2008 Woodie Awards
Outgoing President appeals for Community Senate
Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Forum
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Clearing up the record about Senate
Our student government is powerful. But despite this power, there is a prevailing perception that we do little to help the student body, and that even worse, we are in the pocket of the administration. Being the outgoing president, I thought I would take the opportunity to clear up many of the misconceptions and falsehoods that the student body seems to believe.
Senate has sole jurisdiction over the entire sum of what are now called campus activities fees, a $165 fee paid each semester by each traditional student. These fees, which for academic year 2007-2008 will total approximately $450,000, are distributed among clubs by the Senate executives during budget hearings the previous year. In addition to those funds allocated to the 45 different clubs on campus, the remainder (typically about $100,000) is set aside for allocation throughout the semester to individuals and groups, as well as clubs for supplemental funding.
As president of the Senate, I was given immense access to Guilford College administrators, as well as reserved positions on a number of high-level committees. Aaron Fetrow and Adrienne Craig, in particular, are powerful allies of the student body. There is this idea that Aaron tells the executives what he wants and then we do it for him. This is purely false. The vast majority of my meetings with Aaron involve me telling Aaron what people are bringing to my attention. Then we talk about how we can make it better and how he can help us remedy the situation. Unfortunately, I rarely find myself able to carry a full conversation with Aaron about student concerns due to the poor attendance at Senate meetings and the fact that the only e-mails which ever come to the Senate inbox are those with budget or proposal attachments.
In addition to this access to Aaron, the president of the Senate has a seat on the Strategic Long Range Planning committee for the college, chaired by Kent Chabotar and attended almost exclusively by senior administrators and faculty. On April 9, I was asked to give a presentation to the committee on student leadership and engagement. When I announced this at Senate and asked for input (what people wanted me to tell this assembled cabal of powerful people), I was greeted with blank stares and no input. I presented a case to this group for a number of policy reforms as well as asked for ideas as to how to get more students interested in their own community. I was greeted with the information that this battle is being waged on most campuses around the country. We are not alone in this problem, but let's find a way to take the lead in solving the problem.
Our student government is powerful. But despite this power, there is a prevailing perception that we do little to help the student body, and that even worse, we are in the pocket of the administration. Being the outgoing president, I thought I would take the opportunity to clear up many of the misconceptions and falsehoods that the student body seems to believe.
Senate has sole jurisdiction over the entire sum of what are now called campus activities fees, a $165 fee paid each semester by each traditional student. These fees, which for academic year 2007-2008 will total approximately $450,000, are distributed among clubs by the Senate executives during budget hearings the previous year. In addition to those funds allocated to the 45 different clubs on campus, the remainder (typically about $100,000) is set aside for allocation throughout the semester to individuals and groups, as well as clubs for supplemental funding.
As president of the Senate, I was given immense access to Guilford College administrators, as well as reserved positions on a number of high-level committees. Aaron Fetrow and Adrienne Craig, in particular, are powerful allies of the student body. There is this idea that Aaron tells the executives what he wants and then we do it for him. This is purely false. The vast majority of my meetings with Aaron involve me telling Aaron what people are bringing to my attention. Then we talk about how we can make it better and how he can help us remedy the situation. Unfortunately, I rarely find myself able to carry a full conversation with Aaron about student concerns due to the poor attendance at Senate meetings and the fact that the only e-mails which ever come to the Senate inbox are those with budget or proposal attachments.
In addition to this access to Aaron, the president of the Senate has a seat on the Strategic Long Range Planning committee for the college, chaired by Kent Chabotar and attended almost exclusively by senior administrators and faculty. On April 9, I was asked to give a presentation to the committee on student leadership and engagement. When I announced this at Senate and asked for input (what people wanted me to tell this assembled cabal of powerful people), I was greeted with blank stares and no input. I presented a case to this group for a number of policy reforms as well as asked for ideas as to how to get more students interested in their own community. I was greeted with the information that this battle is being waged on most campuses around the country. We are not alone in this problem, but let's find a way to take the lead in solving the problem.
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