Student-led organizations will receive more aid than ever before this year, as the Student Organization Resource Center is set to open officially on Aug. 30.
Located in two spaces in the Culp Center, this university-funded center will provide invaluable resources for approximately 175 registered student organizations.
When the SORC opens in September, it will house the main offices of organizations such as Buctainment (University Productions), Volunteer ETSU, several fraternities and sororities, Multicultural Affairs, the Residence Hall Association and the Student Government Association.
The offices will be staffed by representatives from these organizations as well as university-paid employees, graduate assistants and 20 student workers.
“This place facilitates collaboration and information-sharing that enhances the quality of life for our students,” said Joe Sherlin, assistant dean of students.
Sherlin has been with the SORC since day one, and has helped coordinate the physical preparation of the office space as well as the marketing and opening process.
He said he’s happy to see the offices opening on the first day of classes.
“I think there was a real desire to help student organizations collaborate and communicate to a greater degree than before,” Sherlin said.
Some of the resources the SORC has to offer include a poster maker, high-speed copiers, computers, printers, fax machines, a paper folder, art supplies, private conference rooms, die-cut machines and general office supplies. The staff hopes to have storage space, a kitchen, and a videoconference room available before the grand opening.
Tricia Turner, director of student activities, whose office is now housed in the SORC, said she hopes this new space will promote greater cooperation between student organizations. She said she also hopes that individual students will come to the SORC looking for an organization to join.
“We want this to be a place where students can be active, get to know other organizations, and learn to work together,” Turner said.
Meetings between elected student advisors and their assistants will be held frequently throughout the semester.
This “synergy team,” as Turner called it, will look for ideas and opportunities to better campus life. A separate management team will also meet.
Inspiringly, the SORC is a product of the same collaboration and teamwork that it promotes.
“The actual construction has been a big project to coordinate, but we’ve had great support from our Physical Plant and staff,” Sherlin said.
Consequently, organizations housed in the space have no single SORC president to whom they must report. Instead, the groups must work in the very fashion they promote and hope that ETSU students will mirror their actions.
Perhaps the most telling aspect of the SORC is the fact that all of the resources it provides are free. This makes the SORC accessible to all student-led organizations.
Sherlin said he hopes that the experience students garner from the SORC will be prevalent in everything they do.
“This is a space for all students and organizations,” Sherlin said. “The greater the diversity of ideas, the greater the product.

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