Run for College Council
Posted by David Dudley Field '25 under College Council at 3:17 pm
If you are the sort of student who reads EphBlog, then you ought to run for College Council. First, you will be in a position to try to make Williams a little bit better. You aren't going to change the world or make the Administration change its policies, but, on the margin, you can improve things for students. Second, you will learn a lot about life, committees and bureaucracies — valuable knowledge for wherever you go after college.
Perhaps the single most important skill in the corporate world is to get people to do things, especially people who don't work for you. There are few better places to develop this talent than College Council.
Williams,
Don't forget that College Council self-nominations are due tonight at 11:59 PM! Running for Council is a fantastic opportunity to get involved in the community and make the College a better place.
Why Should You Run?
Have a voice. Make a difference.
College Council is the student government at Williams. Since its inception in 1913, the Council has worked to represent all student interests and bring positive change to our Mountain Land. This longstanding history of engagement and action allows Williams students, though its Council representatives, to critically analyze the College in order to participate deeply in and drive dialogue surrounding campus issues, to improve the campus through policy and practice, to foster a vibrant community of 160+ student organizations and over 2000 students. In addition, College Council manages the Student Activities Tax, overseeing the allocation of ~$425,000 per year to fund campus entertainment, student organizations, lectures, Great Ideas, and just about anything else that comes to students' minds.
This semester, Council has:
Worked to further increase the level of transparency between the Board of Trustees/Administration and students
Drafted an accessible version of the student code of conduct that was approved by the Administration
Contributed to efforts to thank the many staff members that work tirelessly for us on a daily basis
Introduced a completely redesigned website, and improved our social media presence in order to disseminate information to the student body in the most effective manner
Worked closely with CSS to create plans to improve the lighting to Route 2 crosswalks for student safety
Hosted monthly Community Matters discussions about issues relevant to our community
Full-Year Positions (elected in an all-campus vote)
President/Co-Presidents (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 Academic Affairs: The Vice President for Academic Affairs is responsible for allCollege Council policy and programming initiatives in the area of academic and intellectual life. S/he serves on 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, coordinating the Winter Study Free University 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, chairs the Community Matters Committee, and sits on the Finance Committee. S/he 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 the Upperclass Residential Life Advisory Committee, 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, summer inventory storage, 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.
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, attendance records, 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.
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 and the Appointments 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 Tax. 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. The Treasurer is elected in an all-campus vote, and must have served at least one semester on the Finance Committee.
Semester Positions
Assistant Treasurer: The Assistant Treasurer assists the Treasurer in maintaining Council's books. The Assistant Treasurer is a member of Finance Committee and the Entertainment Co-Sponsorship Committee. The Assistant Treasurer keeps a running inventory of items procured by student organizations using the Student Activities Tax, to keep track of such items and ensure proper summer storage, and performs such duties as the Treasurer, Executive Committee or Co-Presidents may assign. The Assistant Treasurer is elected in an all-campus vote.
2016 Class Representatives (4): Class Representatives for the Class of 2015 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. Class representatives are elected in an all-class vote.
2017 Class Representatives (4): Class Representatives for the Class of 2016 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. Class representatives are elected in an all-class vote.
2018 Class Representatives (4): Class Representatives for the Class of 2017 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. Class representatives are elected in an all-class vote.
2019 Class Representatives (4): Class Representatives for the Class of 2018 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. Class representatives are elected in an all-class vote.
Elections Timeline
Saturday, Feb 13 (11:59pm): Self-nominations due via collegecouncil.williams.edu
Sunday, Feb 14: Self-nominations packet distributed to the student body
Wednesday, Feb 17 (5:00pm): Meet the Candidates in Baxter Hall
Monday, Feb 22 (7:00pm): CC/Record Debate in Baxter Hall
Thursday, Feb 25: Voting begins at 4pm
Saturday, Feb 27: Voting ends at 8pm
Wednesday, March 3: Joint Session of the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 Councils
College Council has received three petitions, two of which were voted on by the student, and one which was presented with support from over 20% of the student body to include a referendum on the ballot. Pursuant to the Constitution of the Student Body, Article VIII, Section A, this referendum must be voted on by at least 1/3 of the student body to be valid. More information about the referendum will follow in future communications.
Rules for Campaigning
Rules for campaigning can be found in Article VIII, Section 4 of the College Council bylaws. The section reads as follows:
Campaigning shall begin when the Officers distribute the self nominations.
No campaign materials may be distributed or displayed before the beginning of the official campaign week. "Campaign materials" include, but is not limited to, posters, daily advisor announcements, mailings, and any other form of publicity.
Candidates are responsible and accountable for monitoring all campaigning on their behalf.
The Elections Supervisory Committee is responsible for overseeing all campaign rules. They, in turn, are responsible to the Elections Committee as defined in the Constitution.
Any violation may result in a suspension of allowed campaigning time, and shall be at the discretion of the Elections Committee.
Multiple violations may result in disqualification.
Violations include failure to adhere to the campaign rules put forth in these bylaws, or other acts of bad faith (such as destruction of campaign materials).
Email me (mer6) or President Marcus Christian (mac5) if you have any questions related to the 2016 Spring elections or Council in general. We look forward to seeing as much engagement and possible, and can't wait to see what we'll be able to accomplish this year and beyond.
Michael Rubel
Interim Vice President for Operations
Williams College Council
Following investigation, College Council votes to retain treasurer; censures co-presidents
College Council Meeting Notes
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