Certified student organizations at The University of Alabama will be eligible for additional benefits thanks to the Office of Student Involvement’s new incentive program. 

According to the SOURCE, The Foundation is “an incentive program that seeks to prepare our student organizations and its leaders/members to be phenomenal leaders, servants, effective collaborators, and advocates for their causes.” 

In order for student organizations to exist at the university, they must go through a registration process with the SOURCE. The institution then provides resources, support and recognition for the school’s 600 student organizations. This fall, The Foundation will join Get On Board Day and Organization Takeover as yet another avenue student groups can pursue to improve their functions.

SOURCE-registered organizations can receive proportional benefits based on the level of achievement they reach in the program. The Foundation has four levels that groups can reach: bronze, silver, gold, and crimson. Each level requires more of an organization than the one below it. 

At the bronze level, clubs must host an informational session for members, while the silver level requires that all executive officers be trained. Gold adds the requirement of training 5 additional members – or 10 percent of the group’s membership – and crimson requires that a group reach gold level in two or more of the program’s tiers.

Training events span the course of the semester with the first one taking place on Aug. 29 and the last on Dec. 9. Each event will be held in the Ferguson Center and cover a different topic. 

Throughout the fall, organizations will have seven opportunities to become certified in the university’s Safezone program. According to the Division of Student Affairs, Safezone “provides a visible network of volunteers for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and other individuals seeking information and assistance regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, harassment and/or discrimination.” Other training opportunities include bystander intervention training sessions, leadership workshops, and poverty simulation exercises.

While the specifics of The Foundation’s incentives are yet to be released, the SOURCE indicated that participating groups could be eligible for additional funds. At the Source Officer’s Academy on Saturday, Coordinator of Student Involvement, Ashley Cofield, said organizations reaching the highest level could possibly receive monetary prizes. 

Many student organizations on campus struggle to find funding to meet their needs. The primary source of many groups’ income is from the Financial Affairs Committee, which doles out money to organizations based on need. But through The Foundation, some clubs might be able to find a newfound source of funds previously inaccessible. 

Organizations can learn more and register for sessions at thesource.ua.edu.