Policies & Procedures
To All Students within Student Government Student Media (SGSM)
As an organization and department under UCI and overseen by Student Affairs, we must abide by all orders, policies, and procedures given by UCI, University of California Office of the President (UCOP), and the State of California.
Below are updated policies to reflect the changes made by the university for the protection of students, staff, faculty, and community.
All policies are effective as of immediate.
Policies are subject to change at any point. Students and staff will be updated at the earliest of notice. Student Government Student Media reserves the right to continue any policies for the efficiency and productivity of the department.
Policies & Procedures
To All Students within Student Government Student Media (SGSM)
As an organization and department under UCI and overseen by Student Affairs, we must abide by all orders, policies, and procedures given by UCI, University of California Office of the President (UCOP), and the State of California.
Below are updated policies to reflect the changes made by the university for the protection of students, staff, faculty, and community.
All policies are effective as of immediate.
Policies are subject to change at any point. Students and staff will be updated at the earliest of notice. Student Government Student Media reserves the right to continue any policies for the efficiency and productivity of the department.
- Student Governments funded through student fees must use funds in accordance with 60.00 Governance & Fees and 60 PACAOS.
- Student fees must be returned back to students in the form of events, workshops, resources, advocacy, employment, etc.
- Student fees are not permitted to be given to outside entities, people, or donated. This policy does not pertain to contracted entertainers, speakers, or other paid contracts.
- Student fees must be used in manners that benefit the student-body as a whole.
- Student Governments will be upheld to their own governing documents. Any departmental, UCI or UCOP policies will supersede the governing documents of the Student Government.
- All items must be requested and approved prior to purchase. Students will need to submit a purchasing request form to the SGSM Business Office. Failure to submit the request and get item(s) approved will result in a denial of reimbursement. If items are approved, students will be contacted by staff with a copy of the approved form and further instruction.
- The purchase request form MUST be submitted a minimum of two (2) weeks prior to the event date.
- For large/bulk orders, a purchase request form MUST be submitted a minimum of four (4) weeks prior to the event date.
- Purchase Request Form: Click Here
- If a purchase request is placed outside the minimum deadlines, less than two (2) or four (4) weeks as noted, there is no guarantee that SGSM will be able to purchase the items if the purchase request is approved and it will be the responsibility of the student to purchase. Any purchase request that does not adhere to the deadlines will be reviewed after others that have met deadline.
- Technological purchase requests will be consulted with OIT prior to approval. All subscriptions and technological purchases must be done with a departmental email and never a personal/student email.
- Office-specific/related merchandise and clothing is meant for students who are on-campus only, working for their respective office. Items purchased will not be approved to be shipped to students. All items must be physically picked-up. This includes clothing (considered uniforms) and office-specific items.
- All purchases and usage of student fees must abide by UCI policies:
- G-41– Employee Non-Cash Awards and Other Gifts
- G-42– Gifts Presented to Non-Employees on Behalf of the University
- 60 PACAOS– Policies Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations and Students (PACAOS)
- BUS-79– Expenditures for Business Meetings, Entertainment, and Other Occasions
- 60 Governance & Fees– Policy on Student Governments
- A purchase request form must be completed and approved before completing the designated check request form. Club accounts are not required to fill out a purchase request form unless they are receiving funds from a funding board.
- Students who receive an approved purchase request form have the option of buying the item themselves to be reimbursed or to have the department make a direct payment on a case-by-case basis. Any direct payments will need an additional one (1) week lead-time.
- Students who are to be reimbursed will need to fill out an SGSM Check Request. Each department will have their own respective form. To find out which form is appropriate, please contact the SGSM Business Office. For all check requests, please visit: https://www.studentgov.uci.edu/business-office/check-requests/
- Students must provide an appropriate receipt or paid invoice for all reimbursements. An appropriate receipt would be one that shows the vendor name, date, items, final amount, and payment method. Receipts that are not legible or faded will not be accepted. Students will then be responsible to get a re-print from the vendor.
- Certain items will require additional documents. Please see the table below for the requirements.
| Reimbursable Expense | Documents Required |
| Food | Approved Purchase Request Form + Receipt + Sign-In Sheet + Advertisement of Event |
| Gifts, Raffles, Giveaways | Approved Purchase Request Form + Receipt + Verification Sheet |
| Travel | Approved SGSM Travel Form + Receipt |
| All Other Items | Approved Purchase Request Form + Receipt |
- Students will be reimbursed in the form of a check. All checks will be mailed to the address provided in the form. There will be no pick-up option available.
- Reimbursement requests must be submitted 30 days after the event has taken place. No exceptions will be made.
- Students may request for purchases to be made directly to the vendor. If a direct payment is requested, the staff will create the check requests and deduct the amount from the respective budget.
- Food and beverage purchases are permitted for in-person, on-campus events only.
- All food and beverage purchases must be pre-approved through the purchase request form.
- Students are highly recommended to utilize UCI Dining for convenience of set-up, clean-up, and billing. For more information on UCI Dining and their catering options please visit their website: https://food.uci.edu/
- Catering that is not done through UCI Dining must be an approved caterer. To find the list of approved caterers, please visit: https://food.uci.edu/catering-alcohol/off-campus-caterers/
- Approved caterers are approved to deliver onto campus and provide set-up/clean-up services.
- Caterers that are not on the approved catering list will not be permitted to deliver to campus. Students will be responsible for picking up food, set-up, clean-up, and any other requirements through UCI Dining.
- All food and beverage, at this time, that is being ordered (through an approved or non-approved caterer and UCI Dining) must be individually or pre-packaged. Buffet/potluck style food and beverage being served at events are not permitted.
- Events with food and beverage should have proper sanitation for attendees and cleaning.
- Events with food and beverage must have a sign-in sheet and marketing flyer/copy of digital ad to document attendees. The sign-in sheet should have the attendee’s full name and signature. The sign-in sheet will be required for any reimbursement associated with food and beverage costs.
- Items to be given away as a raffle, gift or giveaway item funded by student fees must be given to a currently enrolled UCI student. Appreciation items can be given to speakers as a replacement of a speaker’s fee or contract in accordance with university policy.
- In-person events are permitted to give tangible items. Virtual events are permitted to give e-gift cards to recipients. Mailing tangible items to students is not allowed.
- For ASUCI and AGS, tangible items will need to be ordered by professional staff only and picked-up from our main office when awarded for documentation. Students will be required to make an appointment to pick-up items. Students cannot distribute items themselves during the event or after.
- Recipients of any items will need to sign a verification form. This pertains to both in-person and online events. Students will be verified of their current registration status to receive the item.
- Items valued up to $75 are allowed to be given to students if the budget allows.
- Paid student employees of Student Governments are not applicable to win or receive any gift items funded from student fees through their own department. Interns who are not paid are exempt from this policy. Student employees and interns can receive appreciation gifts up to a cumulative value of $75 for the academic year.
- All items given to recipients will be compiled into a report to be given to UCI Financial Aid for reporting per policy. Some items may be reportable and may affect a student’s financial aid. For a list of reportable items to UCI Financial Aid, please see below:
| Gift cards/gifts received for: | Reportable |
| Completing surveys | No |
| Meal swipe cards or emergency grocery cards not exchangeable for cash | No |
| Raffle or drawing | Yes |
| Employee appreciation gifts/gift cards | Yes |
| Employee appreciation events (banquet, pizza party, etc.) | No |
- Examples of unallowable awards and gifts include the following:
- Gifts of cash, except donations to a charity as an expression of sympathy
- Negotiable gift certificates and cards (American Express gift cards, Visa gift cards, etc.)
- Gift certificates and cards for services
- Recreation memberships
- Season tickets to sporting or cultural events
- Gifts provided to employees in connection with birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, holidays, farewells, graduations, and other occasions of a personal nature
- Gift cards will only be given electronically and must adhere to the approved list of e-gift cards at a minimum of $25 for any qualified persons.
- Gift cards can only be purchased by SGSM staff. Any student who purchases a gift card will not be reimbursed.
- Gift cards for the following are not permitted per UC Policy:
- Electronic gift cards for personal services such as, but not limited to, spas, food delivery, transportation, and other memberships are not permitted.
- Electronic gift cards for monetary value such as Visa, Mastercard, or American Express are not permitted. The electronic gift card must be redeemable for tangible items only.
- Electronic gift cards must be traceable to ensure the recipient has received the item(s).
- Approved e-gift cards for purchase:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Starbucks
- Target
- Best Buy
- UCI Dining Card
- Policy
- At this time, all students should automatically opt for virtual conference. Limited in-person travel will be allowed, and it will need exceptional approval from our department and possibly the university.
- All virtual events and in-person travel will only be permitted for students who are compliance with the university vaccination or exemption policy. Students who do not meet those requirements will not be reimbursed for any virtual or in-person events/travel.
- All virtual and in-person travel requests must be work related in nature to the mission of SGSM.
- All students must read through our SGSM Travel Policies document found here: Travel Policy Document
- The following states are currently subject to California’s ban on state-funded and state-sponsored travel, and therefore, no in-person travel or virtual attendance can be approved in the following states:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Mississippi
- Montana
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- West Virginia
- Procedure
- All students must submit an SGSM Travel Form regardless for both virtual events and in-person travel.
- The form must be submitted 30 business days prior to the event. For any larger groups should be submitted earlier and allow for more time for staff to review.
- Once staff review the forms, students will be notified if their travel has been approved or denied.
- Students can find the SGSM travel form on the Internal SGSM website dedicated for students and staff. You must be in the SGSM directory to be able to access.
- Policy
- At this time, all events are highly encouraged to remain virtual when possible. In-person event requests will need to be approved by staff using the various event approval forms and processes, as well as communicating directly with the SGSM Events team. ALL SGSM SPONSORED OR BRANDED OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS OF ANY TYPE ARE NOT APPROVED AT THIS TIME.
- Events taking place indoors must have all attendees wear masks per UCI policy.
- Attendees of events on-campus must be approved by the university through vaccination or exemption. Students who have not been approved by the university are not permitted to attend events or receive items from events.
- All events must abide by university requirements and policies.
- If you are requesting to have the UC President, UC Regent, UCOP or any other dignitary to an event, e.g., Senator, City Councilman, Mayor, State Representative, you must request this through the SGSM Executive Director prior to sending an invite for protocol. Depending on the person will depend on the protocol and what office within the university will manage the request, e.g., Chancellor handles all UCOP-related requests only.
- Different events may take one (1) month to 12 months to plan, so students must follow the timeline and submit requests as early as possible. Please see the flow chart below for timelines:
- Procedure
- Any events requesting to be held in Student Center reservable space must complete the SCES Event Form for approval and planning with SCES: https://internal.studentgov.uci.edu/sces/
- All large and small events must be approved by the SGSM Events team prior to any bookings or advertising.
- The SGSM Events team will discuss all aspects of the event including planning, booking, preparation, policies, contracting, and any other procedures required. Please see the flow chart below:
- Any events requesting to be held in Student Center reservable space must complete the SCES Event Form for approval and planning with SCES: https://internal.studentgov.uci.edu/sces/
- Policy
- All advertisements and marketing related products using the ASUCI, AGS or Executive Office logos must be consulted with the SGSM Marketing team.
- Students are welcome to create their own designs. All creative content must be proofread by the Marketing Manager or the Marketing Assistant.
- Any advertisement or marketing material that was not approved by SGSM will not be reimbursed. Students must submit a purchase request form and receive approval before anything can be purchased. Please see the purchasing policy for the form or https://www.studentgov.uci.edu/business-office/check-requests/ and scroll to the bottom to review additional forms.
- All advertisement purchases will be made by the marketing department. Students should not purchase any marketing materials on their own at this time.
- All Social Media platforms are managed by SGSM staff and a select group of Executives. Please refer to them for any postings or means of marketing you may have as there are specific guidelines for the use of the SGSM Social Media accounts and external marketing.
- Requests must be made one (1) week ahead for a digital design.
- Large event marketing campaign requests must be made at least two (2) months ahead of time.
- Requests are taken on a first-come, first-served basis with ASUCI projects taking priority.
- Last minute or same day requests will not be accepted.
- Procedure
- For all requests, please email the Marketing Manager, Nancy Palmer, at nnherre1@uci.edu within the respective timeline indicated above.
- In the request, all students must provide:
- Vector logos, if you do not have vector, a high-res JPG will work
- Verbiage (who, what, when, where, why)
- High resolution photographs (low resolution pics copied off the internet are unacceptable)
- Design theme or concept desired
- Color scheme preferred
- SGSM budget account number/name with validated funds for costs
- Your contact information for us to send proofs and final designs
- Students are responsible for all information required in the request to prevent delay in work.
Our department will be utilizing the Service Now program for all technology and web requests. Please do not email oit@uci.edu for any Student Government Student Media requests, as they do not know what to do, and it will delay your request. If you have general questions, email Aaron Echols (aechols@uci.edu) or Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) directly.
- Please use your SGSM email address (commission emails) when you make your request using the emails below. You should select the email address that matches the area that you need help with:
- ASUCI – helpdesk@asuci.uci.edu
- Anteater Express – helpdesk@shuttle.uci.edu
- AGS – helpdesk@ags.uci.edu
- SGSM Staff Only – helpdesk@studentgov.uci.edu
- Yearbook – helpdesk@yearbook.uci.edu
- New University – helpdesk@newuniversity.org
- KUCI – helpdesk@kuci.org
- Anteater TV – helpdesk@anteater.tv
- Only use your UCI email address when you need a password reset and you cannot get into your email.
- Almost all requests should come from SGSM Officers with an email address, as we need the Officer with authority to make the request, and not an intern.
- If you need any assistance with a password reset, update to websites, etc., please use the appropriate email addresses above to email in your request.
- Reply to the email that’s generated after you make a request. DO NOT start a new email for the same request.
- If you have a new request that is not related to your original request, please send in a new email (each request should have its own ticket).
- When you submit your request, you will get an email back with the subject line “SGSM Services Request SGSM000XXXX has been created”.
- If you need to add additional information, or if you want to inquire about the status of the request, reply to this email.
- Each reply back will include all the information from previous replies, and you will also receive a copy.
- Please do not create a new email directly to the Help Desk email asking the status of something that has already been started, as that will start a new request.
- Make sure to always reply back to one of the emails from your original request (you do not have to reply to the latest one in the thread).
- When your request is complete, we will email you back letting you know that it is done and ask you to verify the work that was requested.
- If you do not reply to that email with any issues within 48 hours, we will close the request, and you will need to make a new one if there are further issues.
- There will be some requests that we do not need a response from you, and we will respond letting you know that, and we will close the request.
- Multiple requests
- If you have a new request that is unrelated to a current one you already have open, please do not reply to one of the other emails with it.
- Please send in a new Help Desk email request (using above emails) for every new item request, so that we can track the new request separately.
- As an example, asking for website changes and then replying back asking for assistance with a Zoom meeting
- Each of those should have their own request.
- As an example, asking for website changes and then replying back asking for assistance with a Zoom meeting
- We recommend having a separate folder for all Service Now correspondences so that you can keep track of your requests.
In today’s era of connectivity and accessibility, students assume that anything worth their time will have a corresponding website. In fact, many students require a website as evidence of credibility for an event or service. A website should provide the most up-to-date, accurate, and detailed information for that which it markets. It fits perfectly into the event planner’s marketing repertoire as a cost-effective method of reaching a maximal number of constituents.
Student Government Student Media oversees many different websites. These include, but not limited to:
These websites are managed by a variety of different people. Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) and Aaron Echols (aechols@uci.edu) oversee all websites to some extent and can point you in the right direction for website-specific questions.
- Website versus Web Page
- A new website:
- does not already exist
- does not easily or logically fit under an existing website
- a large enough event that we want to devote the resources and marketing strategy needed to develop (i.e. Soulstice, Summerlands, APAD).
- A new web page is one that goes under an existing website, inheriting the same look and feel while presenting new information where it logically belongs (i.e. vendor fair on the ASUCI website).
- Most new web content will be a web page, as new websites are reserved for more involved events and services.
- A new website:
- Creating a New Website
- Once you have an event or service in planning and in motion, consider:
- whether a web site or page already exists
- if a new page or site is needed.For more details, please read the Large Project Needs + Requirements section below.
- Discuss with your appropriate SGSM Advisor about the new website.
- Once approved, create a Service Now ticket for the new website. Please remember to CC: Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) on the Service Now ticket as well.
- E-mail Service Now & Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) to discuss or set up an appointment.
- Organize your desired web content into a clean document, marking sections with titles. Include desired location/URL.
- Include any photographs or graphics.
- Include any special instructions.
- E-mail website content and artwork to Service Now and CC: Daniel (dkstone@uci.edu).
- Reply promptly to any requests for clarification or additional content.
- New websites and web pages can take anywhere from a day to multiple weeks to complete. The main reason for variation in completion times is how thorough the content provided is, in addition to overall complexity and workload.
- Once you have an event or service in planning and in motion, consider:
- Updating a Website
- If this is a major overhaul or lots of updates needed, please discuss with your appropriate SGSM Advisor about it first. If not, continue.
- Create a Service Now ticket for the update, and CC: Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) on that email.
- These websites are managed by a variety of different people. Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) and Aaron Echols (aechols@uci.edu) oversee all websites to some extent and can point you in the right direction for website-specific questions.
- Indicate the URL of the page to be changed.
- Provide your updates.
- Include any photographs or graphics.
- Include all content updates/changes.
- Forms
- It’s very likely that at some point you will want to provide applications to the student-body or need a form for a specific event or initiative. For this we can create forms. The process is similar to updating a website.
- Surveys
- Create a Service Now ticket for the update and CC Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) on that email.
- Include
- Form/Application Title
- Description of the form, with important information, deadlines, contact information or other details.
- Deadline for the form to be completed
- List the identifying fields you want to include (Name, E-mail, Phone, Year in School, Major, etc.)
- Write out any questions you wish to have answered.
- How do you want to receive the data?
- Individual e-mails each time a form is completed?
- What E-mail address should replies be sent to?
- Wait until the deadline and request a spreadsheet with all responses
- Web Deliverable Timeframes
- Webpage content or minor site update – estimate up to 3-5 business days*
- Examples
- An already existing ASUCI page needs a change on the currently written text
- A photo needs to be modified/changed from an already existing photo
- Dates need to be updated on a page that already exists
- Examples
- Additional function/small site or page request – estimate up to 2-4 weeks*
- Examples
- A form on an already existing webpage
- A small change in the design of an existing webpage
- Examples
- Simple Single Page Projects (no backend) – estimate up to 3-6 weeks*
- Examples
- New page within an established site – ASUCI new page for a new commission
- Purely informational, no database or data storage/retrieval
- Examples
- Large Projects – estimate up to 8-12+ weeks*
- Examples
- New webpage/site – Summerlands, APAD, Soulstice
- Entire website revamp/rebranding – NewU, StudentGov
- Examples
- Webpage content or minor site update – estimate up to 3-5 business days*
*Possibly more time depending on workload at time of request (note: this time reflects when work is started on the project – TIMELINE DOES NOT START WHEN THE TICKET IS SUBMITTED)
- Large Project Needs & Requirements
- Students will provide site design/mockup and all requirements for the project. They will have already done some of their own research. Students must provide all assets/documents by the time user research is completed (One (1) week after project work is started – otherwise there may be delays incurred).
- Front-end Dev: Interview
- What is the project?
- Walk me through what you do now?
- What is the purpose or need to be fulfilled?
- What are the pain points that need addressing?
- What are the criteria for satisfaction?
- Any current apps/websites that inspires you?
- What frequency would you be comfortable to meet for review?
- How do you want the site to look like?
- What do you want other students to take away from your site?
- What are other competitors that you want to inspire the design?
- Web Developer, OIT & SGSM Project Discussion
- User Research (Two (2) weeks)
- Front-end Dev Process
- Basic flow for backend to create a Story Map
- Create Epics for the Project
- Break down Epics into workflow Stories: “As a , I can (so that ).”
- Revise mockup if needed
- Front-end Dev: Interview
- Students will provide site design/mockup and all requirements for the project. They will have already done some of their own research. Students must provide all assets/documents by the time user research is completed (One (1) week after project work is started – otherwise there may be delays incurred).
- Design I [2-4 weeks]
- Wireframes: focus on layout and user flow [1 week]
- (If in WordPress) Look for WordPress theme(s) and plugins with Web Developer [2 days]
- Low-fidelity mock-up [1 week]
- Create skeleton (if in WordPress)
- Review with Stakeholder
- Test + Revise as needed [1-2 weeks]
- Development I [2 weeks]
- Create skeleton/base foundation pages
- Review with Stakeholder
- Development II [1-2 weeks depending on backend]
- Create fully flushed out site following the specs / mock-ups to create MVP
- Consistent stakeholder reviews, updates & contact
- Test + Revise design [1-2 weeks]
- Have SAIT & others outside of the organization test
- Usability Report
- Revise/Update
- Review with Stakeholder
- Repeat as needed
- Release
- All campuswide emails must be submitted utilizing the designated form and will be reviewed prior to sending: https://internal.studentgov.uci.edu/campuswide-emails/.
- Please review the campuswide email form for policy and instruction found on the Internal site.
- All surveys must follow the Student Affairs Survey Policy for review: https://sites.uci.edu/saslo/survey-coordination-for-student-affairs/
- If the survey is under 199 people (internal only) or for workshop feedback, it will need to be approved by the Executive Director.
- If the survey is over 200, it will need to be approved by Student Affairs.
- Please review additional policy and complete the appropriate form found on the Internal site and secure approval from Student Affairs or professional staff: https://internal.studentgov.uci.edu/survey-request/
- Once approved, SGSM can release your survey and you may continue with any marketing needed.
- All surveys with a e-gift card component must follow the purchasing and e-gift policy as well as use Qualtrics.
- Any survey that is not pre-approved, all reimbursements having to do with that survey will be denied.
- All Graduate Student Governments are required to follow all policies.
- Students should always consult with their respective departments for additional resources of policies.
- AMSG, MSA, and SBA are exempt from the tangible item policy, which requires recipients to pick up the items from the main SGSM office. The graduate programs will be responsible for distributing their items to the students and receiving verification forms for each recipient. Students will not be reimbursed without a proper verification form which can be found on our website.
- All Funding Boards that are managed by SGSM are required to follow all policies.
- Students should always consult with their respective departments for additional resources of policies.
- Funding Boards that receive departmental funds (outside of SGSM) are exempt from the student fee policies.
- Student Governments funded through student fees must use funds in accordance with 60.00 Governance & Fees and 60 PACAOS.
- Student fees must be returned back to students in the form of events, workshops, resources, advocacy, employment, etc.
- Student fees are not permitted to be given to outside entities, people, or donated. This policy does not pertain to contracted entertainers, speakers, or other paid contracts.
- Student fees must be used in manners that benefit the student-body as a whole.
- Student Governments will be upheld to their own governing documents. Any departmental, UCI or UCOP policies will supersede the governing documents of the Student Government.
- All items must be requested and approved prior to purchase. Students will need to submit a purchasing request form to the SGSM Business Office. Failure to submit the request and get item(s) approved will result in a denial of reimbursement. If items are approved, students will be contacted by staff with a copy of the approved form and further instruction.
a. The purchase request form MUST be submitted a minimum of two (2) weeks prior to the event date.
b. For large/bulk orders, a purchase request form MUST be submitted a minimum of four (4) weeks prior to the event date.
c. Purchase Request Form: Click Here
- If a purchase request is placed outside the minimum deadlines, less than two (2) or four (4) weeks as noted, there is no guarantee that SGSM will be able to purchase the items if the purchase request is approved and it will be the responsibility of the student to purchase. Any purchase request that does not adhere to the deadlines will be reviewed after others that have met deadline.
- Technological purchase requests will be consulted with OIT prior to approval. All subscriptions and technological purchases must be done with a departmental email and never a personal/student email.
- Office-specific/related merchandise and clothing is meant for students who are on-campus only, working for their respective office. Items purchased will not be approved to be shipped to students. All items must be physically picked-up. This includes clothing (considered uniforms) and office-specific items.
- All purchases and usage of student fees must abide by UCI policies:
a. G-41– Employee Non-Cash Awards and Other Gifts
b. G-42– Gifts Presented to Non-Employees on Behalf of the University
c. 60 PACAOS– Policies Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations and Students (PACAOS)
d. BUS-79– Expenditures for Business Meetings, Entertainment, and Other Occasions
e. 60 Governance & Fees– Policy on Student Governments
- A purchase request form must be completed and approved before completing the designated check request form. Club accounts are not required to fill out a purchase request form unless they are receiving funds from a funding board.
- Students who receive an approved purchase request form have the option of buying the item themselves to be reimbursed or to have the department make a direct payment on a case-by-case basis. Any direct payments will need an additional one (1) week lead-time.
- Students who are to be reimbursed will need to fill out an SGSM Check Request. Each department will have their own respective form. To find out which form is appropriate, please contact the SGSM Business Office. For all check requests, please visit: check requests
- Students must provide an appropriate receipt or paid invoice for all reimbursements. An appropriate receipt would be one that shows the vendor name, date, items, final amount, and payment method. Receipts that are not legible or faded will not be accepted. Students will then be responsible to get a re-print from the vendor.
- Certain items will require additional documents. Please see the table below for the requirements.
| Reimbursable Expense | Documents Required |
| Food | Approved Purchase Request Form + Receipt + Sign-In Sheet + Advertisement of Event |
| Gifts, Raffles, Giveaways | Approved Purchase Request Form + Receipt + Verification Sheet |
| Travel | Approved SGSM Travel Form + Receipt |
| All Other Items | Approved Purchase Request Form + Receipt |
- Students will be reimbursed in the form of a check. All checks will be mailed to the address provided in the form. There will be no pick-up option available.
- Reimbursement requests must be submitted 30 days after the event has taken place. No exceptions will be made.
- Students may request for purchases to be made directly to the vendor. If a direct payment is requested, the staff will create the check requests and deduct the amount from the respective budget.
- Food and beverage purchases are permitted for in-person, on-campus events only.
- All food and beverage purchases must be pre-approved through the purchase request form.
- Students are highly recommended to utilize UCI Dining for convenience of set-up, clean-up, and billing. For more information on UCI Dining and their catering options please visit their website: UCI Dining
- Catering that is not done through UCI Dining must be an approved caterer. To find the list of approved caterers, please visit: Approved Caterers
a. Approved caterers are approved to deliver onto campus and provide set-up/clean-up services.
b. Caterers that are not on the approved catering list will not be permitted to deliver to campus. Students will be responsible for picking up food, set-up, clean-up, and any other requirements through UCI Dining. - All food and beverage, at this time, that is being ordered (through an approved or non-approved caterer and UCI Dining) must be individually or pre-packaged. Buffet/potluck style food and beverage being served at events are not permitted.
-
Events with food and beverage should have proper sanitation for attendees and cleaning.
- Events with food and beverage must have a sign-in sheet and marketing flyer/copy of digital ad to document attendees. The sign-in sheet should have the attendee’s full name and signature. The sign-in sheet will be required for any reimbursement associated with food and beverage costs.
- Items to be given away as a raffle, gift or giveaway item funded by student fees must be given to a currently enrolled UCI student. Appreciation items can be given to speakers as a replacement of a speaker’s fee or contract in accordance with university policy.
- In-person events are permitted to give tangible items. Virtual events are permitted to give e-gift cards to recipients. Mailing tangible items to students is not allowed.
a.For ASUCI and AGS, tangible items will need to be ordered by professional staff only and picked-up from our main office when awarded for documentation. Students will be required to make an appointment to pick-up items. Students cannot distribute items themselves during the event or after.
b. Recipients of any items will need to sign a verification form. This pertains to both in-person and online events. Students will be verified of their current registration status to receive the item. - Items valued up to $75 are allowed to be given to students if the budget allows.
- Paid student employees of Student Governments are not applicable to win or receive any gift items funded from student fees through their own department. Interns who are not paid are exempt from this policy. Student employees and interns can receive appreciation gifts up to a cumulative value of $75 for the academic year.
- All items given to recipients will be compiled into a report to be given to UCI Financial Aid for reporting per policy. Some items may be reportable and may affect a student’s financial aid. For a list of reportable items to UCI Financial Aid, please see below:
| Gift cards/gifts received for: | Reportable |
| Completing surveys | No |
| Meal swipe cards or emergency grocery cards not exchangeable for cash | No |
| Raffle or drawing | Yes |
| Employee appreciation gifts/gift cards | Yes |
| Employee appreciation events (banquet, pizza party, etc.) | No |
- Examples of unallowable awards and gifts include the following:
a. Gifts of cash, except donations to a charity as an expression of sympathy
b. Negotiable gift certificates and cards (American Express gift cards, Visa gift cards, etc.)
c. Gift certificates and cards for services
d. Recreation memberships
e. Season tickets to sporting or cultural events
f. Gifts provided to employees in connection with birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, holidays, farewells, graduations, and other occasions of a personal nature
- Gift cards will only be given electronically and must adhere to the approved list of e-gift cards at a minimum of $25 for any qualified persons.
a. Gift cards can only be purchased by SGSM staff. Any student who purchases a gift card will not be reimbursed.
b. Gift cards for the following are not permitted per UC Policy:
i. Electronic gift cards for personal services such as, but not limited to, spas, food delivery, transportation, and other memberships are not permitted.
ii. Electronic gift cards for monetary value such as Visa, Mastercard, or American Express are not permitted. The electronic gift card must be redeemable for tangible items only.
iii. Electronic gift cards must be traceable to ensure the recipient has received the item(s).
c. Approved e-gift cards for purchase:
i. Amazon
ii. Barnes & Noble
iii. Starbucks
iv. Target
v. Best Buy
vi. UCI Dining Card
- Policy
a. At this time, all students should automatically opt for virtual conference. Limited in-person travel will be allowed, and it will need exceptional approval from our department and possibly the university.
b. All virtual events and in-person travel will only be permitted for students who are compliance with the university vaccination or exemption policy. Students who do not meet those requirements will not be reimbursed for any virtual or in-person events/travel.
c. All virtual and in-person travel requests must be work related in nature to the mission of SGSM.
d. All students must read through our SGSM Travel Policies document found here: Travel Policy Document - The following states are currently subject to California’s ban on state-funded and state-sponsored travel, and therefore, no in-person travel or virtual attendance can be approved in the following states:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Mississippi
- Montana
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- West Virginia
- Procedure
a. All students must submit an SGSM Travel Form regardless for both virtual events and in-person travel.
b. The form must be submitted 30 business days prior to the event. For any larger groups should be submitted earlier and allow for more time for staff to review.
c. Once staff review the forms, students will be notified if their travel has been approved or denied.
d. Students can find the SGSM travel form on the Internal SGSM website dedicated for students and staff. You must be in the SGSM directory to be able to access.
- Policy
a. At this time, all events are highly encouraged to remain virtual when possible. In-person event requests will need to be approved by staff using the various event approval forms and processes, as well as communicating directly with the SGSM Events team. ALL SGSM SPONSORED OR BRANDED OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS OF ANY TYPE ARE NOT APPROVED AT THIS TIME.
b. Events taking place indoors must have all attendees wear masks per UCI policy.
c. Attendees of events on-campus must be approved by the university through vaccination or exemption. Students who have not been approved by the university are not permitted to attend events or receive items from events.
d. All events must abide by university requirements and policies.
1. If you are requesting to have the UC President, UC Regent, UCOP or any other dignitary to an event, e.g., Senator, City Councilman, Mayor, State Representative, you must request this through the SGSM Executive Director prior to sending an invite for protocol. Depending on the person will depend on the protocol and what office within the university will manage the request, e.g., Chancellor handles all UCOP-related requests only.
e. Different events may take one (1) month to 12 months to plan, so students must follow the timeline and submit requests as early as possible. Please see the flow chart below for timelines:
- Procedure
a. Any events requesting to be held in Student Center reservable space must complete the SCES Event Form for approval and planning with SCES: https://internal.studentgov.uci.edu/sces/
i. All large and small events must be approved by the SGSM Events team prior to any bookings or advertising.b. The SGSM Events team will discuss all aspects of the event including planning, booking, preparation, policies, contracting, and any other procedures required. Please see the flow chart below:
- Policy
a. All advertisements and marketing related products using the ASUCI, AGS or Executive Office logos must be consulted with the SGSM Marketing team.
b. Students are welcome to create their own designs. All creative content must be proofread by the Marketing Manager or the Marketing Assistant.
c. Any advertisement or marketing material that was not approved by SGSM will not be reimbursed.Students must submit a purchase request form and receive approval before anything can be purchased. Please see the purchasing policy for the form or https://www.studentgov.uci.edu/business-office/check-requests/ and scroll to the bottom to review additional forms.i. All advertisement purchases will be made by the marketing department. Students should not purchase any marketing materials on their own at this time.
d. All Social Media platforms are managed by SGSM staff and a select group of Executives. Please refer to them for any postings or means of marketing you may have as there are specific guidelines for the use of the SGSM Social Media accounts and external marketing.
e. Requests must be made one (1) week ahead for a digital design.
f. Large event marketing campaign requests must be made at least two (2) months ahead of time.
g. Requests are taken on a first-come, first-served basis with ASUCI projects taking priority.
h. Last minute or same day requests will not be accepted. - Procedure
a. For all requests, please email the Marketing Manager, Nancy Palmer, at nnherre1@uci.edu within the respective timeline indicated above.
b. In the request, all students must provide:
i. Vector logos, if you do not have vector, a high-res JPG will work
ii. Verbiage (who, what, when, where, why)
iii. High resolution photographs (low resolution pics copied off the internet are unacceptable)
iv. Design theme or concept desired
v. Color scheme preferred
vi. SGSM budget account number/name with validated funds for costs
vii. Your contact information for us to send proofs and final designs
c. Students are responsible for all information required in the request to prevent delay in work.
Our department will be utilizing the Service Now program for all technology and web requests. Please do not email oit@uci.edu for any Student Government Student Media requests, as they do not know what to do, and it will delay your request. If you have general questions, email Aaron Echols (aechols@uci.edu) or Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) directly.
- Please use your SGSM email address (commission emails) when you make your request using the emails below. You should select the email address that matches the area that you need help with:
a. ASUCI – helpdesk@asuci.uci.edu
b. Anteater Express – helpdesk@shuttle.uci.edu
c. AGS – helpdesk@ags.uci.edu
d. SGSM Staff Only – helpdesk@studentgov.uci.edu
e. Yearbook – helpdesk@yearbook.uci.edu
f. New University – helpdesk@newuniversity.org
g. KUCI – helpdesk@kuci.org
h. Anteater TV – helpdesk@anteater.tv - Only use your UCI email address when you need a password reset and you cannot get into your email.
- Almost all requests should come from SGSM Officers with an email address, as we need the Officer with authority to make the request, and not an intern.
- If you need any assistance with a password reset, update to websites, etc., please use the appropriate email addresses above to email in your request.
- Reply to the email that’s generated after you make a request. DO NOT start a new email for the same request.
- If you have a new request that is not related to your original request, please send in a new email (each request should have its own ticket).
- When you submit your request, you will get an email back with the subject line “SGSM Services Request SGSM000XXXX has been created”.
a. If you need to add additional information, or if you want to inquire about the status of the request, reply to this email. - Each reply back will include all the information from previous replies, and you will also receive a copy.
a. Please do not create a new email directly to the Help Desk email asking the status of something that has already been started, as that will start a new request. - Make sure to always reply back to one of the emails from your original request (you do not have to reply to the latest one in the thread).
- When your request is complete, we will email you back letting you know that it is done and ask you to verify the work that was requested.
a. If you do not reply to that email with any issues within 48 hours, we will close the request, and you will need to make a new one if there are further issues.
b. There will be some requests that we do not need a response from you, and we will respond letting you know that, and we will close the request. - Multiple requests
a. If you have a new request that is unrelated to a current one you already have open, please do not reply to one of the other emails with it.
b. Please send in a new Help Desk email request (using above emails) for every new item request, so that we can track the new request separately.
i. As an example, asking for website changes and then replying back asking for assistance with a Zoom meeting
1. Each of those should have their own request. - We recommend having a separate folder for all Service Now correspondences so that you can keep track of your requests.
In today’s era of connectivity and accessibility, students assume that anything worth their time will have a corresponding website. In fact, many students require a website as evidence of credibility for an event or service. A website should provide the most up-to-date, accurate, and detailed information for that which it markets. It fits perfectly into the event planner’s marketing repertoire as a cost-effective method of reaching a maximal number of constituents.
Student Government Student Media oversees many different websites. These include, but not limited to:
These websites are managed by a variety of different people. Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) and Aaron Echols (aechols@uci.edu) oversee all websites to some extent and can point you in the right direction for website-specific questions.
- Website versus Web Page
a. A new website:
i. does not already exist
ii. does not easily or logically fit under an existing website
iii. a large enough event that we want to devote the resources and marketing strategy needed to develop (i.e. Soulstice, Summerlands, APAD).
b. A new web page is one that goes under an existing website, inheriting the same look and feel while presenting new information where it logically belongs (i.e. vendor fair on the ASUCI website).
i. Most new web content will be a web page, as new websites are reserved for more involved events and services. - Creating a New Website
a. Once you have an event or service in planning and in motion, consider:
i. whether a web site or page already exists
ii. if a new page or site is needed.For more details, please read the Large Project Needs + Requirements section below.
b. Discuss with your appropriate SGSM Advisor about the new website.
c. Once approved, create a Service Now ticket for the new website. Please remember to CC: Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) on the Service Now ticket as well.
d. E-mail Service Now & Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) to discuss or set up an appointment.
e. Organize your desired web content into a clean document, marking sections with titles. Include desired location/URL.
f. Include any photographs or graphics.
g. Include any special instructions.
h. E-mail website content and artwork to Service Now and CC: Daniel (dkstone@uci.edu).
i. Reply promptly to any requests for clarification or additional content.
j. New websites and web pages can take anywhere from a day to multiple weeks to complete. The main reason for variation in completion times is how thorough the content provided is, in addition to overall complexity and workload. - Updating a Website
a. If this is a major overhaul or lots of updates needed, please discuss with your appropriate SGSM Advisor about it first. If not, continue.
b. Create a Service Now ticket for the update, and CC: Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) on that email.
c. These websites are managed by a variety of different people. Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) and Aaron Echols (aechols@uci.edu) oversee all websites to some extent and can point you in the right direction for website-specific questions.
d. Indicate the URL of the page to be changed.
e. Provide your updates.
f. Include any photographs or graphics.
g. Include all content updates/changes. - Forms
a. It’s very likely that at some point you will want to provide applications to the student-body or need a form for a specific event or initiative. For this we can create forms. The process is similar to updating a website.
b. Surveys
i. Create a Service Now ticket for the update and CC Daniel Stone (dkstone@uci.edu) on that email.
ii. Include
1. Form/Application Title
2. Description of the form, with important information, deadlines, contact information or other details.
3. Deadline for the form to be completed
4. List the identifying fields you want to include (Name, E-mail, Phone, Year in School, Major, etc.)
5. Write out any questions you wish to have answered.
6. How do you want to receive the data?
a. Individual e-mails each time a form is completed?
b. What E-mail address should replies be sent to?
c. Wait until the deadline and request a spreadsheet with all responses - Web Deliverable Timeframes
a. Webpage content or minor site update – estimate up to 3-5 business days*
i. Examples
1. An already existing ASUCI page needs a change on the currently written text
2. A photo needs to be modified/changed from an already existing photo
3. Dates need to be updated on a page that already exists
b. Additional function/small site or page request – estimate up to 2-4 weeks*
i. Examples
1. A form on an already existing webpage
2. A small change in the design of an existing webpage
c. Simple Single Page Projects (no backend) – estimate up to 3-6 weeks*
i. Examples
1. New page within an established site – ASUCI new page for a new commission
2. Purely informational, no database or data storage/retrieval
d. Large Projects – estimate up to 8-12+ weeks*
i. Examples
1. New webpage/site – Summerlands, APAD, Soulstice
2. Entire website revamp/rebranding – NewU, StudentGov
*Possibly more time depending on workload at time of request (note: this time reflects when work is started on the project – TIMELINE DOES NOT START WHEN THE TICKET IS SUBMITTED)
- Large Project Needs & Requirements
a. Students will provide site design/mockup and all requirements for the project. They will have already done some of their own research. Students must provide all assets/documents by the time user research is completed (One (1) week after project work is started – otherwise there may be delays incurred).
i. Front-end Dev: Interview
1. What is the project?
2. Walk me through what you do now?
3. What is the purpose or need to be fulfilled?
4. What are the pain points that need addressing?
5. What are the criteria for satisfaction?
6. Any current apps/websites that inspires you?
7. What frequency would you be comfortable to meet for review?
8. How do you want the site to look like?
9. What do you want other students to take away from your site?
10. What are other competitors that you want to inspire the design?
ii. Web Developer, OIT & SGSM Project Discussion
iii. User Research (Two (2) weeks)
iv. Front-end Dev Process
1. Basic flow for backend to create a Story Map
2. Create Epics for the Project
3. Break down Epics into workflow Stories: “As a , I can (so that ).”
4. Revise mockup if needed - Design I [2-4 weeks]
a. Wireframes: focus on layout and user flow [1 week]
b. (If in WordPress) Look for WordPress theme(s) and plugins with Web Developer [2 days]
c. Low-fidelity mock-up [1 week]
d. Create skeleton (if in WordPress)
e. Review with Stakeholder
f. Test + Revise as needed [1-2 weeks] - Development I [2 weeks]
a. Create skeleton/base foundation pages
b. Review with Stakeholder - Development II [1-2 weeks depending on backend]
a. Create fully flushed out site following the specs / mock-ups to create MVP
b. Consistent stakeholder reviews, updates & contact - Test + Revise design [1-2 weeks]
a. Have SAIT & others outside of the organization test
b. Usability Report
c. Revise/Update
d. Review with Stakeholder - Repeat as needed
- Release
- All campuswide emails must be submitted utilizing the designated form and will be reviewed prior to sending: Campuswide Emails.
- Please review the campuswide email form for policy and instruction found on the Internal site.
- All surveys must follow the Student Affairs Survey Policy for review: Student Affairs Survey Policy
a. If the survey is under 199 people (internal only) or for workshop feedback, it will need to be approved by the Executive Director.
b. If the survey is over 200, it will need to be approved by Student Affairs.
- Please review additional policy and complete the appropriate form found on the Internal site and secure approval from Student Affairs or professional staff: Survey Request
- Once approved, SGSM can release your survey and you may continue with any marketing needed.
- All surveys with a e-gift card component must follow the purchasing and e-gift policy as well as use Qualtrics.
- Any survey that is not pre-approved, all reimbursements having to do with that survey will be denied.
- All Graduate Student Governments are required to follow all policies.
- Students should always consult with their respective departments for additional resources of policies.
- AMSG, MSA, and SBA are exempt from the tangible item policy, which requires recipients to pick up the items from the main SGSM office. The graduate programs will be responsible for distributing their items to the students and receiving verification forms for each recipient. Students will not be reimbursed without a proper verification form which can be found on our website.
- All Funding Boards that are managed by SGSM are required to follow all policies.
- Students should always consult with their respective departments for additional resources of policies.
- Funding Boards that receive departmental funds (outside of SGSM) are exempt from the student fee policies.