus, there is significantly more red tape involved. The university has a responsibility to ensure students’ safety on campus and require three things to be submitted to Food Services: a non-York catering form, Green Pass, and liability insurance (minimum $5 million). Bake Sales In order to have a bake sale on campus, clubs must read the Bake Sale Guidelines, and submit an application to SC&LD indicating the ingredients in the food items being sold. The ingredients must be advertised at the time of sale as well to ensure that students are aware and can avoid items that may trigger food allergies. This application is submitted in addition to the Tabling Application. Find the form here: www.yorku.ca/vpfa/documents/
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Find the form here: http://tuus.info.yorku.ca/ files/2013/01/bbq.pdf
have to do fundraising as a part of the mandate of the club. There are many creative ways to fundraise with very little start up costs. Some of these ideas include:
be hired at a rate of $58.50 per hour per security guard.
• Bake Sales; grocery stores offer gift certificates if approached which can then be used to buy ingredients for bake sales, which require very little effort.
Meeting Facilitation
• Pub Nights; clubs can lower costs by collaborating with other organizations to charge a cover for events in which all or a portion of the proceeds go to a specific cause.
Parking for Guests In order to purchase parking passes for guest speakers coming to campus, please contact Parking Services. Parking services: http://www.yorku.ca/parking/
The purpose of holding meetings is typically to make decisions, share information, report back, coordinate actions, and express points of views, to develop common direction to solicit suggestions.
Security Costs
Meetings are usually, but not always, governed by a set of rules in order to better serve your group and facilitate discussion. These rules may be outlined in your club’s constitution and may be a general guideline, or may refer to a much more structured approach such as Robert’s Rules of Order.
When planning an event, it may be difficult to determine whether security is required or not. Anytime an event is planned on campus, it is automatically reviewed by Security.
Rules help to facilitate smooth and efficient conduct of business, ensure that all decisions are made in a fair and democratic manner, and to ensure that in matters of debate, all voices are heard.
In most cases, for daytime events, there is generally no cost for security. If the event is controversial and may cause a stir on campus, the club may be required to have Security, Police or both at the event.
It is useful to appoint a Chairperson who can maintain order and that the rules are being followed, keep track of a speaker’s list and also to be conscious of who has had the opportunity to speak and who has not.
• Raffles; contact local companies or organizations for prize donations and sell raffle tickets at a large event.
Showing Movies Clubs can hold movie nights on campus, but cannot charge an admission fee or sell tickets to the event.
If police are required, the cost of event will significantly increase.
Fundraising Ideas Some clubs, such as those based around charity organizations, may
For events that require it, a minimum of two (2) officers for a minimum of four (4) hours must
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Preferred Vendor List
important contacts
VP Equity vpequity@yfs.ca 416-736-2100 x20253
Proway Tours Ltd.
Event venue. Rexall Centre
416-736-5065 x55065 itc@yorku.ca
York Federation of Students
VP Campaigns & Advocacy
336 Student Centre 416-736-5324 | www.yfs.ca
vpcampaigns@yfs.ca 416-736-2100 x77679
416-736-2100 x 33937
YFS Printing & Resource Centre
Food Services
416-736-2100 x77605
416-736-5517
Student Centre
Parking
335 Student Centre 416-736-5658 | www.yusc.ca
416-736-5335 parking@yorku.ca
Internal Coordinator
Security
internal@yusc.ca
416-650-8000
Fire Marshall
Bus transportation. Venetian Banquet Hall
Instructional Technology Centre (ITC)
Club Resource Contacts
Event venue. VP Operations The Underground Catering & Event venue.
vpoperations@yfs.ca 416-736-2100 x40536 Clubs Services & Outreach Coordinator clubs@yfs.ca 416-736-2100 x44542
Marketing & Events Manager events@yusc.ca
Graphic Design Coordinator Underground Catering Manager graphics@yfs.ca 416-736-2100 x77676
Other Contacts
catering@yusc.ca York University Temporary Use of University Space (TUUS)
President president@yfs.ca 416-736-2100 x33627 VP Campus Life vpcampuslife@yfs.ca 416-736-2100 x77675
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416-736-5513 tuus@yorku.ca Student Community & Leadership Development (SCLD) 416-736-5144
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Notes
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Notes
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336 Student
C
York Universentre, 4700 Keele Street ity, Toronto, M 3J 1P3