Division of Student Affairs
Office of Student Activities & Organizations in the Tate Student Center
Graduate Assistant for
Traditions & Collaborative Programs
The mission of the Office of Student Activities & Organizations (SAO), a unit of the Tate Student Center, is to enhance
the experience of students, student groups, and advisors by providing the necessary support to enrich organizations and
empower students to develop and apply leadership skills, design and implement programs, and contribute to the
University community. The SAO office is primarily responsible for supporting the Center for Student Organizations
(CSO) including 675+ student organizations, University Union – student programming board, WUOG 90.5FM – studentrun non-commercial radio station, Pandora Yearbook, Student Government Association (SGA), Graduate Student
Association (GSA), Leadership Resource Team (LRT), Big Dawg Welcome Week, Transfer Student Experience, and the
Tate Leadership Scholars Program. The office consists of five professional staff members (Associate Director, three
Senior Coordinators, and Coordinator), two administrative assistants, part-time radio engineer, doctoral intern, seven
graduate assistants, and six student assistants.
Homecoming is an annual celebration planned by the UGA Homecoming Committee that welcomes back alumni and
encourages students, alumni, University community members, and the Athens community to participate in a week of
activities. The Committee collaborates with liaisons from multiple areas such as Alumni Relations, Athletics, Greek Life,
and University Union Student Programming Board to organize and facilitate a campus and citywide Homecoming
experience. The Homecoming Committee is responsible for coordinating and promoting entertainment for the campus
and community during Homecoming Week each fall, including a kickoff event, carnival and parade through downtown
Athens, as well as a series of cooperative and competitive events such as street painting, spirit competition, and
King/Queen competition. Homecoming has roughly an $82,000 budget, which is allocated from student activities fees.
Collaborative Programs consists of many possible events including, but not limited to, the following:
 Athletic Collaborations- Tailgate with the Team, BasketBASH, and Film on the Fifty. These programs are
coordinated in collaboration with the UGA Athletics Association.
 Orientation Collaborations- Dawg Camp Fusion is an extended orientation program focused on culture and
entertainment in Athens designed for incoming first-year UGA students and is a collaborative effort with the
Center for Leadership & Service.
 Office Collaborations- Office Open House and all-office retreat, training, and fellowship opportunities for student
organizations directly advised by the Office of Student Activities & Organizations.
The Graduate Assistant for Traditions and Collaborations reports to the Senior Coordinator for Student Activities and will
assist in the management of budgets totaling $100,000+. This position is primarily responsible for creating and supporting
UGA Homecoming and Collaborative Programs. This 10-month, 13-hours-per-week renewable graduate
assistantship provides a tuition fee waiver and a monthly stipend.
I.
General Duties
a) Co-advise the UGA Homecoming Committee, assist in the planning of UGA Homecoming events
and the spring semester Big Reveal, and assist in the coordination of a university-wide Homecoming
committee
b) Work directly with student coordinators to maintain a working knowledge of program opportunities
and venue availability, contact agents and artists’ management, negotiate and edit contracts, maintain
program files, advise development and distribution of program publicity, oversee event and overall
program budget, coordinator of risk management efforts, and assist with program production and
house management for each area of responsibility
Last updated – January 2015
c) Assist in the development and enforcement of the total UGA Homecoming policies and procedures
d) Develop and facilitate sponsorship and fundraising opportunities for UGA Homecoming
e) Co-Advise the Homecoming Committee in the area of officer selection, leadership development and
training
f) Attend weekly event planning meetings for UGA Homecoming and one-on-one meetings with
student coordinators of each initiative
g) Collaborate with offices and student organizations through the Division of Student Affairs to create,
support and implement tradition-based programs, events, and initiatives
h) Manage publicity and electronic communications for all assigned collaborative programs
i) Assist in the coordination of Dawg Camp Fusion, an extended orientation program focused on culture
and entertainment in Athens designed for incoming first-year UGA students
j) Oversee event and overall program budgets for collaborative programs
k) Assist in other collaborative opportunities that are in line with the mission of the Office of Student
Activities & Organizations and as developed by the Division of Student Affairs.
l) Assess regularly and write semester reports for programs, events, initiatives, and member experiences
m) Meet regularly with supervisor to set goals each semester, monitor progress towards collectively set
goals, and conduct formal evaluations of work performed
n) Attend weekly staff meetings of the Office of Student Activities & Organizations and departmental
staff meetings if class schedule allows
o) Other duties as assigned
II.
Qualifications
Registered University of Georgia master’s level graduate student pursuing a degree in College Student Affairs
Administration or a related field is desired. Experience with large-scale event planning strongly preferred.
A successful candidate will be able to do the following:
 Thrive in a dynamic and innovative environment
 Exhibit a pleasant and professional self-presentation
 Work effectively as a member of a high-paced team both independently and in groups
 Establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, faculty, staff, fellow employees, and
general public
 Display strong organizational skills and manage multiple on-going tasks
 Possess the ability to quickly learn to use new technology, software, and social media
 Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills
 Maintain confidentiality of office constituents
The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive
consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic
information, disability, or protected veteran status.
Last updated – January 2015