Student Interest Groups

What is a Student Interest Group (SIG)?

A Student Interest Group, or SIG, is a group of students who have agreed to come together around a specific topic of interest. SIGs are not currently recognized as official student clubs by the Graduate Student Government at Northeastern University. They are informal student groups that are started on the Seattle regional campus. The Student Affairs office will keep a list of all current SIGs and their Officers.

Active SIGs

NUPM Seattle

Projects are the lifeblood of contemporary industrialization as we know it. With partnerships, keynotes, and dynamically integrated member-base, NUPM Seattle aims at creating an environment to explore, innovate and propagate through the world of projects, whether you’re a planning to be Project Manager or not.

Contact Megan Sykes to learn more at [email protected].

Rainbow NEU

Rainbow NEU Seattle is the queer SIG for students of Northeastern University Seattle. It is open to all students of Northeastern University Seattle.  The group promotes diversity, inclusiveness, and safety on the Seattle campus. It will provide and safe and supportive space for queer students and allies to become their best selves.

Rainbow NEU Seattle’s mission is to be supportive and fun of queer students and allies at Northeastern University Seattle. Contact Rainbow NEU Seattle at [email protected] for information.

Rising UXers

Rising UXers is intended to support students who want to make a career in User Experience Design (UX), or for any student who wants to have fun while learning more about this set of skills. Connect with SIG leaders Heni and Manisha via the group’s Teams channel or follow/message them on their Instagram account to keep in touch!

Seattle Anti-Freeze

Seattle Anti-Freeze is a hierarchy-less student organization with the aim to help students meet up, forge friendships, and just have fun.  Keep up with Seattle Anti-Freeze events by following them on Instagram or emailing [email protected].

Women in Tech

The Women in Tech SIG is a group for women and allies to feel comfortable expanding their knowledge. We will code together, do interview prep, have discussions, learn from others, and explore the tech field together.

Women in Tech currently does not have a student lead. If you are interested in leading this group please contact Angela MacDougall.

More to come!

These are just a few of the groups that started last year! We are excited to see what this year’s students come up with.

Requirements to start a SIG?

SIGs must be open to all Northeastern Seattle students who are interested in the topic, and may not be restricted by college enrollment, social identity, etc. You are encouraged to open your SIG to students at other campuses, especially when events and group meetings happen virtually. Before starting a new SIG, please confirm that one does not already exist around that topic.

To start a new SIG, students must submit a proposal including:

  • SIG Name
  • SIG Mission Statement
    • In a paragraph, what is the purpose of your group and how will you achieve it
  • Officer List
    • At a minimum, each SIG must submit the information for two officers:
      • Name
      • Email address
  •  List of 3 events your SIG would like to hold each year
    • These are examples and can change
    • If you do not plan to host specific events, please share a little about what will make your group active.

This proposal is submitted to the Student Affairs office and once received, they will reach out to schedule a meeting with the SIG officers to discuss their group and review resources and offer suggestions. If all questions are settled, the SIG will be considered ratified after this meeting and be posted to the Seattle website.

Benefits of starting/joining a SIG?

  • Reserve meeting space on campus
    • Options may not be available while the campus is operating at limited occupancy
  • Advertise in our campus student newsletter
  • Apply for funding to host events in accordance with their Mission Statement
  • Work with the Student Affairs office to brainstorm and scope events, and get connected with organizations/businesses/resources
  • Be a great place to develop leadership skills, make connections, and improve the student experience for all learners at Northeastern’s Seattle Campus

General guidelines for a successful SIG

  • Collect the names and emails of interested students and add them to a mailing list or other communication group. Make sure you can communicate regularly with interested students to announce meetings or events! Have a way to pull a list of all of your members if NU needs this information.
  • Establish regular meeting times. If you have a regular meeting schedule, you can advertise this around campus.
  • Plan events early. Requests for space are easier to meet with at least 1 week notice. As specified in the funding application, funding for events must be requested at least 4 weeks in advance. Speakers/guests to campus also need to be approved in advance.
  • Schedule meetings with the Student Affairs team to discuss your proposed events to make sure they will be successful!
  • Consider asking a faculty or staff member to be an advisor, especially if your SIG is related to an academic topic!
Questions?