1. What is the U.T.S.U.?
U.T.S.U. is YOUR Students' Union. Representing over 41,000, we are governed by a Board of Directors elected from every college, campus, professional faculty and second-entry program. Our aim is to provide money-saving services and events to educate and enhance your university experience. Regardless of which campus you are on, or what year you are in, we are here to work for you.

In addition, the U.T.S.U. provides recognition, funding and services to over 300 Campus groups.

2. How does our group become recognized by the U.T.S.U.?
You must apply for U.T.S.U. recognition each year. There is an application form available through our website at www.utsu.ca that must be submitted, and a copy of your most recent constitution must be emailed to clubs@utsu.ca.

3. What is the deadline for U.T.S.U. recognition?
Recognition opens each year on May 1st, and closes on March 1st of the academic year. Approved recognition will last until April 30th. No applications will be accepted between March 1st and April 30th.

4. How many members does a group need to have to be eligible for U.T.S.U. recognition?
To be eligible for U.T.S.U. recognition a group must have at least 30 members, 51% of which have to be U.T.S.U. members.

5. What is a U.T.S.U. member?
A U.T.S.U. member is defined as any full time undergraduate student at the St. George or Mississauga campus.

6. How long does it take to become recognized once our application has been submitted?
It can take as little as 5 minutes to over 5 days to receive recognition from U.T.S.U.  If all the information on your application is accurate, and there are no major problems with the constitution you have sent, the turnaround time for recognition is very quick. However, if you have not sent in your constitution, if we have to track you down for information missed on the application, or if your group is not recognized by Ulife it can take quite a bit longer. In addition, our peak time for receipt of recognition applications is May –September, so simply due to the volume of applications, our response time might be a bit longer. The average time for a response would be 2-3 business days. Groups need to be sure that accurate contact info is submitted with the application, and that the email included is checked regularly for any correspondence regarding recognition status. We appreciate your patience in this process, and if you are ever unsure of the status of an application, please feel free to email clubs@utsu.ca

7. Why does our group need to first be recognized by Ulife?
We strongly encourage groups to seek recognition from Ulife, because being recognized by Ulife affords you the ability to use “University of Toronto”, or “UofT” in your groups’ name, as well as the ability to book space on St. George campus. These are important rights for a group to have to be established at the University of Toronto.

8. What if my group is a course union recognized by ASSU, or a group recognized by Engsoc?
U.T.S.U. recognizes all course unions recognized by the Association of Arts and Science Students' Union (ASSU) and the Engineering Society (EngSoc).

9. What does our group get with U.T.S.U. recognition?

Clubs Services
-Membership Drives – U.T.S.U. recognized groups are eligible to register for highly valuable membership drives that we hold throughout the year, including: Orientation Clubs Day, Winter Clubs Week, and Unity Through Diversity.

-Cost-saving services
• Free photocopies: Each U.T.S.U. recognized group is entitled to 1,000 free black and white photocopies throughout the fall/winter sessions (September – May) and 500 free photocopies throughout the summer session (May-September). Simply bring in your original documents to the U.T.S.U. front desk, and our Internal Coordinator will take care of the rest. Please note, for larger print jobs (100 plus photocopies) we ask that you submit your originals and return the next day to pick up the copies. Smaller print jobs can be done on the spot.
• Rentals: The U.T.S.U. has a BBQ, coffee urns, and water barrels available for rent to recognized groups. A deposit is required for each of the items. We ask that these items be booked a week in advance with our Internal Coordinator. For rental availability please contact frontdesk@utsu.ca
• Mailboxes: Once recognized, a group can apply for a mailbox in the U.T.S.U. office. There is an online application available from the U.T.S.U. website. Mailboxes are limited, and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and need to be renewed each year.
 
-Essential Services
• Third Party Insurance: U.T.S.U. insures all campus groups that are recognized by September 30th. Third party insurance means that your group is not held liable for something that happens to a non-member of your group attending an event.
• Consultation: If your group needs assistance with drafting a constitution or with planning an event, the Vice-President Campus Life is here for you. Simply send am email to vpcampuslife@utsu.ca to make an appointment.
• Executive Training: The U.T.S.U. holds Executive Training sessions each summer for all recognized groups. These sessions help with the learning curve of becoming an executive of a campus group. It also allows different executives to meet each other, and to learn more about the U.T.S.U. Please note: to be eligible for long term funding, a group must have at least one executive member attend one Executive Training Sessions.

-Promotional Services
• Campus Life Listserv: The Vice President Campus Life sends out regular E-Bulletins advertising events happening on campus. Recognized clubs are able to submit content for this listserv to help advertise their events and initiatives. Any content should be sent to vpcampuslife@utsu.ca
• U.T.S.U. Bulletin Board: One bulletin board in the high-traffic U.T.S.U. office is reserved for Clubs posters and notices. Simply submit your content to the front desk for approval, and we’ll post it up.
• Clubs Directory: The U.T.S.U. publishes a Clubs Directory each summer that lists all the current campus groups on campus (U.T.S.U. recognized clubs and levy groups, Ulife recognized groups, Student Societies, and Course Unions ), and is distributed to over 6,000 students.

-Access to Clubs Funding
U.T.S.U. recognized groups are able to apply for funding from the U.T.S.U. Clubs Committee. There are 2 types of funding available: ShortTerm and Long Term.
• Short Term Funding is designed to fund one single event, and can not exceed $500. This type of funding is intended for groups that require funding for only one event during the school year. Applications for an event subsidy are due at least one month prior to the event. A group may only apply for one Short Term event subsidy per year.
• Long Term funding is designed to fund multiple events and expenses throughout the school year. Groups may request any amount in long term funding.

-Important Funding notes:
• The U.T.S.U. will not fund more than 50% of the total expenses of any one proposal
• A group may not apply for both short term and long term funding in the same given year
• To be eligible for long term funding, a group must have attended one of the Executive Training Sessions.

10. How does our group apply for funding?
Application forms for short term and long term funding will be available from the U.T.S.U. website in September. The application deadlines for Long Term and Short Term Funding are November 1st and March 1st respectively.

11. Does our group need a bank account, or can you just write me a cheque?
The U.T.S.U. can NOT issue a funding cheque to an individual. A group must have a bank account in the groups’ name, with at least 2 signing officers on the account. To open a bank account, you need to request a letter of recognition from the Ulife Campus Groups Officer. Please visit the Campus Organizations FAQ’s page of www.ulife.utoronto.ca for more information.

12. How do we update our groups’ information?
Should your groups’ contact information change at anytime, please send an email with the appropriate changes to clubs@utsu.ca  It is vital that we have the most up to date contact email for your group, as most important notices are sent out via email.

13. For additional inquiries about clubs recognition please contact clubs@utsu.ca, and for information on Clubs Funding and Services, please contact vpcampuslife@utsu.ca.

Important Dates

2010
April 30th– Expiration of 2009-2010 U.T.S.U. Club Recognition
May 1st – 2010-2011 recognition opens
June 15th - Final deadline for Summer funding applications
September 10th – Orientation Day 
October 15th – Final deadline for Long Term Funding applications

2011
March 1st - Deadline for 2010-2011 Recognition applications - Deadline for Short Term Funding Applications
April 30th – Expiration of 2010-2011 U.T.S.U. Club Recognition
May 1st – 2011-2012 recognition opens

Corey Scott
Vice President Campus-Life
University of Toronto Students’ Union
Local 98, Canadian Federation of Students
vpcampuslife@utsu.ca

Vita Carlino
Clubs and Events Coordinator
University of Toronto Students’ Union
Local 98 Canadian Federation of Students’
clubs@utsu.ca