Record Breaking SOVO

You brought the energy, the excitement, and excellence in tri-fold informative arts—this year’s SOVO Fair was unforgettable! With a record breaking 500 organizations tabling, we loved seeing org leaders bring the energy, share their passions, and help new Rams find their place at VCU. Thanks to you, the fair was electric with connections, community, and growth. Your hard work made it all possible—thank you for making SOVO 2025 our biggest and best yet!

Herd Against Hazing - Rams Report

Hazing has no place at VCU. If you see or experience it, speak up using the Hazing Reporting Form—reports can be anonymous, and support resources are always available to those who support.

VCU offers 24/7 crisis services, counseling, TimelyCare virtual support, and help through the Dean of Student Advocacy Office.

Learn more and find reporting resources at hazing.vcu.edu/reporting

Hello Student Organizations! My name is Fin, and I’m excited to introduce myself as your new Finance Coordinator for Student Organizations. My job is to support the presidents and treasurers of groups that have received funding from the SGA IFB. If you have questions about how to use your funds, I’m the person to ask!

A bit about me:

*I’m a proud VCU alum (BFA '12, MSW 19).
*Before this role, I taught classes in the Honors College and School of Social Work.
*I also worked at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for six years, which remains one of my favorite places in Richmond!

Here are a few key updates and resources for you:

Finance Training and Test

Remember: The last date to complete the training and test (synchronously or asynchronously) is Wednesday, September 24th.

We have two more synchronous training sessions for presidents and treasurers of funded student orgs on Thursday, Sep 4, a Virtual session, and Wednesday, Sep 10 (In-person with food!). You can find times and locations for the synchronous training on the Canvas (2025-26 Student Organization Finance Training) course.

Office Hours: You can schedule a virtual or in-person meeting with me in The Underground during my weekly office hours.

Contact: The best way to reach me and the rest of the Finance Team is via email at cfsof@vcu.edu

Purchasing Restrictions Reminder

Dear Organizations' Presidents and Treasurers:

Thank you for your participation in campus life and leadership development programs here at VCU. Student organizations play a vital role in the lives of many college students who find community and personal development through joining a student group like yours. This email is shared to support the success and development of your student organization and compliance with the University's spending policies and restriction guidelines.

Your organization recently requested a budget for the 2025-26 academic year and received an allocation to spend approved funds by the SGA Independent Finance Board or IFB. It is likely that if your student group received less than the full amount requested, funding for restricted items was not included in your group's allocation. These items include, among others:

Gift Cards
Items purchased for Fundraising purposes
Gifts
Memberships

As an organization president and Treasurer, you have the responsibility for completing finance training before your funds can be accessed by your student group. While this is the case for all funded student groups, we are already receiving spending requests for the restricted items listed in bold print above. Please review and refer to the resources below to ensure your awareness of restricted items that cannot be purchased with Student Activity Fee funds allocated by the VCU Student Government.

2025-2026 Student Organization Finance Manual
2025-2026 Purchasing Deadlines
RAMOrgs
Schedule a meeting with Student Org Finance

Please keep this guidance in mind when making purchases this year and when preparing your spring 2026 budget request later this fall. We appreciate your leadership and wish your organization continued success this year!

The Underground Hours of Operation:
Monday 11 am - 7 pm
Tuesday 11 am - 7 pm
Wednesday 11 am - 7 pm
Thursday 11 am - 7 pm
Friday 11 am - 5 pm

We love to see organizations traveling for conferences, community engagement and cultural exploration! While the Office of Student Involvement does not approve or deny travel, we do have some important travel notification requirements to remember.

For overnight travel, orgs must submit a travel notification form to the Office of Student Involvement. OSI does not approve travel, but requires all orgs receiving university funding to complete this form 30 days before travel.

For international travel, be sure to have each org member traveling register with the Global Education Office. They have a central registry of VCU travelers for health and safety purposes. If you have any questions or would like pre-departure support, please email abroad@vcu.edu.

✨ It’s official — The Underground is now on Instagram! 🎉
Be sure to have your org follow us to stay connected and in the loop with updates, events, and more.