Student Activities

Student Activities
Cosgrave Student Center, Room 104
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and as Activities Require
Activity Center Hours as Posted
(814) 886-6321 

The Department of Student Activities coordinates and administers a wide variety of programs and events that provide opportunities for socialization, leadership and personal growth both within and beyond the campus community. The goal of the department is to expand the learning that students receive in the classroom and make the college experience well-rounded.

Student Organizations
http://www.mtaloy.edu/student_life/clubs_and_organizations/

Joining a student organization is a way to find your niche on-campus, make new friends with similar interests, develop your leadership potential or simply try something new. Many clubs and organizations are connected to an academic department oncampus and many are based on personal hobbies. The list below is ever evolving so make sure to visit our website for an up-to-date list with a description of each club, advisor and officer contact information and meeting times for the current semester.

CAC (Colleges Against Cancer) Campus Activity Board Campus Ministry Children's Advocacy Association Criminology Dance Team Fabrics Club Informational Technology Club Legal Society MAC Goes Green MAC Players Medical Assistants Medical Imaging and Honor Society Multicultural Club Music Club Nursing Student Organization

Open Minds Open Hearts Physical Therapy PSEA (Student) Psi Mu Alpha Radiate (Bible Study) Scrapbooking Club Student Accounting Society Student Athletic Advisory Committee Sign Language Students in Free Enterprise Student Government Association Surgical Technology Theatre Program The Belltower (Student Newspaper) Vox Nova Choral Group

Student Government Association
The Student Government Association (SGA) is comprised of elected students from the various Mount Aloysius student groups and is the main representative voice of the student body. The three main objectives of SGA are leadership, service, and communication. The council is committed to developing positive relationships between the students and the administration of Mount Aloysius.

Campus Activities Board (CAB)
The Campus Activities Board is open to the entire Mount Aloysius Community interested in helping to coordinate events for the campus and instill a sense of tradition at Mount Aloysius. There are multiple committees one may choose to take part in and/or chair.

Noontime Committee - Responsible for providing activities that happen during the hours of 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. each month, in an open/heavily trafficked area and appeal to both our commuter and residential students.

Public Relations Committee – Responsible for spreading the word about events happening on-campus via multiple venues and researching new and diverse ways to attract students to activities.

Spring Fest Committee – Responsible for coordinating an annual weekend of activities each April to celebrate the arrival of warm weather and the culminating of another school year.

Family Weekend/Homecoming Committee - Responsible for coordinating an annual weekend of activities each fall, in coordination with the Office of Institutional Advancement, to welcome families and alumni to campus.

Cresson Heritage Days Committee - Responsible for coordinating clubs, organizations and classes to sponsor children’s activities at this annual festival in partnership with the Cresson community.

Friday Night Live Committee - Responsible for planning this Friday night series, including choosing musical artists, films, games and crafts.

Travel Committee - Responsible for coordinating two trips per semester to various off-campus destinations including major cities and sporting events.

Student Recognition Banquet Committee - This committee shall be chaired by the Programming Board Chair and shall plan and execute the annual banquet that celebrates student leadership achievements and welcomes our new officers to SGA.

Chartering of Student Clubs
New student groups are always welcome at Mount Aloysius College. To form a club/organization and obtain College recognition, the following procedures must be completed: 

1. Any student in good standing with Mount Aloysius College may request permission from the Director of Student Activities to hold a special meeting(s) at the College for the purpose of informing interested students about a proposed organization.

2. A student organization that wishes to become recognized by Mount Aloysius College must present an “Interested Student Form” and a signature of their advisor to the Director of Student Activities. A full-time Mount Aloysius student who is in good standing with the College must submit these forms. Forms are available online at http://www.mtaloy.edu/student_life/forms/.  These forms must be submitted with a constitution that will govern the operations of the organization.

3.  The Student Government Association shall review all applications for recognition and select those organizations that they feel should receive recognition from the College.

4.  The Director of Student Activities and SGA will give approval for the organization to be recognized, pending final approval by the Vice President for Student Affairs.

5. Changes in student organization constitutions must be approved by the Director of Student Activities and the Vice President for Student Affairs, respectively.

6. Official recognition by the College grants the following privileges to College student organizations, subject to College procedures and regulations:

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  • The use of College facilities rent-free.

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  • The use of campus news media.

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  • Eligibility for awards and honors given to College student organizations.

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  • The use of club funds.

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  • The use of the College van.

     7.  Recognized clubs and organizations retain their privileges from year to year with completion of proper annual paperwork (See Organization Handbook for details). Failure to do so will result in the loss of recognition by Mount Aloysius College.

Policies for Scheduling and Evaluating Programs

When scheduling programs, a registered club/organization must abide by the following policies: 

1. All club/organization activities held on-campus are to be cleared through the Student Activities office by filling out a “Program Approval Form” which must be submitted online at: http://www.mtaloy.edu/student_life/forms/ To request College facilities, visit the portal at: http://portal.mtaloy.edu/ to find the Facility Request form which must be printed and signed by both the Director of Student Activities and Vice President for Student Affairs.

2. If there are no conflicts with other campus activities, an approval from the Director of Student Activities will be sent. Final plans for an event should not be made until the approval is received.

3. All official activities held off-campus and sponsored by registered student organizations must be registered with the Student Activities Office.

4. At the completion of the event, a “Program Evaluation Form” must be submitted online via the same website above. This evaluation is used to survey the students’ responses to various programs.

Solicitation and Fundraising
All fundraising activities and events must be pre-approved by the Office of Student Affairs. Clubs and organizations planning to engage in fundraising as a part of their programs should contact the Director of Student Involvement and Leadership, at 886-6321 for approval in advance of the fundraiser or solicitation. As a rule, only recognized College organizations may solicit funds/items. Any College group wishing to solicit funds/items must submit a "Fundraising Permission Form" to the Director of Student Involvement & Leadership. These forms are available in the Student Involvement & Leadership Office.

The following are intended as guidelines in planning your fundraising event or activity, particularly in dealing with questions of tax deductibility for contributors. These and other issues derived from the Internal Revenue Code can be highly technical, so please contact Institutional Advancement (IA) or the Controller's Office should clarification be needed. 

• Clubs and organizations can normally make purchases free of sales tax by working with the Controller’s Office and utilizing the tax exempt-status of the College. Contact the Controller’s office (following a visit to IA, as noted below, if you will be soliciting businesses) for help in making the purchase.
• Solicitation of businesses requires pre-approval by the Office of Institutional Advancement. This is needed because IA is often involved with solicitations on be half of the entire College. Generally, approval will be granted to solicit small   merchants in Cresson and surrounding communities. Larger businesses such as Sheetz (excluding their MTO program), McDonalds, and the banks generally will not be approved.
• Providing tax deductibility for contributors is not a prerequisite for fundraising. Most donors, where the amount is small (under $10 or $15) almost never care about deducting the contribution.
• Tax deductions can only be taken where a donation has been made to a tax-exempt organization (technically a 501(c) 3 corporation). Mount Aloysius College is a 501(c) 3 organization; clubs and most student organizations have agency        accounts with the College. This means that as long as the funds are processed through the Controller’s Office and the correct documentation is retained, the donor should be able to take a deduction for the donations.
• The IRS requires an acknowledgement letter from the tax-exempt organization for contributions of $75 or more in cash and in-kind (things other than cash), or $250 for cash-only donations. These letters are issued by IA but will only be done       where the average individual contribution is expected to be $75 or more.
• The contributor can evidence his/her donation in smaller amounts by retaining ticket stubs, receipts, programs or other materials.
• Tax deductions can only be taken when the monetary donation exceeds the value of goods or services being provided to the donor, and then only for that difference.
• The activities may take place off-campus (if pre-approved) without jeopardizing the tax issues herein discussed.

Simply put, most fundraising activities by student organizations and clubs are not large enough on a donor-by-donor basis to worry about tax deductibility for donors. Where the club is selling baked goods or hoagies, only the amount of the contribution over the value of the item is deductible (this will be pretty small in most cases). At the same time, most contributors really do not care about the deductibility of small donations.

Contact the department of Student Involvement and Leadership to have your activity approved, IA if businesses will be called upon, and with the Controller's Office if you need to make purchases exempt from sales tax, in that order.

The Office of Institutional Advancement is always happy to provide counsel on fundraising to student organizations. Please call 886-6425 for advice or clarification.

Special Annual College Events

• Madrigal Dinner:  This popular event is sponsored by the Office of Institutional Advancement. Students can sing, dance and perform during this three-hour theatrical production of medieval entertainment, music and merriment. 
• Christmas at the Mount:  During the Christmas season, the Student Affairs Division and Campus Ministry sponsor this festive event which brings the entire Mount community together to celebrate at a most joyous time of the year.
• Theater Productions:  Each semester, Mount Aloysius presents various theater productions. Students have opportunities to audition for acting roles or get involved with many of the other areas involved in presenting live theater.
• Student Recognition Banquet:  The Student Government Association Student Awards Reception is held at the end of every school year to honor clubs and individual leaders who were active during the academic year and to give special recognition to those who displayed outstanding service and leadership throughout the year.
• Relay for Life:  The relay is a fun event involving students, faculty, staff, family, friends and all aspects of the campus and community raising funds for the fight against cancer. It’s a celebration of hope for those that survived cancer or who are dealing with cancer and a time to remember and honor all of those dear individuals lost to this dreaded disease.
• Athletic Banquet: A banquet is held each semester to recognize and honor graduating athletes and those students who receive special academic and athletic honors.
• Graduate Salute:  During the spring semester, the Graduate Salute is sponsored by Student Affairs to provide graduating students the opportunity to get every thing they need for graduation. This one-stop shopping opportunity includes give     aways and lots of fun.
• Convocation:  The traditional all-college convocation provides a ceremonial beginning to the Academic Year.
• Opening Liturgy:  An opening liturgy is held each fall to welcome students to the new academic year and to begin the journey of synthesizing individual faith with learning.
• Family Weekend:  A family weekend is held each fall to invite students and their families to a weekend rich in fun and school spirit.