The student affairs organization at SMU assists in addressing various concerns associated with concerns among the students. The organization of student affairs is strategically organized in order to assist in realizing the mission of the organization. The kind of representation that is reflected by the organization is very critical towards the acquisition of a drive towards its objectives as stated in the mission. The structural and cultural orientation of the organizations assist it to assess the needs and concerns raised by the students through the different representation levels. The identification of these requirements assists in formulating strategies for enhancing intellectual, social, physical, spiritual, emotional and moral growth of the students.
The SMU and the student affairs missions have various similarities in their statements. The major point of focus of the SMU mission is to assist the students through the expansion of knowledge through teaching and research. The mission also assists in guiding the students through different areas of human development in order to assist in acquiring skills that will assist them fit in the global society and give service to the community. This is reiterated by the mission of the student affairs which propagates a growth in all aspects of life to improve the overall quality of their lives.

The student affairs division is an organization that is dedicated to enhance networking among the students. The provision of co-curricular learning to the students is on of the major aims of the organization through exposing the students to out-of-classroom learning experiences. These experiences assist in subjecting the students to numerous opportunities and points of interaction that can enhance various aspects of learning in order to enhance their perspective of learning which increases the quality of their lives because the organization promotes a mature approach to reality. The student affairs also promotes cultural diversity in the institution because it facilitated the collaboration of students from various backgrounds.

The students affairs union has performs various activities for the students in order to enhance their lives in the university. In order to achieve this, the body has to be connected to all the departments that are associated with the activities of the students. Therefore, the body has to strategically collaborate with all departments within the organization. The collaboration with other departments in the organization assists the body to acquire in formation on the specific needs of the students and formulate ways to solve these challenges and customize the strategies to the departmental requirements.

The student development theories play a big role in explaining the functional abilities of the organization within the university. The theories evaluate the development processes through addressing crucial issues in their progression and the development of their relationships with other students. Checkering�s Theory of Identity Development has a classical ideology that defines the operations of the student affairs organization. The theory contends that the development of students can be enhanced along seven vectors. These vectors form crucial pillars to propagate the ultimate development of the students. The pillars include the development of competence, management of emotions, enhance of autonomy and interdependence, promoting maturation of relational skills, establishment of identity and the development of integrity.

The senior student affairs officers are very crucial members of the division. These individuals are leaders and community builders within the division. The major aim of these individuals is to promote activities that assist in facing the challenges that can be used to end invisibility among the students. These leaders also assist alleviating oppression and hostility among the students. Therefore, the overall aim of the SSAOs is to enhance comfort among the students through managing the factors that strain their lives and undermine their positions.