Williams:
Although we would LOVE to be your Co-Presidents forever, it’s that time of year again: spring College Council elections!
WHY SHOULD I BE ON COLLEGE COUNCIL?
Students at Williams have a voice. The student body has a rich legacy of engagement and service. The most consistent and visible apparatus for effecting positive change on campus is College Council. Members of CC better this community by communicating with their peers about various College issues, initiating or supporting campus improvement projects, representing the needs and desires of Williams students to the administration, and taking a critical look at the campus with an eye toward setting and achieving realistic goals for its advancement.
There are positions available for all class-years (including seniors), no experience necessary.
IN THIS EMAIL, YOU WILL FIND:
a.) A description of College Council
b.) A list of positions for which you are eligible to run
c.) A College Council Elections timeline
Remember that there are many ways to meaningfully engage with and to effect change in this community. It takes 2,000. Click here to access a comprehensive list of student groups at Williams.
If you are considering running for a position on College Council, please come by the Student Activities Resource Center (the room with the computers and the color printer upstairs in Paresky) to the College Council office on Sunday, 2/3, any time between noon and 3pm. Ask questions and/or think through your decision or approach with current members of CC. If you can’t make it (isn’t there a football game that day or something?!), email/Facebook/call/text/whatever your favorite Council member and any of the 26 of us will gladly meet with you. #CCnerds
Self-nominations are due by email at 11:59pm on Monday, February 4th. Please send them to [email protected]. Candidates may officially begin campaigning at midnight on Tuesday, 2/5, and no sooner. Nominations have a 500-word limit and should include your name, the position for which you are running, relevant experience, and a brief explanation of why you are the best candidate for the position/what you hope to achieve on CC. The elections will be held online, beginning on Thursday, February 14th, and closing on Saturday, February 16th. All students will receive an email with a link to our voting system, and all may vote (including seniors).
Questions? kmp3 or pjs1
Thoughts? [email protected]
Looking for something? collegecouncil.williams.edu
LIKE what we’re doing? Make it Facebook official
On behalf of College Council 2012-2013, we wish you the best of luck in the upcoming elections.
Krista Pickett and Peter Skipper CC Presidents
TELL ME MORE…
College Council is Williams College’s campus-wide student representative body. CC’s most important functions include giving students a voice regarding campus issues, responsibly and fairly funding over 150 student groups and various campus events and balancing the student body’s $400,000 yearly budget, providing a starting point for student initiatives to improve the campus or College programs, and appointing students to the student-faculty-administration committees. College Council meets weekly on Wednesday nights from 7 to 9pm in Hopkins 001. All meetings are open to the community and students are encouraged to attend. All currently enrolled undergraduate Williams students are eligible to run for CC. These positions are intended to attract engaged and proactive members of the student body who are willing to work hard for positive change (big or small) on this campus. Bottom line: we know you’re busy, but CC promises a manageable, flexible, and fulfilling workload.
POSITIONS FOR SPRING ELECTIONS
Co-Presidents/President (candidates may run individually or as a pair): The Co-Presidents/President are the primary representatives of student opinion to the College administration and the leaders of the Williams College Council. They chair the College Council and the Executive Committee, and sit as ex officio members of all College Council committees. The Co-Presidents set the agenda for the College Council, identify priorities for the Executive Committee, and direct the activities of the Williams College Council. They oversee and support all functions of the Williams College Council. The Co-Presidents call meetings of the Council, cast a vote in the case of a tie, and represent the Council and its decisions. In the case of a President, all duties and responsibilities of the Co- Presidents revert to the President. The President will chair the Executive Committee.
Vice President for Operations: The Vice President for Operations is responsible for organizing and supporting all activities of the College Council. S/he is responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning of the College Council through membership oversight, maintenance of the constitution, bylaws, budget, and all of the regular processes of the Council. S/he manages staff hired by the College Council, oversees elections and appointments to committees of the College, and performs such duties as the Executive Committee or Co-Presidents may assign. In the event that the Co-Presidents or the President are temporarily unable to fulfill their duties, the Vice President for Operations will serve as Acting President until the President reassumes her/his responsibilities.
Vice President for Academic Affairs: The Vice President for Academic Affairs is responsible for all College Council policy and programming initiatives in the area of academic and intellectual life. S/he serves as Student Chair of the Committee on Educational Policy and provides oversight and guidance for the student members of all College committees that affect academic policy. S/he is responsible for building relationships with faculty, liaising with administrators on academic issues, crafting all College Council academic policy, representing the College Council in campus dialogue regarding the curriculum and academic program, and performs such duties as the Executive Committee or Co-Presidents may assign.
Vice President for Community and Diversity: The Vice President for Community and Diversity is responsible for all College Council policy and programming initiatives in the area of community life. S/he serves as Student Chair of the Committee on Diversity and Community, sits on the Finance Committee, and provides oversight and guidance for the student members of all College committees that affect community life. Under a joint agreement between College Council and the Minority Coalition, s/he also serves as a board member of the Minority Coalition. The Vice President for Community and Diversity is responsible for building relationships and liaising with faculty, staff, and administrators, serving as a resource to student organizations that focus on building community at the College, crafting all College Council policy on matters of community and diversity, representing the College Council in campus dialogue regarding community and diversity, and performs such duties as the Executive Committee or Co-Presidents may assign.
Vice President for Student Affairs: The Vice President for Student Affairs is responsible for all College Council policy and programming initiatives in the area of student life. S/he serves as Student Chair of the Committee on Undergraduate Life and provides oversight and guidance for the student members of all College committees that affect student life. The Vice President for Student Affairs is responsible for building relationships and liaising with staff and administrators on issues of student life at the College, crafting College Council policy related to student life, for providing specific programming to support College Council initiatives, and performs such duties as the Executive Committee or Co-Presidents may assign.
Vice President for Student Organizations: The Vice President for Student Organizations is responsible for managing all College Council policies related to club life and for collaborating with the Treasurer to support all student organizations financially and institutionally. S/he chairs the Student Organizations Committee and sits as a member of the Finance Committee. The Vice President for Student Organizations, along with the Treasurer, is the College Council liaison to the Office of Student Life for matters that relate to student organizations, including, but not limited to: group re-registrations, Purple Key Fair registrations, Student Jamboree registrations, and the Fall Treasurer/Club Sport training sessions. S/he is responsible for overseeing all chartering, club support, and review processes, as well as maintaining and publishing a comprehensive list of student groups at Williams. S/he also performs such duties as the Executive Committee or Co- Presidents may assign.
Treasurer: The Treasurer is responsible for overseeing the club funding process and for maintaining the Council’s books. S/he chairs the Finance Committee and sits as a member of the Student Organizations Committee. The Treasurer, along with the Vice President for Student Organizations, is the College Council liaison to the Office of Student Life and is the primary manager of the Student Activities Fee. The Treasurer reports on the budget and the status of College Council accounts to the Council, oversees the Assistant Treasurer, and performs such duties as the Executive Committee or Co-Presidents may assign.
Assistant Treasurer: The Assistant Treasurer assists the Treasurer in maintaining Council’s books. The Assistant Treasurer is a member of Finance Committee and performs such duties as the Treasurer, Executive Committee or Co-Presidents may assign.
2013 Class Representatives (4): Class Representatives for the Class of 2013 shall represent the interests of the Senior Class and the student body at-large, keep their constituents informed of Council proceedings, and serve and actively contribute on at least one committee.
2014 Class Representatives (4): Class Representatives for the Class of 2014 shall represent the interests of the Junior Class and the student body at-large, keep their constituents informed of Council proceedings, and serve and actively contribute on at least one committee.
2015 Class Representatives (4): Class Representatives for the Class of 2015 shall represent the interests of the Sophomore Class, keep their constituents informed of Council proceedings, and serve and actively contribute on at least one committee.
2016 Class Representatives (4): Class Representatives for the Class of 2016 shall represent the interests of the Freshman Class, keep their constituents informed of Council proceedings, and serve and actively contribute on at least one committee
Officer, Vice Presidential, and Assistant Treasurer candidates are elected in an all campus vote. Officers and Vice Presidents serve year-long terms, and the Assistant Treasurer and Class Representatives semester-long. Class Representatives are elected via all-class vote. Officers and Vice Presidents comprise the Executive Committee.
CC ELECTIONS TIMELINE
Sunday, 2/3/13: General Information Session for students interested in College Council (‘walk-in’ style, CC Office, 12 to 3pm)
Monday, 2/4/13: Self-nominations due by 11:59pm to [email protected]
Wednesday, 2/6/13: Self-nominations distributed to the student body via email Thursday, 2/7/13: Meet the Candidates (open to the whole campus)
Sunday, 2/10/13: The Record-sponsored CC Presidential Debate (and year-long-position candidates’ speeches) in Baxter Hall
Wednesday, 2/13/13: All-Candidates CC Meeting, 7-9pm, Hopkins 001 (though all of our meetings are open, we especially encourage candidates running for positions on CC to attend this one)
Thursday, 2/14/13: Voting begins (online; you will receive an e-mail that elections are live)
Saturday, 2/16/13: The polls close at 8pm and the results are announced shortly thereafter in Paresky and then by email
Wednesday, 2/20/13: Joint College Council meeting between the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 Councils
