Dear Williams,
We are writing to thank you. It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve as your College Council Co-Presidents.
We are happy to report that the state of the College is strong. This year on Council was marked by change and careful attention to actual demonstrated student need and interest. We listened like we never have before. We took our stewardship of the student body’s money seriously, and as a result, we were able to fund your student organizations more generously, co-sponsor a multitude of all-campus events, and formulate a plan to spend down our cumulative rollover. We knew that the composition of College Council did not adequately reflect the students that it represents, so we restructured it to allow for equal class-year representation, a designated vice president for four specific and pervasive interest areas (academic affairs, student organizations, student affairs, and community and diversity), and the addition of an Assistant Treasurer. This Council prepared for some of the more glamorous work on the issues affecting our community to be done by future Councils, and we are excited for their leadership.
We had tangible changes and improvements to the student experience in mind: providing ACE Concerts with funding for Macklemore; working with Dining Services and our Food Committee student chair, Tyler Sparks, to extend late-night hours and to open Lee After Dark; creating Community Matters, a forum for honest discussions relevant to every Eph; the strengthening and institutionalization of SuperFan; thoughtful and careful work surrounding mental health and campus resources; and many of your Great Ideas. One of our Council’s priorities was focusing on how well we provide for our student organizations—a responsibility that stems from a long history of empowering students to take charge of their own affairs here at the College. This Council has also collaborated with other groups of students engaged in important community-building work to insist that conversations about diversity, inclusion, and community belong and are respected in every corner of this campus.
College Council taught us to balance our LOVE for this place with an ability to look at it critically and to pinpoint precisely where it might improve, or get safer, happier, healthier, or easier. We were fortunate to partner with staff and administrators—particularly, Vice President Klass and Dean Bolton—who are on our side; Williams is better because of relationships like these. We also need to thank and acknowledge all of the members of College Council 2012-2013. We’ll miss our Wednesday nights together, but we can’t wait to see what you get up to, at Williams and in the world.
The long-standing legacy of selfless service to the College is alive and well. Williams students care. It doesn’t matter if you have never been to a meeting in Hopkins basement. What’s important is that you know and trust that CC is working hard and advocating to make your experience better. We believe in College Council and in the work that it does, and in the two thousand of you.
We are all invested in Williams. In the last three and a half years, we’ve been to your events and performances, we’ve cheered for you at your games, and we’ve sat in on your group meetings. We’ve studied next to you in the library and we’ve been part of countless conversations about ways to make this school better. We’ve seen how hard you are working and how much it matters to you. Thank you for making this such a fun and worthwhile place to be. We could not be prouder to have represented you!
We are grateful for your engagement and support this year. Though we are done with this ‘job,’ we are by no means done with this work. We care deeply about this school and this community every day.
Yours,
Krista and Peter