Election News

Fellow Ephs,

Happy Dead Week! We hope that you all had a wonderful and restful January and are ready to begin the Spring Semester. With the new semester comes everyone’s favorite time of year… IT’S TIME FOR SPRING COLLEGE COUNCIL ELECTIONS!! (So many exclamation points! SO MUCH EXCITEMENT!)

College Council, the student government of Williams College, is charged with allocating the student activities tax, working with administrators to shape policy, launching campus improvement projects, discussing campus issues, and serving as the voice of the student body.

Elections will open at 8 pm on Tuesday February 14th and close at 8 pm on Thursday February 16th. Additionally, there will be TWO debates this year instead of one. The first College Council Debate will occur on Thursday February 9th and will include speeches from all candidates running for year-long positions as well as a Record-moderated Presidential Debate. THEN, we will have a second Question/Answer session on Sunday February 12 in which students will be able to ask candidates or positions specific questions. Look out for more information on these two sessions as we progress along election season!

All current students are eligible and encouraged to run for CC.

Each of the elected 18 positions on the council is open. They are as follows:
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Real Talk

Dear Fellow Ephs,

We hope you are all enjoying winter study and surviving the cold!

Entering the third week of winter study, the long days of TV watching, movie marathons, and sleeping until noon have lost some of their luster. As we prepare for our final ten days of January in Williamstown, College Council is offering a number of events to encourage you to brave the cold, maybe change out of sweat pants, and meet new people. Over the next week and a half we will be working with peer health, JAAB, Minco, and Storytime to put on events ranging from a forum on entry life to a movie screening of Good Will Hunting.

The Conversation Campaign, as we’re calling it, is designed to offer you a chance to engage in conversations and build connections with people you may not know or who you may wish to know more about. At Williams we see each other all the time whether in the classroom, the dining hall, or the library, but, despite this constant contact, it is hard to slow down and take the time to truly get to know each other.

We hope you can attend the various events of the Conversation Campaign, but whether you do or not, we hope you use the remainder of winter study and the rest of your precious time at Williams to meet new people, to talk to people completely different from yourself, to learn about your friends.

As Bobby Kennedy said, “that those who live with us are our brothers and our sisters, that they share with us the same short moment of life.” We are blessed to share four years of our lives together, just 2,000 passionate, thoughtful 18-22 year olds hanging out in the best town in the world. We are given the opportunity to get to know each other and learn from each other. Let’s take advantage of it.

All the best,

Nick and Francesca
CC Co-Presidents

Schedule of Events:
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State of the College 2011

Dear Fellow Ephs,

Happy New Year! We hope you’re all enjoying winter break and are taking this time off to relax and catch up with friends and family! Like many of you, we are counting down the days to the start of winter study! With the stress of finals behind us, we can look forward to broomball games, movie marathons, and lots of good times with friends.

It has been a busy semester for College Council. We began by organizing a number of events to support relief efforts at The Spruces. In October, we formed the mental health committee to raise awareness and support for those who struggle with mental health issues on campus. The culminating event, You Are Not Alone, gave students an opportunity to share their experiences and drew several hundred students. In November, CC supported efforts to address the culture of silence that surrounds issues of hatred and discrimination at Williams. In coordination with other student organizations, CC is working on launching a conversation campaign to provide opportunities for more meaningful dialogue on campus. Along the way, we have spent a great deal of time talking about alcohol, the entry system, and CC transparency. These discussions will continue into the New Year. We are planning two all-campus discussions on the role of JAs and the pressures surrounding the idea of “effortless perfection.”

The Great Ideas Campaign has officially ended, but if you have an idea for a project around campus please send in a proposal. We will be working on the various projects over winter study.

As always, we welcome any and all feedback. We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas for ways we can work together to improve Williams!

We wish you safe travels back to Williams and look forward to seeing you soon!

All the best,

Nick and Francesca
CC Co-Presidents
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