Student Leader Guide
This FAQ is intended to serve as a general guide for student civic-engagement leaders and students interested in becoming more involved in civic-engagement at Princeton. If you have additional questions, comments, or feedback, please contact Steve Streicher, Pace Center Communications Manager, at sstreich@princeton.edu.
- What is the Pace Council for Civic Values (PCCV)?
- What is Student Volunteers Council (SVC)?
- What is Community House?
- How do PCCV, SVC, and Community House relate to the Pace Center?
- What is Projects Board?
- What does group recognition mean?
- What are the differences between Pace, SVC, ODUS, and Office of Religious Life recognition?
- What is the difference between USG Projects Board funding and Pace funding?
- What is the turnaround time for recognition and funding approval?
- What steps should you take for getting an event approved?
- How do you reserve a room for a meeting or event?
- Who should you talk to for help with sound equipment, projectors, lighting equipment, etc.?
- What other steps should students keep in mind when planning an event?
- Who can help advertise for an event?
- Is there a special process for fundraising and selling merchandise for charities?
- Is there a special process for selling food?
- If a group needs to go off campus, what is the best way to rent a car? In particular, what is the protocol for using Pace Center vehicles?
- How can a group establish an online presence?
- What are the steps to take when group leadership changes?
- Who should you contact with more questions?
What is the Pace Council for Civic Values (PCCV)?
PCCV is a student board with the mission of promoting greater civic awareness and action on campus. PCCV grants University recognition to civic engagement student organizations, offers peer advising to Pace recognized student groups, administers the Pace Center Civic Engagement Fund, and generally promotes active citizenship at Princeton through organizing campus-wide events and reaching out to student leaders.
More information about PCCV can be found here.
What is Student Volunteers Council (SVC)?
SVC is led by an 8-member student board of directors who provide peer advising and logistical support to over 40 weekly volunteering projects outside of Princeton. Each project is directly run by one or two project coordinators, and over 500 students are involved in SVC activities each year. SVC also organizes Community Action at the beginning of each academic year.
More information about SVC can be found here.
Community House is committed to closing the minority achievement gap in the town Princeton. Community House offers a number of student-led programs which aim to bolster early childhood literacy, promote the mastery of fundamental academic skills, and create early awareness of post-secondary opportunities for underserved minority youth. It also offers SAT prep and college application assistance for high school students who will be the first in their family to attend college.
More information about Community House can be found here.
How do PCCV, SVC, and Community House relate to the Pace Center?
The Pace Center for Civic Engagement is the administrative home for civic engagement and service at Princeton. SVC, Community House, and PCCV are all core parts of the Pace Center’s mission to support members of the Princeton University community in identifying and addressing issues of public concern. In addition to SVC weekly projects and Community Action, Community House education programs, and the activities of PCCV and civic engagement student groups, the Pace Center also organizes, sponsors and/or administers Breakout civic action trips, PICS, Guggenheim, CAAS and other public service internships, postgraduate public interest fellowships, the Prison Teaching Initiative, and Inter-Action. Each of these programs encourages Princeton students, faculty, staff, and alumni to become active citizens and public leaders by engaging with and responding thoughtfully to civic issues.
The Projects Board is a USG sub-committee that plays an advisory role to events organizers and serves as one of the primary funders for campus student group events. Only recognized student groups with Princeton University project grant numbers can receive Projects Board funding for events – this includes groups recognized by Pace, ODUS, and the Office of Religious Life. The Projects Board has an annual budget of over $114,000 that is funded by student fees.
According to the Projects Board website, the Projects Board is a funding option of last resort. The Board expects you to have made a concerted effort at securing revenue, whether from academic or administrative departments, foundations, corporations, ticket sales, advertising sales, alumni, or elsewhere. The Board is far more amenable to giving money to those who have made a valiant effort to raise funds from other sources, especially to those who have secured outside funding.
The Projects Board meets on Thursdays and requires that you submit your funding application at least three days before their meeting.
More information on the Projects Board can be found here.
What does group recognition mean?
Group recognition is obtained through a formal approval process through the PCCV (for Pace groups), the Student Groups Recognition Committee (for ODUS groups) or the Office of Religious Life. Recognized student groups are given a project grant number and are eligible to receive funding from Projects Board. Having a project grant number is also required for many organizational purposes, such as reserving rooms and media equipment.
What are the differences between Pace, SVC, ODUS, and Office of Religious Life recognition?
Pace recognition is primarily intended for civic-engagement student groups that plan to be involved in activism, awareness, fundraising, and periodic volunteering. Every group recognized under Pace is assigned a student representative on the Pace Council for Civic Values to serve as a peer advisor and general resource. The Pace group recognition form can be found here.
SVC recognition is intended for weekly volunteering opportunities with local community partners. Generally, Pace Center cars and vans are reserved for only SVC activities. SVC recognized projects do not receive a project grant number, however. Each SVC volunteering project is assigned an SVC board member who supports and advises the project. Email svc@princeton.edu for the application form.
ODUS recognition is extended to other student groups that plan to hold events on campus and have demonstrated significant student interest. Applicants interested in proposing new groups must justify how their group differs from existing student groups. The ODUS group recognition form can be found here.
Religious groups should apply for recognition through ODUS. Once approved, they will fall under the auspices of the Office of Religious Life (ORL). Under the ORL umbrella, religious student groups can obtain their project grant numbers and websites, be included on the ORL website and in various departmental brochures, reserve rooms through the ORL website, and become eligible for religious student group funding. Religious student group leaders become part of the ORL Religious Student Leader Group and are invited to participate in various ORL events. The ORL website can be found here.
What is the difference between USG Projects Board funding and Pace funding?
All on-campus events sponsored by University-recognized groups (Pace, ODUS, or ORL) may apply to Projects Board for funding. The Projects Board funding application form can be found here.
Funding from the Pace Council for Civic Values (PCCV) is reserved for students who are planning a civic engagement activity and cannot obtain funding through the USG Projects Board. Pace funding may be allocated to recognized student groups planning an off-campus event or unrecognized groups of students planning an on- or off-campus event. The Pace funding application form can be found here.
Events cannot get funding from both Projects Board and Pace. Please note that no funding board will give retroactive funding, so you must plan your requests well in advance of any purchases.
What is the turnaround time for recognition and funding approval?
The Pace Council meets once a week to review group recognition and funding applications. We strongly recommend that you apply for funding more than two weeks in advance. Occasionally the council will have questions about an application and will need time to clarify certain points, which will delay the approval process.
The Projects Board meets on Thursdays and requires that you submit your online funding application by Monday at noon. Again, applications should be submitted well in advance of an event. At least one member of your organization must attend the Thursday meeting to present the proposal. More information on the Projects Board funding approval process can be found here .
Applications for ODUS group recognition through the Student Groups Recognition Committee must also be sent in well in advance, and the SGRC usually sets application deadlines for each of its meetings. More information on the SGRC approval process can be found here.
What steps should you take for getting an event approved?
An ODUS group must register its event with ODUS here . On the ODUS event registration online form, there is a list of links to University Services organizations, whom you can contact for assistance with your event, such as Media Services, Public Safety, Grounds, and Catering. Most university offices and services require this registration information before they can begin to work with you on your event. ODUS officially requires that you submit events for approval at least 5 business days in advance, but it is highly recommended that you do so earlier.
Pace groups must register events with the Pace Center here. This allows the Pace Center to track and approve civic engagement group events and guide planners to the right resources.
How do you reserve a room for a meeting or event?
On the ODUS event-registration FAQ , there is a list of links to University spaces and organizations. Contact the organization that best fits your needs. Usually, you will need Pace or ODUS approval for an event before you can reserve a space. All University event facilities will accept an email confirmation from the Pace Center to process a space reservation, so group leaders planning an on-campus event should be in touch with the Pace Center prior to reserving a space.
The ODUS FAQ also has other important information regarding event registration and planning.
Who should you talk to for help with sound equipment, projectors, lighting equipment, etc.?
Contact Media Services at media@princeton.edu for help with audio-visual equipment at events. They may be able to provide and bring equipment to events, but they usually require event organizers to pick up and return the media equipment.
What other steps should students keep in mind when planning an event?
Visit ODUS’s event planning guide for a step-by-step walkthrough on how to organize and plan an event. Also, see the event planning checklist on the bottom of this page to keep your event planning on track.
More information about event planning, funding, and advertising is also available at the Projects Board FAQ.
Who can help advertise for an event?
To advertise in the Campus Events email, email events@princeton.edu no later than the Saturday preceding the Monday mailing.
To advertise in the Pace Center newsletter, email Steve Streicher, the Pace Center’s communication’s manager, at sstreich@princeton.edu.
To advertise on the Princeton Student Events Calendar, visit the website here.
You can also contact relevant academic departments, which are often willing to forward on your information through their listservs.
Visit the advertisement section of ODUS’s FAQ for more ideas.
Is there a special process for fundraising and selling merchandise for charities?
On campus, student groups can sell merchandise at fundraisers. Cash boxes can be checked out at the Pace Center office. For all charity fundraisers, we request that the Pace group provides its PCCV representative with:
- Prior to the event, a letter from the receiving organization saying they are aware of the fundraiser and can accept the money
- After the event, a follow-up letter from the organization acknowledging receipt of the funds
An outside, third-party vendor, however, is responsible for collecting their own sales tax. If your group is sponsoring vendors of this sort, please notify the Pace Center as soon as possible so that we can direct you to the Office of Community and Regional Affairs.
Student groups hosting on-campus charity fundraisers may NOT deposit the proceeds of their fundraiser in a University account, including their group project grant account. Students who receive cash donations at a fundraiser should take the money as soon as possible to a bank or post office and transfer it into a money order made out to the receiving organization. Students should avoid keeping large amounts of cash from fundraisers with them or in their dorm rooms.
Is there a special process for selling food?
Event planners should contact Jacqueline Wagner at the Office of Environmental Health and Safety as early as possible to receive guidelines about non-catered food distribution. They should also check with the managers of the event location about site-specific policies (for example, Frist and Richardson have different policies).
SVC and Community House projects have priority when it comes to booking Pace Center vehicles, but Pace groups may also use Pace vehicles depending on availability. Any student taking out a Pace van must be van certified. Contact Pace Center administrator Sue Bruan at sbruan@princeton.edu (or visit her in the Pace Center office at 201D) for more information. Inquiries about use of Pace vehicles should be made several weeks in advance of the event and no later than two weeks ahead of time.
Another car rental option is WeCar , an on-campus car rental service. WeCar requires that students pay a membership fee and an hourly or daily charge. WeCar vehicles are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How can a group establish an online presence?
A group can request an email account, listserv, and URL to facilitate group communication through the OIT access request form. Once you have created your Listserv, you can make changes and updates using the List Owner Dashboard.
A group can also create a Princeton sponsored blog. To get started, send a request to blogs@princeton.edu.
Any questions regarding emails or blogs should be directed to the OIT HelpDesk at (609) 258-5750. They are available 24/7.
What are the steps to take when group leadership changes?
New Pace group leaders should contact their PCCV representative and should update the contact information on the MyPace directory here.
Who should you contact with more questions?
Contact the relevant Pace Center and ODUS staff for questions and support. Pace recognized groups should also get in touch with their Pace student representative, a member of the Pace Council for Civic Values (PCCV). A listing of current PCCV members can be found here.