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Role of Club Advisors

Purpose

The role of a club advisor is to provide professional guidance and support to the student leadership of a club.

Club advisors are essential partners who help student leaders understand and follow college policies. Their primary purpose is to guide students in making informed decisions, ensuring all club activities — from meetings to fundraisers and travel — are aligned with institutional policies and procedures. An advisor's role is to empower students to lead their own organizations, not to manage the club for them.

To fulfill this role, advisors must:

• Be a current CWI employee.
• Complete the annual club advisor training.
• Advise club members on club policies and ensure they are followed.
• Guide students in planning club events, fundraisers, and travel.
• Follow all policies and procedures outlined in the Club Handbook.

What Advisors should not do:

While advisors provide crucial guidance, they must not overstep their role and impede student autonomy. The freedom to associate and the freedom of speech are fundamental rights for student clubs. Therefore, advisors should not:

• Dictate club activities, events, or travel plans. Students are responsible for planning and executing their own activities. The advisor's role is to ensure these plans comply with college policy.
• Make decisions on behalf of the club. The club's officers and members are the final decision makers.
• Interfere with students' freedom of speech or association. Advisors must allow students to determine their own beliefs and purpose, even if they hold different views.
• Manage club finances or social media. While they can provide guidance on these matters, students are responsible for the day-to-day management of their club's assets and communications.

Loss of Advisor

Purpose

Learn what happens if you lose your club advisor during the academic year and how Student Engagement can help support the club in identifying a new one.

During the course of the semester or year, the club advisor may need to step down from their role. If this occurs, it is important the club finds a new advisor within 15 business days of the previous advisor leaving.

• If a new advisor is not found, the club may become inactive or lose their recognized status.
• Monetary transactions may not be made while there is no advisor. 
• Please work with Student Engagement during this time as we might be able to help find an individual to fulfill the advisor's role for your club. 
• If the club cannot find an advisor during the grace period, the club's status will be changed to inactive for the remainder of the current semester. The club can then reapply for active status during the next open enrollment period, if an advisor has been identified.

Remove/Replace Club Advisor

If club leadership want to replace their advisor, it is the club's choice and decision. The process of selecting and removing an advisor should be outlined in the club's constitution. In the case the club constitution does not specify the process for advisor appointment and removal, the process shall be carried out with a majority vote of all club officers registered with Student Engagement. Any advisor removal should be communicated immediately to Student Engagement. 

Student Engagement encourages the club's officers to meet with the club advisor to discuss concerns. Miscommunication is often the issue and can easily be resolved among the group. Student Engagement highly encourages advisors, officers, and members to communicate concerns.

Fraternization Policy

Clubs often participate closely with their advisor on projects and programming and often even travel with advisors. It is imperative advisors and students keep professional relationships. 

For more information on Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵÍø's Fraternization Policy, please refer to Human Resources Policy – 020. 

Further questions or concerns may be directed to Student Engagement at clubs@cwi.edu.