OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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In partnership with Student Experiences & Engagement (SEE), the Auxiliaries and Activities Business Center (AABC) serves as the financial home for recognized student organizations (RSO). The AABC serves recognized student organizations by:
A RSO fund is required in order to:
NOTE: Department Student Organizations (DSO) are not recognized, and therefore the following information does not apply. DSOs should work with their department’s business center for financial support.
You can also download a PDF copy of this guide.
RSO funds are established for outside entities affiliated with and residing at OSU to facilitate ease of use of OSU services. A RSO fund is established for maintaining funds for transacting the business of the organization. The balance in this fund is not owned by OSU. Records of RSO funds are maintained in the University financial information system and student organization balances roll over from year to year.
An index number is assigned in order to reference your RSO fund ‐ it is the key piece of information that allows the University to identify your fund and is used for all financial transactions on campus. Your index number will start with MUN, followed by 3 characters and is available via the club’s dashboard in the RSO Database (Ideal‐Logic).
RSO funds must be managed and utilized by the student officers of the organization, with each fund requiring a minimum of two (2), and up to five (5) authorized signers (Note: Faculty and staff may not serve as authorized signers on RSO funds). Organizations must maintain a RSO fund if they wish to use University facilities or expect to receive funds from University departments and programs. Funds derived from University sources must be maintained in a RSO fund and expenditures require adequate supporting documentation to ensure that funds are properly accounted for and that RSO funds are not used for personal gain.
The student organization recognition process for an academic year begins in early May and the recognition status expires at the end of week one of Fall term the following year (total of up to fifteen months). Student organizations are required to register annually for their RSO fund to remain open. An organization’s RSO fund becomes inactive when a club fails to renew their recognition. The AABC will close any RSO fund that has been inactive for two consecutive academic years. Any remaining funds in a RSO fund that is closed due to inactivity will be transferred as designated when the fund was opened.
An authorized signer is an officer of a student organization who has permission to spend money from their RSO fund. During the annual recognition process, the primary contact (student who registers the group) will identify the officers who should be authorized signers for the organization. The nominees will receive an email asking them to agree to the terms of being an authorized signer and to complete authorized signer training. When an officer has agreed to the terms and completed their training, their signer status will be authorized.
The authorized signers of your organization have been entrusted with the great responsibility of financial management and record keeping for your group. In performing the duties of financial officer, it is important to have a clear and accurate picture of the organization’s monetary status at all times.
Student organizations are advised to keep independent financial records and use the statement of activity report as a check on their internal records.
Organizations are not permitted to run deficit balances. It is the responsibility of the authorized signers to secure funds before incurring expenses, and deficits remain the responsibility of the organization to manage. If a fund does run a deficit, the AABC will place a “freeze” on the organization’s fund, and no further transactions will be permitted until the deficit has been rectified. The AABC will notify the organization if their fund balance is in deficit and the fund must be cleared as soon as possible. Failure to do so will result in the group not being permitted to expend from their RSO fund to participate in campus events, schedule events or book campus space. Please consult with an AABC or SLI representative with any questions you may have regarding your financial activity.
Authorized signers for groups may visit the AABC or contact the AABC from an OSU (ONID) email to request fund information. Be sure to provide your name, group name, and index number in your request. This information can also be accessed through http://core.oregonstate.edu by a treasurer. AABC is unable to provide this information over the phone.
Financial Reports for each RSO fund are available via https://core.oregonstate.edu or through the club’s dashboard in Ideal‐Logic. It is highly encouraged that organizations review their RSO fund activity no less than monthly in order to reconcile the fund with their own records. If any irregularities are found, contact the AABC as soon as possible. If there is a discrepancy in a financial report, a student organization will have until the closing of the fiscal year (approximately the second week of July) to address the discrepancy. No corrections will be made after the closing of the fiscal year. Please consult the AABC if there are questions on how to read the financial report.
Student organizations may choose to officially close a RSO fund at any time. In order to close your RSO fund in its entirety, all outstanding payments must be cleared, and any remaining funds may be transferred to another RSO fund, a University/Foundation index, or donated to an outside entity (i.e. national organization, charitable or philanthropic cause, or other non‐profit with valid Tax ID number).
To close a RSO fund, a Fund Closeout Request form must be submitted, including an explanation detailing the reason for closing the fund, where the remaining funds should be transferred, and signed by all authorized signers.
All funds generated by student organizations on University property must be transferred into a RSO fund. All money should be brought to the AABC located in SEC 350 as soon as possible to ensure that nothing happens to the funds. If you have a weekend or evening event and need to keep the money in a safe place until the business center is open, work with SLI to determine a safekeeping alternative.
Please take the following steps to expedite the cash receipts process:
At this time, electronic transfers cannot be used to move funds into a RSO fund. This includes electronic fund transfers (EFT), PayPal, Google Wallet or similar providers.
The student will complete a cash receipts record slip with their information. A receipt will be issued and it is the responsibility of the student organization to retain the receipt as confirmation and should be retained for subsequent verification against your fund statements.
A member of the RSO will assign a revenue code to each cash receipt transaction. Revenue account codes identify funds transferred into your organization’s fund. They are used extensively on the University’s monthly financial statements, which are available for every RSO fund. These reports reflect your group’s revenue as well as expenses on a monthly basis. When completing the cash receipts record, choose the most appropriate account code from the list below:
AABC has the discretion to update account codes as needed to align with proper coding for revenue. The RSO will be notified when the account code is updated from a non‐taxable to taxable account code. AABC may notify the RSO in other instances as needed for the RSO’s reference.
Upon the request of an authorized signer, the AABC will issue payments from the RSO fund on behalf of your organization. The AABC cannot issue checkbooks to student organizations. There are a few methods to utilize RSO funds to pay for goods and services.
The Payment Authorization is used to reimburse an individual for expenses incurred out of pocket, to pay a vendor invoice and initiate a journal voucher transfer to another OSU index. This form collects the critical information needed to process payment, including index number, expense code, contact information for payee and justification of payment. All Payment Authorization forms must be submitted by an authorized signer, and no signer may submit a form for payment to themselves.
Before any payments are processed, the AABC will verify the following required information:
All supporting documentation is kept within the University’s financial system. The AABC, in partnership with the Controller's Office, reserves the right to determine what constitutes adequate supporting documentation.
An organization may reimburse a member of the group who has paid for the organization’s expenses out‐of‐pocket. The authorized signer submitting the payment request cannot be the person being reimbursed. All original receipts (no duplicates) need to be attached to the Payment Authorization form.
If purchasing items from a business that does not typically provide an itemized receipt, they may be able to provide one if specifically requested. Do not conduct business with any place that does not give receipts, or does not provide the required information listed below, as the AABC will not issue a reimbursement without the required documentation.
Reimbursement will be processed no less than 5 days from submission of purchase request and required documentation. Processing times vary based on individual’s status in the University’s financial information system. International transactions will be managed on a case by case basis.
If the reimbursement is less than $100, the individual can be reimbursed immediately in the AABC via the cash out method rather than waiting for a check to be processed. The Payment Authorization form and supporting documentation are still required.
The AABC will not reimburse for alcohol, marijuana or other drugs and may not be able to reimburse someone who has paid another individual for a service provided to the group.
Student organizations may request payment be made to the vendor directly. This includes payment for goods or services. In instances where a RSO is paying for services (i.e. DJ, choreographers, speakers, and honorarium), OSU is unable to sign a contract with the vendor on behalf of the RSO.
Upon receipt of an invoice from the vendor, the following documents should be submitted to the AABC for processing payment.
If the vendor has not been set up in the financial information system, additional steps will be required to get them set up. The vendor will receive an invitation electronically requesting the information needed to make payment. Processing time for payment will depend on responsiveness of a vendor. To find out if a vendor is already in the University’s financial information system, contact the AABC.
To issue payment to other student organizations or OSU departments, a journal voucher transfer can be requested that will move the funds electronically from one index to the other. A journal voucher may be processed for expending funds out of your RSO fund by completing a Payment Authorization form.
Transfers may take up to 5 business days to process.
Students may request funds from a RSO fund in advance of expenditure to cover incidental expenses.
To request a cash advance, an authorized signer must submit an Advance Request form (requestor cannot be the person receiving the advance.)
Advance Reconciliation Form:
In the case that a receipt is lost, an individual may complete a Lost Receipt Affidavit. This form is available in the AABC and must be signed by SLI. Once signed, this form can be submitted to AABC along with any other forms and supporting documentation. The use of this form in lieu of receipts should be rare.
The authorized signer will assign an expense code to each purchase. Expense account code identifies the type of transactions made from your organization’s fund. They are used extensively on the University’s monthly financial statements, which are available for every fund. These reports reflect your group’s expenses as well as revenue on a monthly basis.
AABC has the discretion to update account codes as needed to align with proper coding for expenditure. The RSO will be notified when the account code is updated from a non‐taxable to taxable account code. AABC may notify the RSO in other instances as needed for the RSO’s reference.
Awards and prizes purchased through a RSO fund may be subject to tax reporting. RSO is responsible for providing recipients name and award amount when this information is available to the AABC.
All student organizations must be recognized by the University and up to date on all requirements to apply for and receive funding from any University entity, including SORCE and the OSU foundation. Student organizations can use allocations from the University for the development and enrichment of the student organization in accordance with the University mission.
These guidelines apply to funds distributed directly from OSU schools, colleges, centers, institutes, departments, offices, and programs to recognized student organizations. Student organizations may NOT use University funds for the following:
Oregon State University applies its funding guidelines in a viewpoint‐neutral manner and is committed to working with all recognized student organizations to ensure appropriate access to all University benefits, including funding.
In order for any University or Foundation funds to be awarded to a recognized student organization a funding request must be generated through Ideal‐logic and submitted to the dean or director of the OSU department or program from whom funding is being requested. When soliciting the University for funding support, be clear if you are asking just for financial support or if you are asking for the University Unit to sponsor your event. Upon approval of a funding agreement by all parties, transfer of funds into a RSO fund can take up to ten business days.
There are two types of funding requests available:
RSOs who perform an agreed upon service should create an invoice and submit it to the department or program for payment (i.e. performances, participation fees, and clean‐ups). The department or program will approve and process the invoice through their business center.
Student organizations can raise their own non‐University funds through various means. Non‐University Funds may be raised in many ways, including but not limited to membership dues, alumni donations, off‐campus fundraising, and grants (from non‐University sources). Unlike with University funds, student organizations may use non‐University funds for any lawful purpose, with exception to scholarships, salary, alcohol, marijuana or other drugs. Invoices should include the following information:
All proceeds of events held on University grounds or in University facilities must be collected into the organization's RSO fund.
Raffles are seen as gambling and are governed by the Oregon State Gaming Commission.
Although, you can go through the process to have a raffle approved, it is much easier if you make your event a free will drawing. This simply means, market your tickets with a suggested donation price instead of a required cost. You would also need to allow free entry to anyone who requests it. This allows equal access to anyone that wants a chance to win so the gambling regulations do not come into play. Remember drawing instead of raffle.
If a donor (i.e. an individual or a corporation) is seeking to make a tax‐deductible monetary donation that is possible only in the following situations:
The AABC and SLI do not keep track of tax information for recognized student organizations. Please seek advice from a tax professional regarding all tax issues, as OSU legally cannot advise.
Although some student organizations view bank accounts in outside financial institutions as beneficial, there are several downsides to holding a bank account. The use of outside accounts is discouraged.