Navigating Advocacy: A Guide to Student Organizations at OSU

Student advocacy groups at The Ohio State University (OSU) play a vital role in shaping campus culture, promoting student well-being, and fostering a sense of community. With over 1,400 student organizations, more than half of all students at Ohio State are involved in at least one group. These organizations offer a diverse range of opportunities for students to connect with peers, develop leadership skills, and advocate for issues they care about. This article explores the landscape of student advocacy groups at OSU, providing insights into the resources available, the types of organizations that exist, and the ways in which students can get involved.

Supporting Student Organizations: Resources and Opportunities

OSU provides extensive support for student organizations through its Student Activities team. This support encompasses various aspects of organizational development, compliance, and programming.

Advisor Consultations and Risk Management

Student Activities offers bookable appointments for student organization-related needs, including services for student org leaders, organization advisors, and students looking to get involved on campus. Staff and faculty advisors can schedule consultations to address questions or concerns about the organizations they advise. Students, staff, and faculty can also schedule risk consultations for support in generating ideas for safer, healthier practices, or if they have questions about risk-related topics such as hazing.

Advertising and Promotion

All active and pending organizations can advertise on the Student Life Calendar, adding their organization’s events and milestones. Events can be on-campus or off-campus, in-person or virtual. Milestones are considered opportunities that are not tied to a location such as an application deadline. Regular student org meetings cannot be posted to the calendar, but all other programs and opportunities you’d like to widely advertise can now be shared on a much larger platform! Learn more about how the calendar works and start posting at go.osu.edu/StudentOrgCalendar.

Resource Room and Support Staff

The Keith B. Key Center for Student Leadership and Service's Resource Room is staffed by Student Assistants. These assistants support the Resource Room desk & operations, including printing, button-making, balloons, meeting room reservations, and helping guests of the Ohio Union get to where they need to go. This role is excellent for developing customer service skills, gaining experience with building operations, learning about campus resources, and working on a team. No two days in the Resource Room are the same! No prior experience is necessary and all training is provided. Opportunities for advancement to a Manager role are also possible after gaining experience on the team. All Ohio Union desks including the Resource Room hire annually in the spring semester.

Student Organization Coaches offer one-on-one consultations with student org leaders and students who are looking to get involved, as well as supporting key programs such as the Student Involvement Fairs. Coaches have a training curriculum that incorporates coaching skills, organizational development, and campus resources. Prior experience with student organization involvement is preferred.

Student Activities annually seeks students who can share their involvement journey and experiences with new first year students during summer orientation. Paid student staff will assist in leading the Get Involved sessions of orientation from the end of May through the end of July. for at least one or two nights per week throughout orientation. All undergraduate students, including graduating seniors, are encouraged to apply. Learn more and apply at go.osu.edu/GetInvolvedPanels.

Health and Well-being Advocacy

Recognizing that students may encounter health issues during their academic pursuits, the Student Advocacy Center serves as a point of contact for students facing medical or mental health challenges. They connect students with resources, advise on managing their condition in relation to school, and offer support. In the unfortunate circumstance of a student death, representatives from the Student Advocacy Center work as the primary point of contact for the next of kin, ensuring that all academic and financial records are appropriately handled and that questions and concerns are addressed in a thorough and timely manner.

Guidelines for Registered Student Organizations

Student organizations are separate legal entities from The Ohio State University, initiated, led, and developed by students with programs and activities organized and implemented by students. To receive recognition from the university, registered student organizations are required to meet all criteria outlined in the Registration Guidelines for Student Organizations and operate in accordance with the required non-discrimination statement in the organization’s constitution. All registered student organizations may continue to request operating and programming funds from CSA in alignment with the Guidelines for Registered Student Organizations. Events that receive CSA programming funds must be open to any student to attend. Registered student organizations may hold member-only meetings and events.

Knowlton Society: A Case Study in Student Advocacy

Knowlton Society, based in the Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture, provides an example of how students can create an organization to address specific needs and advocate for change within their academic environment. The organization emerged in response to a perceived lack of community and limitations on student expression within the school.

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Origins and Mission

Due to the pandemic and various efforts to limit student expression in the school, Sarah Voss, co-founder of the society and a fourth-year in landscape architecture, said students felt a lack of community. "Knowlton is a very unique place on campus. I feel like Knowlton Society takes the unique collaborative nature of Knowlton Hall and the way that all of our majors interact and how we interact with our professors and builds on that collaborative nature,” Voss said. “Especially post-COVID, that communal feeling that Knowlton used to have has been lost a little bit, and with the graffiti being taken down and a few other actions.

Advocacy and Initiatives

Knowlton Society engages in various advocacy efforts, including:

Community Building: Hosting events that bring together students from different disciplines within the Knowlton School. A regular event that the organization hosts for Knowlton students is Town Hall, where they collect data to inform future programming.
External Collaboration: Partnering with other organizations, such as the Muslim Students Association, to host events and address broader social issues. Currently, they are working with the Muslim Students Association and several cultural groups to host a Community Iftar, or breaking of the fast during Ramadan. They often work with advocacy-centered groups for bigger community actions.
Protesting Policy: Organizing schoolwide walkouts in protest of Senate Bill 1, a bill that bans diversity, equity and inclusion programming. Duarte said last year, it hosted schoolwide walkouts in protest of Senate Bill 1, a bill that bans diversity, equity and inclusion programming.
Promoting Creative Expression: Encouraging students to express themselves through art, even in the face of university restrictions. The organization also spearheads internal initiatives, like “Keep Knowlton Weird,” which encourages students to continue drawing on walls despite the university prohibition.
Addressing Student Needs: Initiating projects to address specific student concerns, such as printing quotas and ICE presence in the community. Recently, Knowlton Society started an initiative in response to increased ICE presence in Columbus.

Impact and Philosophy

Knowlton Society aims to empower students by giving them autonomy over their built environment. “That’s something that Knowlton centers as its educational priority. One thing that we know is true is that design is power. It’s powerful. People in our community, when they have access to design, not just access but autonomy over their built environment, they feel pride and ownership over it. This is something incredibly powerful,” Duarte said.

Getting Involved

Students interested in joining or forming an advocacy group at OSU can take several steps:

Explore the Student Involvement Fairs: Attend the Student Involvement Fairs in August and January to connect with various student organizations.
Schedule a Get Involved Consultation: For individualized assistance in finding the right organization, schedule a Get Involved Consultation.
Consult the Student Life Calendar: Regularly check the Student Life Calendar for events and opportunities hosted by student organizations.
Contact Student Activities: Reach out to the Student Activities team for guidance on starting a new organization or accessing resources for existing ones.

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