My SMSU Guide for Officers and Group Administrators

Overview

My SMSU is Southwest Minnesota State University's campus engagement platform where student organizations, departments, and campus groups can manage communication, events, membership, resources, and engagement activities.

As a Group Officer or Group Administrator, you play a key role in keeping your group's information current, engaging members, and promoting campus involvement.

Getting Started

Accessing Your Group

1. Sign in to My SMSU using your SMSU credentials.
2. Navigate to your group page.
3. If you have been assigned an officer role, additional management tools will be available within your group.

Recommended First Steps

• Review your group profile.
• Verify officer positions are current.
• Update contact information.
• Review membership settings.
• Confirm your upcoming events and announcements.

Key Responsibilities of Officers

Officers and administrators are responsible for:

• Maintaining accurate group information.
• Managing group membership.
• Communicating with members.
• Creating and promoting events.
• Uploading and organizing group resources.
• Ensuring leadership succession by updating officer positions each year.

Managing Your Group

Group Dashboard

The Group Dashboard is your primary management area where you can monitor:

• Membership activity
• Events
• Communications
• Forms and submissions
• Group engagement

Resource:
Managing Your Group Dashboard

Group Settings

Review your group settings regularly to ensure information remains accurate.

Common settings include:

• Group description
• Contact information
• Membership visibility
• Join settings
• Leadership information

Resource:
Group Settings

Managing Officers

Keeping officer information current helps ensure the right members have access to manage the group.

Officer Management Tasks

• Add new officers
• Remove former officers
• Update officer positions
• Assign appropriate permissions

Key Resources

• Adding Officers to Your Group
• Managing Officer Permissions
• Managing Officer Positions and Roles
• Officer Notifications

Managing Members

Membership Management

Group leaders can:

• Approve membership requests
• Add members manually
• Remove inactive members
• Monitor membership activity

Auto-Validation

For groups using automatic membership approval, verify your membership settings are configured appropriately.

Helpful Resources

• Group Membership Best Practices
• Members List Management
• Adding Members Manually
• Validating New Members

Communication and Engagement

Keeping members informed is one of the most important responsibilities of a group officer.

Available Communication Tools

• Announcements
• Email campaigns
• Group channels
• News posts
• Resource sharing

Recommended Practices

• Communicate consistently.
• Share event information early.
• Include clear action items.
• Encourage member participation.

Resources

• Sending Group Emails
• Creating a Group Channel

Creating and Managing Events

Events help members stay connected and engaged.

Typical Event Activities

• Create event details
• Manage registrations
• Promote attendance
• Track participation
• Conduct event check-ins

Resources

• Creating an Event
• Advanced Options for Events
• Check-In and Attendance Tracking
• Self Check-In via QR Code
• Check-In via Mobile App

Forms, Surveys, and Requests

Groups can collect information using forms and surveys for:

• Membership applications
• Officer applications
• Event registrations
• Feedback collection
• Internal requests

Resource

• Creating a Form

Managing Files and Resources

Use My SMSU to organize documents and resources for your group.

Examples include:

• Constitutions and bylaws
• Meeting agendas
• Marketing materials
• Training resources

Resource

• Managing Group Files