Student Organizations

The student activity fee is collected for the purpose of supporting programs and services in all aspects of campus life at UGA.  Programs and services supported by the student activity fee must be student-centered with students as the primary participants or beneficiaries.  These programs and services must be available to students regardless of race, gender, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability.  This allocation process encourages student self-governance through student leadership development and forms a joint partnership with administration.  The fee may be utilized only by registered student clubs and organizations that have existed for 2 full years.

SPIA STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE ALLOCATION PROCESS

Step 1: In order to qualify for funds, each student organization must re-register annually with the Center for Student Organizations by May 31.  Please refer to the website for re-registration information and the Student Organization Manual for general information.

Step 2: Each organization must submit a funding request and a supplemental explanation of the intended use of the funds to spiabusiness@uga.edu by August 31. The supplemental explanation can be a text document, powerpoint, and/or on the Budget Information Form. Spending must comply with the student activity fee guidelines.

If you have any questions about the allocation process, would like input on your presentations, or need assistance with anything, please don’t hesitate to contact Noah Hill noah.hill@uga.edu. He is more than happy to meet with your organization prior to the submission deadline and prior to the allocation meeting to offer guidance.

The Early-Stage Student Organization Fund seeks to support Student Organizations that are still in their first years of existence and are not yet eligible for larger sums of Student Allocation Fees.  The fund may be utilized only by registered student clubs and organizations.

SPIA EARLY-STAGE STUDENT ORGANIZATION FUND REQUEST PROCESS

Step 1: In order to qualify for funds, each student organization must register annually with the Center for Student Organizations.  Please refer to the website for registration information.

Step 2: Each organization must email the Budget Information Form to spiabusiness@uga.edu  by August 31.

If you have any questions about the allocation process, would like input on your presentations, or need assistance with anything, please don’t hesitate to contact Noah Hill noah.hill@uga.edu. He is more than happy to meet with your organization prior to the submission deadline and prior to the allocation meeting to offer guidance.

To serve as a student leader within SPIA, consider applying to serve as a SPIA Ambassador. Eligibility to apply for the Ambassador Program is open to any student in the School of Public and International Affairs enrolled during the entire academic year and has an overall GPA of no less than 3.0. Ambassadors should present a professional appearance and attitude while serving the School. Applicants must be prepared to commit the time necessary to fulfill their ambassador responsibilities without jeopardizing their academic standing. Attendance at events and meetings is mandatory and must be made a top priority among other activities. Ambassadors are expected to be knowledgeable about the UGA campus and SPIA.

Ambassadors serve to enhance the student experience, as well as bolster the School’s reputation with external constituencies, such as alumni, donors, and citizens of the local community. They assist with public relations and development efforts and events, which may include, but are not limited to, School ceremonies and lectures; departmental programs; fundraisers; student orientations and graduation; Board of Visitor meetings; and on and off-campus visits with alumni and friends of the School.

2025-2026 Ambassador Application Timeline:

March 10: Launch Application

March 23: Close Applications

March 25: Invite for interviews

March 31 – April 8: Interviews via Zoom

Decisions made by April 18

For more information, please contact Caroline Paczkowski, cparis@uga.edu

The SPIA Honor Society of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity is a student organization that is open to both undergraduate and graduate students! We plan on hosting a speaker series, professional development workshops, and create a mentorship program. This is an all student-led organization that will not be treated as a solution for the racist and problematic behavior of the university or SPIA. Instead, our mission is to be an on-going vehicle for change that students and faculty can come together for a better student body. Please use the link below to follow all our social media platforms!

linktree: https://linktr.ee/SPIADiversity

The SPIA Student Union works to promote a sense of community within the School of Public and International Affairs, as well as providing students with opportunities to network and build connections with professors and fellow students. We host numerous events throughout the year, including lectures with prominent faculty members, SPIA Activity Fairs, SPIA social events, community service opportunities, and other professional development events. Students active in the organization have the opportunity of serving on committees to help shape the direction of SPIASU. Students can serve on the Public Relations, Events, and Alumni Relations Committees, among others, and outstanding members can chair these committees. Students interested in joining the SPIA Student Union can email spiastudentunion@gmail.com for more information. Follow SPIASU Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on events!

The SPIA Student Mentorship Program is open to all SPIA students looking for opportunities within SPIA, professional organizations, summer internships and more. Mentees will be matched to experienced SPIA mentors for one-on-one meetings, and mentors will have access to resources to connect their mentees to opportunities within SPIA’s network. The program seeks to introduce SPIA students from different years and foci to each other, to faculty, and to others in the SPIA professional network. Additionally, the program hopes to connect students to internship, service, and research opportunities within SPIA, UGA at large, the surrounding community, and the nation through the collective experiences of participants.

Partnerships are assigned on a semester-basis, and the application is shared over the listserv at the beginning of each semester. For more information, visit www.sites.google.com/view/spiapeermentorship/ or email spiapeermentorship@gmail.com

Students enrolled in the School of Public and International Affairs have the opportunity to run for SPIA Senator. These Senators are elected every February by their peers in SPIA. As SPIA Senator, students represent the interests of their school in front of the entire Student Government Association.

The honor society for International Studies, Sigma Iota Rho, Gamma Theta chapter, honors students who have excelled academically and shown extracurricular achievement. The society promotes and rewards scholarship and service among students of International Relations and fosters integrity and creative performance in the understanding of world affairs.

Students are encouraged to apply in the fall and will be inducted in the spring. Requirements for membership include being an International Affairs major of junior or senior standing. Additional details and requirements for membership are shared at the annual recruitment meeting for members held each fall.

For more information, please visit their website or email the officers of Sigma Iota Rho at sigmaiotarho80@gmail.com.

The organization strives to uphold values cast into the public discourse by Franklin, Eleanor, and Theodore Roosevelt, values cognizant of humanity, values encouraging collective action for communal problems. Through research, composition, and proposal of public and foreign policy, Roosevelt @ UGA believes it can do this. Through publishing and promoting the policy ideas of students, Roosevelt @ UGA is unique in not only airing the ideas of an often neglected age group but also publishing undergraduate students.

Members of the organization have been published in different periodicals, presented their proposals to members of the US House of Representatives, and won awards and praise for their hardwork and contribution to the academic community at UGA.

For more information about Roosevelt @ UGA, visit http://roosevelt.uga.edu/.

The University of Georgia has the Alpha Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society. Students with at least a 3.2 overall grade point average and at least a 3.2 in four Political Science courses not including POLS 1101, are eligible to apply. Application forms are available in the Undergraduate Office and are accepted throughout the year. New members are inducted each spring and participate in the UGA Honors Day convocation. The membership fee is $35. For more information, students may speak to an advisor or the faculty sponsor, Dr. Colin French.

The Model U.N. team at the University of Georgia consists of approximately 30 delegates from year to year.

Delegates are selected through an application and interview process, and those selected to represent UGA through Model U.N. are required to take an upper-level political science course taught by our faculty advisor designed specifically to prepare delegates for the conferences in which they will be participating.

Each spring the UGA Model U.N. team puts on a conference for high school students in the Southeast. This conference generates the bulk of our funds for attending our own conferences later in the year and is thus a very important item on our agenda.

For more information about Model United Nations, visit http://www.ugamunc.com/ and check out their recent video.

The purpose of mock trial is to educate students about the nation’s legal system, our jurisprudence and the work of our attorneys. The organization prepares its members for competition, arranges for its members to attend competitions, and educates and trains its members in legal principles, courtroom procedure, public speaking, and the like.

For more information about Mock Trial Team, visit http://www.ugamocktrial.org/.

The Undergraduate Moot Court Team at the University of Georgia prepares and practices oral arguments similar to those presented before the Supreme Court and competes in intercollegiate tournaments. Moot Court’s mission is to cultivate a sphere of interest and knowledge in appellate procedure and constitutional law at the University of Georgia while sharpening critical thinking, public speaking, and argumentation skills. For more information, please email ugamootcourtteam@gmail.com.

Georgia Political Review seeks to publish quality original content from University of Georgia undergraduates in the fields of political science, international affairs, history, and economics. Published each semester in print and online, GPR is the only publication of its kind in the state university system, and seeks to become a nationwide model for articulate, timely commentary on politics and foreign affairs.

Georgia Political Review was established in 2011 by six University of Georgia undergraduate students. These students recognized Georgia’s position as a nationwide leader in politics and saw the vacancy of a student-run undergraduate review, a publication present at various top schools across the nation.

For more information, and how to apply, please visit georgiapoliticalreview.com or email georgiapoliticalreview@gmail.com.