Food trucks are prohibited at Registered Student Organization (RSO) events and activities on university property unless prior approval is granted through the university food truck approval process. Approval must be obtained from the Assistant Director of Student Organizations, the University Risk Manager, and University Auxiliary Services before a food truck may operate on campus in connection with an RSO-sponsored event or fundraiser. Please note some facilities on campus may charge a fee for fundraising activities.

Student organizations seeking to host a food truck at an event or fundraiser must submit the Food Truck Request Form (coming soon! Email [email protected]) and complete all required university approvals prior to advertising or confirming the food truck’s participation.

Food Truck Approval Process

It is the responsibility of the student organization to coordinate and plan the event, including selecting the date, time, location, and preferred food truck vendor.

Student organizations may identify food truck vendors through independent research, public listings, or by contacting the Office of Student Life.

The student organization must reserve the intended campus space through the appropriate university department:

• Event Services for Kirkhof Lawn reservations;
• Parking Services for parking lot locations; or
• Conferences and Event Planning for downtown campus locations.

The student organization is responsible for coordinating directly with the selected food truck vendor regarding scheduling and event logistics. Student Organization leadership including advisors are not permitted to sign contracts on behalf of the University with any vendor. If a contract is being required, please reach out to the Office of Student Life.

The student organization must submit the Food Truck Request Form, available on the Student Organizations and Services website under the “Officer Resources” section at least 6 weeks before the proposed event date.

Upon submission, the Assistant Director of Student Organizations will review the request. Requests may also be reviewed by the University Risk Manager and University Auxiliary Services as part of the institutional approval process.

If the request is approved:

• The student organization must work with the food truck vendor to obtain all required insurance documentation;
• Insurance documentation must be submitted to the Assistant Director of Student Organizations; and
• The university will complete final institutional review and approval processes as required.

The Assistant Director of Student Organizations will notify the student organization once the request has been approved or denied.

Failure to obtain approval prior to hosting a food truck on campus may result in cancellation of the event and/or referral through the student organization conduct process.

Sometimes the term "honorarium" is used when compensating a speaker or performer. With GVSU student organization events, an honorarium is considered a small gift or token of appreciation to a non-member (not a student, faculty, or staff person) who has provided a service to the group (speech, performance, workshop facilitation, etc.). GVSU student organization honoraria are NOT monetary. Any monetary compensation (including gas mileage) should be included in a Professional Services Contract. An honorarium gift could include:

• University shirt or other printed item (coffee mug, pen set, etc.) from the University Bookstore. (not to exceed $25) Consult with your campus advisor or the Office of Student Life for other honorarium ideas.

Video tapes and DVDs that are available for purchase, rented from many commercial establishments, or checked out of the library are for home viewing purposes only. This means they can only be viewed in your private living spaces. For campus purposes, that means your residence hall room/suite. (For home purposes, it means anywhere in your private residence). Same rules apply for movies/television shows that are video taped at home on VCR's.

Therefore anytime a group shows a movie in any context, the group must purchase the public viewing rights* (copyright) for that particular showing. Copyright purchase for film currently runs in the range of $300-$600 per showing for popular titles from major movie distributors. Independent films could cost less but must be negotiated with the holder of the copyright for those particular films. Grand Valley State University works with several distributors on a regular basis to deliver the film programming that we view as a part of specific faculty programs.

There is an exception to the public performance fees for colleges and universities. This exception is only in the case of face-to-face classroom instruction ** by a faculty member. The faculty member may show the film/movie outside the normal class period (at night for example), however, it is only for those students who are registered for the class.

Contact the Office of Student Life (331-2345) for more information on this policy.

Student Organizations are permitted to host scavenger hunts on campus.  To protect the integrity of the learning process as well as the safety of members please review the following guidelines:

• Scavenger hunts should not be an activity for "new members" only, but an interactive time for all members.
• No academic space can be used during a scavenger hunt.
• Scavenger hunts should be limited to a specific area of campus.  No travel via car is permitted. 
• All activities should end by dark or at 10:00 p.m. at the latest. 
• Do not disrupt any other activities on campus. 
• Residential areas are off limits.

Please contact the Office of Student Life with any questions.

Student Organizations cannot receive funding for off-campus facility rentals. If a student organization is looking to host an event off-campus, they must meet with the Assistant Director of Student Life to ensure the facility meets all liability insurance requirements. Events that will be serving alcohol off-campus are subject to review and approval by the Dean of Students office.