University and School functions - Toolkit

Event Options

1. Offer free non-credit course on self-development; approach the student programs office with a proposal.

2. Form a special interest group/club; if there are more than 3-4 students interested in Maharaji's message regardless of whether they are PWK or aspirants, form a group that can be recognized as such by the university. Such groups are given preference over non-group requests when allocating resources, such as a venue. Whether a group can be formed or not, approach the student programs office to propose your event.
 
3. Arrange special video presentations in student or academic fraternities, sororities and clubs. This type of event could also be used as a vehicle for reaching out to the entire university. However, this approach is more focused on those particular organizations, and research has to be done to align the presentation to the interests and activities of the particular organization.

4. Simply rent a room in the school to present a screening of DVD’s. Advantage of the first three methods: Any kind of university sponsorship makes the classes more appealing to the students. University sponsorship also provides for better publicity of the events, with better access to advertising vehicles such as mailing lists, college newspapers, radio, etc.

Procedure

1. Create a proposal to get a course listed with the student programs office. Sample proposal–note: 4 pages long available upon request. Write here to our  help desk.

2. Include appropriate supporting material, such as the Leaders magazine and a university DVD.

3. Mention that similar events are being offered with great success in many major universities (UC - Berkeley, UC - Boulder, etc.) around the world.

4. Request in the proposal that the university provide all equipment required for the classes. These are usually provided free of charge, if the application is approved. A typical request includes a video projector, DVD player, sound system, projection screen (if not already present in the room chosen), and theater style seating.

At the very least, the school would provide some of the above, thus reducing the logistical requirements from the people organizing these events. If not, the reservations office can help to research the availability and prices of rentals.

5. Get your local community involved. Strive to involve the younger people within the community to take an active part (helps to have them MC and in the audience).

Venue selection · The student center is the best area to use, or one of the classrooms within the central part of the campus.

· If the place is quiet enough, hang out places like university pubs are okay too.

· Generally these halls would provide AV equipment and set up. Choosing appropriate dates and times for events · Research when exams are scheduled at the university. This information is obtained from the Reservations office or from students attending the university. Schedule the classes as far away from the exams dates as possible. Generally, Wednesday or Thursday evenings are more convenient for students, and don’t interfere with “going out” nights. Ask the reservation office for help in chosing dates.
 
· Start time should be close to the end of classes, because students don’t want to go home and then return back to school. Make sure it does not overlap with evening/night classes. The best time is between 4.00pm and 6.00pm.