College Council is Williams College’s campus-wide student representative body.
CC’s most important functions include the following:
- Giving students a voice regarding campus issues.
- Responsibly and fairly funding over 150 student groups and various campus events.
- Providing a starting point for student initiatives to improve the campus or college programs.
- Appointing students to the student-faculty committees.
We’ve compiled a brief list of some of our past successful projects:
- Came up with the idea for Purple Cow Gelato (yum!)
- Facilitated the a-cappella groups’ return to Brooks Rogers and Chapin for their final concerts
- Successfully worked with the CUL to extend swipe access hours into Hollander and Schapiro
- Worked with Dining Services to increase variety at various venues on campus
- Funded most of and assisted in the planning for Williams Day.
- Formed a Rollover Task Force that will work over the summer to create proposals to advise next year’s Council on how to manage the $110,000 of rollover funds
- Ensured the longevity of groups like the Sailing Team with high capital expenditures by allocating funds through the Capital Investment Fund (CIF).
- Institutionalized the Mental Health Committee as an official College Council committee
- Advocated for better resources for JAs through the Health Center
- Worked with the Chaplain’s Office to reinstate Life Raft, a support group for students and community members struggling with grief
- Partnered with the Mental Health Committee for an all-campus discussion, “Our Mental Health: Where Do We Go From Here?”
- NAB/SAB hours: Council worked with the Committee on Undergraduate Life to extend the hours of Hollander and Schapiro until 12:30am Monday through Thursday and from 1pm to 12:30am on Sundays.
- Refined the process for starting a new club on campus
- Facilitated a discussion about the use of the Lower Goodrich Dance Studio to allow our performance groups access to it during their performances
- Updated the Textbook Reserve Program: rent your textbooks for use in Sawyer and Schow
- Reinstated Facilities Directors Committee, which discusses and recommends policy on issues such as summer storage, dorm room furniture, snow removal, campus beautification, and residence hall vandalism
- Formed a Student/Security committee and had regular meetings with the Directors of Security to begin reviewing policies pertaining to parties, fines, and discipline at Williams
- Clarified final paper/exam return policy: be sure to ask your professors for your finals back if you want them.
- Funded and arranged for the New York Times to be available again in Paresky
- Buying computer chargers for rent in the libraries
- Updated Sawyer’s Video Game Library
- Bought paddle balls and rackets for the courts behind Mission (pick them up in Security)
- Water dispenser in Schow
- Gourmet Salads in the ’82 Grill
- Late Night Specials: shaking up Snack Bar with well-priced specials
- Purchased oven mitts for more than 20 dorm kitchens around campus
- Expanded drink selection at Grab ‘n Go
- Comment boxes in dining halls
- Vending machines: increasing the variety and maintenance, including adding healthier options
- Minutes: records all CC meetings and publishes thorough recaps of Council discussions for the student body
- Invited the Student Chairs from the CUL, CDC, CEP in to Council to update us on their work and to see how Council can assist
- Helped initiate the “Leading Minds” Ephventure
- Reviewed the Capital Investment Fund to ensure that groups needing to make big purchases to maintain their functionality are able to do so
- Mental Health Board: a visible display of the resources and mental health and sexual assault awareness/education to be completed this summer