Student Organization Academy
2026 Student Organization Academy will be held be on Sunday, August 30th from 10:30am-3pm.
This one-day conference serves to offer Club, Council, Sorority, Fraternity, and Student Department leaders a comprehensive and tailored training for their role ahead. We bring in experts from around the University and beyond to offer tools to navigate policies and procedures and direction to make organizations more successful.
This event is mandatory for Student Organization Presidents and Treasurers - early departures do not count toward attendance for the day. Brunch will be provided.
2026 SPEAKERS
Dr. Leah Busam Klenowski
Assistant Vice President for Leadership and Engagement
Ray Flannery
Assistant Director for Student Organizations
2026 EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS
BLOCK 1 (12:00 PM - 12:55 PM)
FINANCE 101
12:00 PM - 12:55 PM | Banquet Hall 2
Treasurer? This session is for you! Finance 101 talks through the important details about funding – how to track it, spend it, and more! Learn more about the world of Student Organization finances and recent policy revisions with Blake.
Blake Girdler (he/him), Student Involvement Coordinator
INNOVATING YOUR STUDENT EXPERIENCE FOCUS GROUP
12:00 PM - 12:55 PM | Conference Room 3
Looking to share your thoughts on the student and Student Org experience at XU? Join Bert, the Dean of Students to provide your valuable thoughts and opinions!
Lori Lambert (she/her), Dean of Students
THE TRAVEL SESSION
12:00 PM - 12:25 PM | Conference Rooms 1 & 2
If your group is planning a trip this year, this is your chance to come learn how to register and prepare, wherever your destination may be!
Dustin Lewis (he/him), Director of Student Involvement
CREATING YOUR EVENTS IN ENGAGEXU
12:00 PM – 12:25 PM | Conference Rooms 4 & 5
The Event and Space Registration Form in EngageXU can be confusing. In this session, Ray will show you how to quickly and efficiently create events and how to use some of the great features in EngageXU that you probably haven’t tried before.
Ray Flannery (he/him), Assistant Director for Student Organizations
ENGAGEXU: BEST PRACTICES & ATTENDANCE TRACKING
12:30 PM - 12:55 PM | Conference Rooms 1 & 2
EngageXU has a lot of features, and it’s important to know how to use them! Come learn how to get the most out of your EngageXU experience, and understand OSI expectations when it comes to logging attendance data.
Dustin Lewis (he/him), Director of Student Involvement
STUDENT ORG PRIVILEGES & PERKS
12:30 PM - 12:55 PM | Conference Rooms 4 & 5
Do you know all the privileges and benefits you can access as an organization? Chances are, you’ll learn something new from Sydney in this session, and benefit all year long.
Sydney Jefferson (she/her), Assistant Director for Sorority and Fraternity Life
BLOCK 2 (1:00 PM - 1:55 PM)
TRANSLATING YOUR CLUB TO YOUR CAREER
1:00 PM - 1:55 PM | Conference Room 3
With support from The Career Development Office, explore skills you may wish to add to your own resumé, now that you are honing leadership skills on another level!
Career Development Office
MERCHANDISING & APPAREL RULES & RECS
1:00 PM - 1:25 PM | Conference Rooms 1 & 2
Planning on ordering any apparel (shirts, sweatshirts) or branded material (giveaways with your logo on them)? Learn how the process works and understand how to navigate the university business with brand, licensing and apparel to make the whole process smooth and easy.
Dustin Lewis (he/him), Director for Student Involvement
ELEVATING YOUR COMMUNITY: PLACE WITH PURPOSE
1:00 PM - 1:25 PM | Conference Rooms 4 & 5
Ever wondered why Greek-letter organizations are so tight-knit? From shared values to community standards, Sydney will shed a light on how ALL Student Organizations may benefit from some best practices in peer-to-peer leadership.
Sydney Jefferson (she/her), Assistant Director for Sorority and Fraternity Life
BOOKING SPACE IN 25 LIVE
1:00 PM - 1:25 PM | Banquet Hall 2
Join Blake, reservation manager for the Xavier Yards and Justice Atrium, as he walk you through how to reserve spaces quickly and efficiently, as well as choosing the right space to make your gatherings as accessible as possible. Come learn how space works (and books) on campus!
Blake Girdler (he/him), Student Involvement Coordinator
ALLOCATING YOUR ALLOCATION
1:30 PM - 1:55 PM | Conference Rooms 1 & 2
Your organization has funding, so now what do you do with it? The budget that was proposed last spring does not mean that is the only way you’re allowed to spend this year! This session will talk through the basics of developing a budget and how to implement it so that your group can maximize resources throughout the year.
Alex Collins (they/them), Gallagher Student Center Manager
PROMOTIONS & THE PUBLIC: DIGITAL TIPS & TRICKS
1:30 PM - 1:55 PM | Conference Rooms 4 & 5
Social media is bigger than just scrolling on TikTok for hours. It’s a way to communicate who you are, what you’re all about, and have a voice to a larger audience on and off campus. But as an organization, you have to work to find your voice and tell your story. Learn how in this session!
Alecia Conway (she/her), Assistant Director for Student Activities
Theo Ham (he/him), Social Media Intern for OSI
BASELINE BASICS
1:30 PM - 1:55 PM | Banquet Hall 2
The Baseline program is designed to track Clubs as they progress throughout the year with a variety of benchmarks. Come learn about the Baseline benchmarks, tools at your disposal, and gain recommendations of best practices when it comes to planning ahead and meeting the targets.
Ray Flannery (he/him), Assistant Director for Student Organizations
BLOCK 3 (2:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
PROGRAMMING LIKE A PRO
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Conference Rooms 4 & 5
Who are your programs really for? Student Organizations often try to create events that appeal to everyone, but "everyone" is not a programming strategy. This session will challenge you to think about your shared identity, define a core audience, and create programs with purpose.
Alecia Conway (she/her), Assistant Director for Student Activities
EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT LEADERSHIP
2:00 PM - 2:25 PM | Conference Rooms 1 & 2
Emotional intelligence is a quality that can be found in leaders that are both aware of their own emotions and are in tune with the emotions of those around them. Learn more about your emotional intelligence and how being an emotionally intelligent leader can benefit you as a student leader and beyond.
Sophie Roepke (she/her), Associate Director for Leadership & Transition Programs
MANAGING RISK
2:00 PM - 2:25 PM | Conference Room 3
Every event has a certain amount of risk involved and an emergency could happen any time. Learn more about how to manage your risks and also about emergency response best practices in this session. Plus, get your questions answered about travel paperwork, waivers, certificates of insurance, and so much more!
Mary-Kate Carpenter (she/her), Risk and Insurance Specialist
FUNDRAISING 101
2:00 PM - 2:25 PM | Banquet Hall 2
Not enough in your fund to make all the ideas happen this year? Learn more about how fundraising works and also hear some helpful ideas on how your organization can increase your funds to meet your goals.
Alex Collins (they/them), Gallagher Student Center Manager
WELLBEING AS AN ORG LEADER
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM | Conference Rooms 1 & 2
Being a Student Organization officer can be exhausting! Learn how to focus on your own self-care and wellbeing so that you’re mentally, physically, and emotionally ready to support your club and its members. Hear from student peer educators who can help you balance Xavier’s Eight Dimensions of Wellbeing.
SWAVE Interns
INVOLVING FIRST GEN STUDENTS INTO YOUR ORG
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM | Conference Room 3
First-generation students experience college differently. Come learn how your organization help invite and support all students on campus, especially those who are first-gen (a growing segment of our campus population).
THR1VE Center
SORF SIMPLIFIED
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM | Banquet Hall 2
Hoping to pitch a new idea for a trip or program? Come learn about the purpose and eligibility for the Student Organization Resource Fund (SORF), a set pool of money used to subsidize great ideas by and for students. This is your chance to hear firsthand what SORF is (and what SORF is not).
Ray Flannery (he/him), Assistant Director for Student Organizations