TU’s Finest Guidelines

  1. Definition
  2. TU’s Finest shall be an award granted annually to TU’s Top Three Student Organizations, which shall be selected according to the process outlined in this document.
  3. Eligibility
  4. To be eligible for TU’s Finest, an organization must have a current and active charter on file with SA as defined by the Student Organization Committee (SOC) Guidelines.
  5. Process Overview
  6. For the first level review, all applications shall be reviewed by SOC and ranked according to the grading rubric.
  7. SOC shall select the top applications to advance to the second level of the review process.
  8. The highest ranking ten applications, or the organizations having applied, if less than ten, shall be sent to the second level of review.
  9. Only information provided on the application shall be considered for first level review.
  10. The second level review shall be conducted by a committee panel interview.
  11. SOC shall select the members of this committee prior to the application deadline.
  12. The committee shall consist of the SOC chairperson, the SA president, SA vice-president, SA advisor, and at least three full time University of Tulsa Faculty or Staff members.
  13. If a member of the committee participates in an organization being considered, the member shall abstain from ranking or discussing the organization.
  14. SOC shall give a report to Senate prior to second level interviews regarding the candidates selected for the faculty and/or staff committee.
  15. This review shall consist of an interview with a student organizational representative before the selection committee.
  16. After completion of the interview process, the selection committee shall determine the top first, second and third applying organizations, ranked according to the grading rubric.
  17. In the event of a tie among the top organizations, each judge shall independently rank each organization. Then the ranks for each organization shall be totaled and the organizations with the three best cumulative ranks shall be selected.
  18. In the event of a further tie, the determination will be made using the first level review scores. The organization ranked better during the first level review shall be the winner of the tie.
  19. Only information provided on the application as well as information provided by the organization during the interview shall be considered for second level review.
  20. Failure of an organization to appear for the second level committee interview shall result in disqualification of the organization from consideration.
  21. Organizations shall be notified of their selection for an interview and of the designated time and location for their interview at least one week before the scheduled time.
  22. SOC shall announce the recipients of the award at an SA sponsored event no later than the conclusion of the academic year.
  23. Intentional misrepresentation of any information included in the application or interview will disqualify the organization from TU’s Finest and may be grounds for revocation of the organization’s SA charter.
  24. Grading Rubric
  25. The following rubric shall be used throughout the review process. No other factors shall be considered in this rubric.
  26. Internal Operations (30 pts.)
  27. Use of allocations and resources based on membership
  28. Achievement of Organizational Purpose as outlined in said organization’s constitution
  29. Campus Outreach (20 pts.)
  30. Benefit to the entire campus
  31. Growth of events
  32. Size, scope, and student attendance of organization hosted events
  33. Benefit to members (20 pts.)
  34. Leadership opportunities and development
  35. Knowledge imparted on organization members
  36. Community service (15 pts.)
  37. Service to the campus community
  38. Service to the surrounding Tulsa community
  39. Service to other communities
  40. Diversity (15 pts.)
  41. Participants in the organization’s activities based on:
  42. Class standing
  43. Academic specialization or concentration
  44. Commuters vs. campus residents
  45. Application and Deadlines
  46. The application deadline shall be determined by SOC and submitted to the Senate for approval no later than the first meeting of the spring semester.
  47. Applications shall be created by SOC and made available to all student organizations no later than 2 weeks before the application deadline.
  48. Applications shall be due no later than March 31st.
  49. Awards
  50. The prizes for the top first, second, and third organizations shall be determined by the SA President.
  51. This determination shall be approved by the SA Senate in the form of a special order of business.
  52. The special order of business shall be introduced in conjunction with the bill for approval of application deadlines.
  53. Amendments
  54. Any amendments made to the grading rubric after the applications are made available shall not take effect until the following academic year.
  55. Appeals
  56. There is no appeals process.

Last Updated: February 2013

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