Manning CICS Student Organization Handbook

At CICS, we pride ourselves on fostering a vibrant and dynamic community where students can thrive both academically and socially. Our student organizations play a crucial role in this mission, providing opportunities for leadership, collaboration, and personal growth.

This handbook is your comprehensive guide to navigating the diverse array of student organizations within our college. Whether you're looking to start a new club or learn about the resources available to support your organization's activities, you'll find everything you need below.

We encourage you to take full advantage of the opportunities available through our student organizations. Get involved, make connections, and contribute to the vibrant community that makes the Manning College of Computer Sciences a special place to learn and grow.

UMass Amherst Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) student organizations are academic clubs that may or may not have gone through the UMass RSO process but are recognized by CICS as a student-run group. These student-led organizations, with funding accounts run by the college, are housed within CICS at UMass Amherst and listed on our Student Organizations page.

  • Before filling out the form for a new organization, please check the CICS Student Organizations page to see if you can join another group with similar interests and goals. If another group exists, we may ask you to discuss your interests with that group or join efforts with them instead of forming a new organization.
  • To become a CICS student organization, you will need the following:
    • A common goal for your organization. 
    • A group of four or more interested students.
    • A leadership group of three or more CICS students with defined roles.
    • Willingness to abide by the CICS student organization policies and guidelines.
  • Once organizations have the above information ready, complete the CICS Student Organization Registration/Renewal Form. 

There are no right or wrong ways to organize your leadership roles, but CICS recommends having at least three members in a leadership team to help lighten the load of organizing for student-led groups. It is also best practice to make sure you have leaders at different levels of their college experience; if a group is led entirely by graduating students, important information may be lost between leadership transitions. Below are some examples of roles within a student organization and some ways to delegate responsibilities.

President

  • Oversees the student organization’s mission, activities, and budgeting process
  • Regularly communicates with the group’s advisor regarding group needs and activities
  • Regularly communicates with members through planned meetings to keep them informed of the group’s activities, plans, and needs

Vice President

  • Acts as the President of the organization when necessary
  • Assists in directing the organization’s mission, activities, and budgeting process

Secretary

  • Takes notes at group meetings; distributes notes to membership as needed
  • Records attendance at meetings and events
  • Assists in the oversight of the organization’s mission and activities
  • Maintains policy documents for the group

Treasurer

  • Maintains records and receipts for the organization’s spending
  • Keeps group leadership informed of balances and budget issues
  • Leads budgeting processes for the organization and its events
  • Submits requests for funding
  • Coordinates with Ed Welch and Brian Krusell when opportunities arise for funding from external sources.

Other recommended roles:

  • Event Coordinator
  • Recruitment Officer/Outreach Coordinator

CICS student organizations have a CICS faculty advisor or a CICS staff liaison. These are assigned by CICS upon acceptance as a student organization. Some faculty advisors/staff liaisons are more involved than others, which largely depends on the needs of the organization. Groups should discuss their needs with their advisors through an email, virtual meeting, or in-person meeting.

How can your faculty advisor help?

Advisors and staff liaisons may have different levels of involvement based on the needs of the student organization. Below are some of the things a faculty advisor can do for you:

  • Helping you expand upon your goals and ideas. 
  • Advocating for the group within the university, department, or community
  • Assisting in connecting the group with campus resources

In addition to this handbook, the staff liaison is a source of advice about administrative processes and policies. They will work to remind you of deadlines and recruitment opportunities within CICS. While faculty advisors provide substantive advice to organizations based on your goals and interests, staff liaisons can help you understand requirements for student organizations within CICS and contact you for pending administrative needs (budgeting, renewal, etc.)

Other support staff and organization email

While it is your responsibility to organize all events, including space requests, food orders, building access, and advertising, certain CICS offices will help you with these processes (this includes event staff, communications, financial officers, and others as needed to process your submitted requests). Please follow the procedures outlined within this handbook to access these services. In some cases, students can meet with the Director of Advising to help navigate significant organizational challenges.

CICS student organizations may have a need for a UMass email address. These are created by CSCF (Computer Science IT/Facilities) and can be requested by emailing CICS Student Organizations at cicsstudentorgs@umass.edu. It is against university policy for these accounts to be shared; they are created and designated to one person in your student organization and must be reassigned to a new person when the account holder leaves their position. In addition, a Google group can be formed so that members and those interested can easily be emailed with the organization’s updates.

Meeting with student organization advisors

CICS recommends that an organization’s leadership team and faculty advisor meet as needed to discuss the trajectory of the organization or for help with specific challenges. The regularity that students and advisors should meet will vary depending on the needs and schedules of all involved parties. Staff liaisons may also be invited/attend these meetings as their time and schedule permits.

Once you have your leadership members in place and have been assigned a faculty advisor and staff liaison, you may request funding from CICS for your organization’s events, supplies, travel, etc. You must reapply for funding each academic year using the CICS Student Organization Registration/Renewal Form. The college has limited funds to provide to student organizations each academic year, so please submit your reasonable requests early. Priority funding will be set for requests submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET on April 1 each year.   

  • If your group will be funded by organizations or departments other than CICS, we can help assist you in transferring the funds from other UMass offices and soliciting gifts from external companies and alumni.  Please indicate this desire for external funding on your annual student organization registration form.
  • CICS discourages student organizations from soliciting funds from companies and alumni without first speaking with their faculty advisor and the CICS Careers office.  
Budgeting for events

Use a spreadsheet or a budget template to plan your events and make sure you are spending your money wisely. Some things to consider when budgeting include:

  • Promotion: Many student organizations advertise their meetings and events through social media, but widening your advertising strategies can lead to improved event success. Consider the costs of adding flyers, posters, and other printed materials to get the word out about your offering.
  • Food and beverages: Adding food to any event can help you attract a larger audience and keep your attendees happy. 
  • Decorations: Some events require no additional decorations, while others utilize decoration to add to the room's ambiance. 
  • Speaker Booking Fees: Though some speakers may participate in your event for free, others may require a stipend for travel or have a set fee to bring them to campus.
  • Facility rental: Check with your advisor to see what charges apply for using campus facilities. Many rooms are free or cheap for student organizations to utilize.
  • Production: Some events require extra services or fees to set up. When utilizing a tent, for example, you have not only the cost of the tent itself but also the permits required to set it up. Consider these kinds of costs as you plan your event.
Working with CICS speakers and inviting guest speakers

CICS Careers works with many alumni and industry partners, and it can be helpful to you and that office if information is shared about visitors to campus/organizational affiliates. When inviting a speaker, please contact CICS Careers about pre-existing relationships and possible assistance.

Booking campus spaces

Starting in Spring 2025, CICS is only able to support student organization room requests for the LGRC-lowrise. We are working with the CICS Makerspace on a plan to provide additional support for this building after-hours so that you can access LGRC meeting rooms in the evenings until 7pm (weekdays) and until 5pm (on weekends). CICS Event staff will no longer make reservations for the ILC or UMass buildings other than the LGRC.

When using campus space for events, you are expected to remove your trash from the room and to clean all surfaces. Failure to observe this requirement will lead to a suspension of your booking privileges. 

Please note that any CICS student organization that is also a Registered Student Organization (RSO) at UMass can access building reservations via the Student Organization Resource Center. For more information about becoming an RSO please visit https://www.umass.edu/student-life/student-union/student-organization-resource

Booking the rooms

  • To book a CICS conference room, fill out the form here.
    • You should try to book the room as far in advance as possible to increase the chances of availability; CICS conference rooms are booked quickly during prime hours of the day.
  • All groups should review the conference room policies before requesting a room.
  • For any questions about booking CICS rooms, email room-reservations@cs.umass.edu. 

UMass event spaces

UMass event spaces are primarily run by the Event Sales Office, with the exception of the Mullins Center and Old Chapel.

Other university spaces

Advertising events

CICS Events Calendar

  • Add your event to the public calendar for CICS to inform potential attendees.
  • Submit your event using the calendar submission form. 
  • Please allow up to two business days for entries to be approved and put onto the calendar.
  • Once your event has been published, it will appear in the This Week in CICS Instagram story, in the Upcoming Events section of weekly CICS Highlights e-newsletter, and on digital displays throughout CICS buildings. 

CICS Highlights newsletter

  • CICS Highlights is an internal e-newsletter for the CICS community, published weekly on Fridays during the academic year. 
  • Deadlines for submitting news and announcements are the Wednesdays before publication dates.
  • Submit news or announcements about your student organizations using the News Submission Form.

Social media

  • Tag CICS (@manningcics) on Instagram and we'll share your news or event on our Instagram stories. 

Digital signage in the CS and LGRC buildings

  • Student organizations can utilize the vertical digital displays that are in CICS building lobbies to promote their events. To download the sign template and submit your sign, please complete the digital signage submission form. 
Ordering food and other items for events

When an organization has an event and needs to order things like food, plan ahead if requesting assistance. We recommend coordinating this two weeks ahead of an event when possible.

Food for events

  • To order food for an upcoming event, stop by the Advising Office (LGRC A114) to place a tax exempt delivery order with a University credit card. Popular restaurants that are familiar with UMass’ ordering process include Bruno’s, Antonio’s, the Black Sheep, the Works, and Panera Bread. 
  • Please note that we are unable to order via Door Dash. If you wish to order from a company using that service, please plan to order directly and be reimbursed.
  • Please retain any receipts that accompany delivery and return to the Advising Office within 48 hours of your food delivery. Following your event, please submit either a list of attendees (including first and last name) or a flyer or e-mail indicating that the event was open to the public.
  • When placing a food order, you will need to include the following:
    • The name, phone number, and email address of the person responsible for signing the receipt.
      • Please note that we will need a copy of your receipt after it is signed.
      • Return any receipts to the administrative assistant in the CS Main Office with a note to put the receipt in the mailbox of whoever ordered the food.
    • The date, time, and location for the delivery.
    • An estimate of your group size.
    • The specifics of your order
      • For example, if you want pizza, tell us what kind of pizza you want, the sizes of the pizzas, the toppings, etc.
  • Please note that food orders should be requested with a minimum of two business days' advance notice. We cannot always place food orders requested with less than 48 hours of lead time.

Plates, napkins, cups, and utensils

  • When ordering from a vendor who provides plates, napkins, cups, and utensils, those supplies will be requested from them.
  • When ordering from a vendor who does not provide these items, student organizations can arrange a pick-up for supplies for events by sending an email to events@cs.umass.edu. 
    • Requestors are responsible for picking up their supplies at the Events Office (CS Room 101) during normal business hours (8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday).
    • Requestors should return all unused supplies to the Events Office after their event.

CICS Student Organization Purchasing Guidelines

As university-funded organizations, CICS student organizations are required to follow UMass purchasing guidelines and policies. Please consult these guidelines and the MCICS finance team before making purchases to ensure that your organization is both compliant and using the resources we have available in the College to support your groups.

 

Supplies

To purchase supplies for events, please contact Jeff Keedy, CICS Accountant, who can assist with placing tax exempt orders. We have tax exempt accounts with Amazon and WB Mason who are preferred vendors for ordering supplies. If you need supplies from another store, please provide plenty of notice so we can make the necessary tax exempt arrangements.

 

Food

To order food for an upcoming event, stop by the Advising Office (LGRC A114) to place a tax exempt delivery order with a University credit card. Popular restaurants that are familiar with UMass’ ordering process include Bruno’s, Antonio’s, the Black Sheep, the Works, and Panera Bread. Please retain any receipts that accompany delivery and return to the Advising Office within 48 hours of your food delivery. Following your event, please submit either a list of attendees (including first and last name) or a flyer or e-mail indicating that the event was open to the public.

 

Prizes and Gift Cards

UMass has strict rules and limits regarding gift card purchases. To request a gift card prize, please submit a Gift Card Prize Request form to Jeff Keedy. Please note that we are only able to purchase digital gift cards delivered via e-mail in order to provide the University with required proof of gift card receipt - we strongly encourage offering gift cards through Amazon.

Please note that the maximum individual prize that can be offered is $100 per University guidelines.

 

Apparel and Promotional Items

The UMass system has contracts with a number of local vendors for apparel and promotional items. For groups ordering t-shirts, pens, stickers, or other giveaway items, we are required to use these vendors, and we also receive discounted pricing for doing so.

Please check out the following vendors as you are pricing out apparel and promotional item purchases, and let them know you are ordering through UMass Amherst so they can apply discounted rates and tax exemption:

NEPM

Razz-M-Tazz Promotions 

Silver Screen Design

If you are looking for a specialty product that is not provided by any of these vendors, please contact us in advance so we can work with you to find a vendor or explore adding a new vendor to our system.

 

Printing

The Computer Science Computing Facility located in CS 1something offers color printing and poster printing. E-mail system@cs.umass.edu to request printing.

If you need to use an outside printer, we recommend Amherst Design and Copy. Please provide your group name on the order and ask them to bill CICS so that we can pay directly.

 

Subscriptions

UMass offers free Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, and Microsoft Office 365 subscriptions for students - expenses related to these systems are not reimbursable.

If there are other systems you would like access to, contact Jeff Keedy who can assist with sign up. We are also open to other programs that might be of use for multiple groups so that we can consolidate expenses and make your budgets go further.

 

Reimbursements

Due to University restrictions on reimbursements, this should be a last resort for all purchases. Please plan ahead to order necessary food and supplies so that we can use the systems we have in place to make purchasing easier for all of us and make sure that no students are paying out of pocket for their student groups.

If there are extenuating circumstances where reimbursement is required, please note that we are not able to reimburse for sales tax and that reimbursements can take up to 3-4 weeks to process. Before paying out of pocket, check with Melissa, Jeff, Michelle, or your advisor to see if we can assist!

After reading the above, if you still have questions about organizing events or operating within CICS, please email cicsstudentorgs@umass.edu for assistance.