Williams College Council

Are you interested in getting involved in a meaningful way at Williams?

Do you want to work with other students, faculty, and administrators to make a difference?

Do you want to influence College policy and get experience working on a wide range of campus issues?

You should apply to be on a student-faculty or administrative committee!

Every year right around this time, CC solicits applications from the student body to serve on an official College committee. Most committees are made up of a combination of administrators, faculty, staff and students, and they play an integral role in setting College policy in both academic and non-academic areas.

All students are encouraged to apply! If there’s a chance you will be unavailable during the normal committee meeting time (usually 4-5:30pm) for part of a semester due to a sport or other activity, you can still apply–meeting times can be adjusted!–just indicate this in your application. In most cases, we appoint students to serve terms that run the entire academic year. You will be notified by the end of this semester and join your committee in the Fall.

Please contact us if you have any questions about the committee application process.

Apply!
Krista Pickett and Peter Skipper
College Council Presidents

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The deadline to apply is next Friday, April 27th, at 11:59pm. The deadline will not be extended.

Applications should not exceed 500 words and should include:

1. Your name, class year, and desired committee position
2. Specific ideas and proposals for the committee to address
3. Relevant previous experience
4. WHY you want to serve on the committee and WHY you think you would do a good job on the committee
5. Study abroad plans
6. Interest in serving as Student Chair
Responsibilities of the Student Chair include
a.) Communicating committee updates on a monthly basis to College Council
b.) Maintaining an attendance record for students on the committee
c.) Informing Council when a student representative to the committee is no longer willing or able to fulfill his or her responsibilities

*** Make the subject of your e-mail NAME COMMITTEE ***
For example: Ephraim Williams CUL
***Email your application to applyforcommittees@gmail.com***

Students will be selected by the CC Appointments Committee and notified via email before the end of the Spring Semester. You may nominate yourself for as many committees you would like.

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Committees with open positions: (Descriptions are below)

College Council Committees:
• Finance Committee (FinCom)
Mental Health

Student Life Position:
• ACE President

Community Discussion and Life Committees:
• Committee on Diversity and Community (CDC)
• Williams Reads (CDC Subcommittee)
• Grievance Committee
• Campus Environment Advisory Committee (CEAC)
• College and Community Advisory Committee
• Committee on Undergraduate Life (CUL)
Claiming Williams Steering Committee

Academic Life Committees:
• Committee on Educational Policy (CEP)
• Calendar and Scheduling Committee
• Lecture Committee
• Winter Study Committee

Campus Services Committees:
• Dining Services Committee
• Information Technology Committee (ITC)
• Facilities Director Committee
• Library Committee
• Campus Safety and Security Advisory Committee
• ’62 Center CenterSeries programming Committee
Communications Liaison

Other Committees:
• Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility (ACSR)
• Lyceum Dinner Coordinators
• Committee on Priorities and Resources

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Committee Descriptions:

**COLLEGE COUNCIL COMMITTEES**
These committees consist entirely of students and assist the College Council in student governance.

FINANCE COMMITTEE (FINCOM):
Chaired by the College Council Treasurer, this committee aids CC in allocating the revenue generated from the Student Activities Tax and oversees the allocations to all student organizations as well as co-sponsoring all-campus and all-class events. The committee also makes recommendations for the use of the Benefits Fund, the Capital Investment Fund, and the Nationals Fund. Responsibilities include working closely with subgroup treasurers, attending all Finance Committee meetings, and attending Council meetings when your expertise is relevant to Council business. Only students who have served or are currently serving on FINCOM are eligible to run for College Council Treasurer.
Questions? Contact April Jenkins, current Treasurer, at aej1.

MENTAL HEALTH COMMITTEE:
The Mental Health Committee is a College Council committee comprised of representatives from College Council, Peer Health, Active Minds, and the student body-at large (the size of the committee at the discretion of the Chair). The committee was created to foster a culture of support at Williams and to strengthen resources for those on campus facing challenges concerning their mental health and wellbeing. By facilitating discussion and addressing issues proactively, the committee strives to make Williams a community that does not hide from personal struggle, but faces it head on. The Mental Health Committee is also responsible for the semesterly You Are Not Alone events. The selection of at-large students to be added to the committee will be overseen by the College Council Appointments Committee and the Chair of the Mental Health Committee.
Current Co-Chairs: Matt Piltch ’12 and Francesca Barrett ’12

**STUDENT LIFE POSITION**

ACE PRESIDENT:
The ACE President is the chair of the student organization All Campus Entertainment (ACE). Responsibilities include leading ACE meetings, overseeing General Entertainment, ACE Concerts, and First Fridays, organizing all campus events and parties, working closely with the Office of Student Life, and helping non-ACE students organize large all-campus events. Students applying for the position of ACE President need not have event planning experience, but must be dedicated to improving student entertainment on campus.
ACE Advisor: Ben Lamb, Assistant Director of Student Involvement

**COMMUNITY DISCUSSION AND LIFE**

COMMITTEE ON DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY (CDC):
The Committee on Diversity and Community (CDC) is comprised of faculty, staff, and students and is charged with the responsibility of examining the health of our diverse Williams community and discussing problems and proposing initiatives with regard to the College’s commitment to educate students for engagement
with our increasingly diverse world. The CDC has reviewed topics such as staff and faculty recruitment and retention, discrimination and harassment grievance procedures, admission and financial aid policies and practices, student orientation and advising training, and student retention and academic success. More recently, the Committee sponsored the Williams Reads project during Winter Study and hosted numerous discussion group sessions. The Committee will
continue to explore the intellectual, cultural, and social experiences of the many diverse communities within the wider College community of students, faculty, and staff. The Committee will meet on Mondays from 4 to 5:15 pm. Committee Members will serve two-year terms.
Chair: Mike Reed, Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity
Student Chair 2011-12: Lily Wong ’12

WILLIAMS READS (CDC Subcommittee)
Williams Reads aims to foster new connections among students, staff, faculty, and community members by exploring diversity through a common reading experience. Developed by the Committee on Diversity and Community (CDC), Williams Reads is an initiative offered each January as an opportunity for us to explore a book together that will help us to celebrate and deepen our
appreciation of diversity. It is a goal of the CDC to select a book that will stimulate community engagement and challenging conversation. In addition, related discussions, movies, performances, and presentations will be offered. Free copies of the chosen book are made available during the first week of Winter Study, with the intent that these copies will recirculate throughout the community. Students appointed to the committee will help with all aspects of the Williams Reads program.

GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE:
This committee hears and rules on grievances lodged regarding any form of discrimination. This committee does not meet on a regular basis, but the committee members stand ready to serve as the need arises.

CAMPUS ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CEAC):
CEAC currently has positions open for first year students. Appointed members will serve until the end of their senior year. CEAC
compiles the Environmental State of the Campus report and members work with the College administration to improve the College’s environmental practices.

THE COLLEGE AND COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE:
This committee advises senior staff on issues that grow from the College and community’s interdependence with the primary goal of identifying and encouraging efforts of mutual benefit. The ex-officio members include the Director of Public Affairs, the Chaplain, the Coordinator of Community Service, and the Coordinator of Experiential Education.

COMMITTEE ON UNDERGRADUATE LIFE (CUL):
The Committee on Undergraduate Life recommends policy on all non-academic aspects of student life. As a particular concern, the Committee maintains College-wide oversight of the advising services offered to students. The Director of Campus Life, who is a voting member, the Director of the Multicultural Center (or designee), who is a non-voting member, and a representative, also non-voting, appointed by the Dean of the College are all ex-officio members of the committee. The students on the committee are selected to reflect the diversity of the student body, with respect to gender, ethnic and
socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, class year, and
student activities and organizations.
Faculty Chair 2011-12: Professor Mihai Stoiciu, Mathematics and Statistics
Student Chair: Laura Berk ’12

CLAIMING WILLIAMS STEERING COMMITTEE:
Comprised of students, staff, and faculty, the Claiming Williams Steering Committee receives and reviews proposals for events for Claiming Williams Day and for programming throughout the year. The objective of the all-campus programming is to foster discussions on respect and diversity and to work towards building an inclusive community. As a student member, you will have the opportunity to learn about campus programming and to work with a creative, diverse, and dedicated group in planning a day that has a strong and positive impact on our community. The committee’s mission statement is: “Claiming Williams invites the community to acknowledge and understand the uncomfortable reality that not all students, staff, and faculty can equally ‘claim’ Williams. By challenging the effects of the College’s history of inequality that are based on privileges of class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and religion, we will provoke individual, institutional, and cultural change.” If you are interested in joining the Claiming Williams Steering Committee, please send a brief self-nomination to Professor Carmen Whalen, Associate Dean for Institutional Diversity, at Carmen.T.Whalen@williams.edu.

**ACADEMIC LIFE**

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATIONAL POLICY (CEP):
This committee is responsible for approving new courses, contract majors, major requirements, examining all possible changes in the curriculum, and recommending action to the faculty. Please
include your current or intended major (and concentrations, certificates, etc.) on your self-nomination. This committee meets at 4pm on Mondays.
Faculty Chair 2011-2012: Professor Guy Hedreen, Art
Student Chair: Amy Nguyen ’12

CALENDAR & SCHEDULING COMMITTEE:
This committee proposes the academic calendar to the faculty and works to improve class hour schedules submitted by departments.

LECTURE COMMITTEE:
This committee aids in funding lectures proposed by other organizations on campus and plans its own large lecture series to take place the following year. Self-nominations for this committee should include your (potential) major(s) and which lectures at Williams you have most enjoyed in your time at the College.

WINTER STUDY COMMITTEE:
This committee recommends and administers policy on the Winter Study program, including reviews of all faculty and student projects for approval and allocation of funding. The committee also approves 99s and the travel course proposals, and develops ways to streamline the 99 and travel course timetable.

**CAMPUS SERVICES**

DINING SERVICES COMMITTEE:
Students on this committee advise the Director of Dining Services on all food matters, including the dining hall system, the quality and availability of food, and offerings in Paresky. The Student Dining Services committee is an essential part of the success of campus dining. Each month, the committee meets with the managers and chefs from each dining area to discuss the menu, food quality, and service. The Office of Dining Services relies on the DSC’s input for all food related decision making. Round table discussions are held at dinner each month in various dining halls. Our goal is to be the best Dining Services in the nation: one that is recognized for healthy/nutritious meals, sustainable practices, and a professional team providing consistent service.
Contact Bob Volpi, Director of Dining Services, or Chris Abayasinghe, Assistant Director of Student Dining, with questions.

INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE (ITC):
This committee’s past activities have included investigating the possibility of providing computers for all students at Williams, ensuring that there is equal access to the network and all computer hardware, evaluating new purchases, and examining the role of Jesup in campus life.

FACILITIES DIRECTOR COMMITTEE:
The purpose of this committee is to ensure that student opinion is taken into consideration when Facilities makes decisions regarding the policies for residential halls and campus work.
**Newly-reinstated committee, how exciting!**

LIBRARY COMMITTEE:
This Committee advises on matters of general policy for the Williams College Library system. Past activities include advising on improved Science Library facilities. The committee usually meets once a month in the late afternoon, and holds additional meetings when the Stetson/Sawyer architects make public presentations.
Questions? E-mail David Pilachowski, College Librarian.

CAMPUS SAFETY AND SECURITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE:
This committee meets to discuss student and security relations, safety rules, party regulations, and other security concerns.

’62 CENTER CENTERSERIES PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE:
The Programming Committee meets two to three times each fall to review and select the shows for the following year’s CenterSeries. These shows are some of the highest profile event on campus each year. It is important to the committee that student representatives have the ability to participate in this selection process. In fact, the students are encouraged to talk directly to Rachel Chanoff, the Director of Programming for the CenterSeries, prior to the meetings to offer
input on the shows offered for the selection process.

COMMUNICATIONS LIAISON
Work with Suzanne Silitch of the Office of Communications to determine how best to “tell the Williams story.” Past responsibilities have included providing feedback for the new Dining Services mobile application and integrating WCMA further into the Williams community.

**OTHER**

THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON SHAREHOLDER RESPONSIBILITY (ACSR):
This committee advises the Board of Trustees on how to invest the College’s endowment in a socially responsible manner. In the late 1970s, the committee considered whether the College should avoid investing in firms doing business in South Africa during the apartheid period. More recently, it studied divestment from tobacco companies.

LYCEUM DINNER COORDINATORS:
The Lyceum Dinner program allows students the opportunity to take a professor or staff member to a free, three-course meal at the Faculty Club. Managers are responsible for working with Dining Services and the Dean’s Office to coordinate the events. In addition, the managers are responsible for assembling an end of year report on the program to be submitted to the program benefactor, the student body, College Council, and the Dean’s Office.

COMMITTEE ON PRIORITIES AND RESOURCES:
This extremely important committee advises the President on the allocation of the College’s fiscal and tangible resources and on long-range financial planning and also considers trends in the annual College budget and other matters relating to priorities in fundraising and resources for capital expenditures. Each division is represented by at least one faculty member. Faculty members appointed to the CPR serve staggered two-year terms. Students appointed to the Committee likewise serve staggered two-year terms beginning as juniors. At least one of the current College Council Co-President serves on the CPR. The Provost, Associate Provost, Budget Director, Vice President for Operations, the Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development, and the Associate Vice President for Facilities and Auxiliary Services, serve as ex-officio, non-voting members. The faculty chair of the CPR normally serves a two-year term.
Current Student Representatives for School Year 2011-2012: Francesca Barrett ’12, Nick Fogel ’12, and Andrea Lindsay ’13.

We look forward to your submissions!

- The Appointments Committee

Krista Pickett ’13 and Peter Skipper ’13
College Council Presidents

Adrian Castro ’14
Secretary

April Jenkins ’14
Treasurer

Kate Flanagan ’14
All-Campus Representative for Diversity and Community

Wen Han ’13
Class of 2013 Representative

Emily Calkins ’14
Class of 2014 Representative

Ben Augenbraun ’15
Class of 2015 Representative

Williams:

We spent last weekend at Connecticut College, attending a conference for NESCAC student governments. While this institution as a whole is far from perfect, we realized how fortunate we are to go to a school that values student input as much as Williams does. As Williams students, we have the ability to effect positive change on this campus and to actually take charge of our own education.

As for College Council: we implemented some of your Great Ideas and we are addressing issues relating to mental health. We are also working to facilitate the types of conversations about our community that distinguish Williams from many of the schools we spoke to.

These are just the highlights! Check out collegecouncil.williams.edu to read through our meeting minutes. As always, e-mail your thoughts, questions, and Great Ideas (big or small) to opinions@wso.williams.edu

W H A T    H A S    C O L L E G E    C O U N C I L    D O N E ?

SuperFan

To build community by increasing school spirit, CC passed a resolution in support of the program and promises teams one SuperFan away bus per season. If you are interested in organizing a SuperFan away bus or in having CC sponsor a home game SuperFan event this spring, e-mail April Jenkins, CC Treasurer, at aej1.

Social Scene

Why are there 5 parties on one night, and none for the next two weekends? Is your student group having a hard time advertising your event or finding somebody to co-sponsor it with? CC and the Office of Student Life have partnered to create a Social Scene Task Force that will encourage communication and collaboration between programming bodies to make the social scene better reflect your diverse interests.

Getting a cappella groups into the spaces they need

Council worked with the Dean’s Office, the Office of Student Life, Security, and EphCappella to allow our a cappella groups to be able to hold their final performances in Brooks-Rogers and Chapin again.

Forming a new student group

CC’s Student Organizations Committee has streamlined the process for creating a new student group. This past week, Council approved two new organizations: the Williams Globalist and the Williams Triathlon Club. Have an extraordinary extracurricular in mind? Go to the Student Group tab on the CC website.

CC & MinCo Forums

We are implementing a series of all-campus discussions regarding community issues. Future topics include work-study and financial aid, being a student of religious faith at Williams, and body image.

Updating Sawyer’s Video Game Library

We’re purchasing new games for the Video Game Library. E-mail Katy Carrigan ’14 (kmc2), Spencer At-Large Representative, if there’s a certain title that you’d like.

Textbook Reserve

This is a College Council-sponsored program that allows you to check out books from the most popular classes at Williams and to use them on reserve in the library.

Williams Day 2012

CC is sponsoring and assisting in the planning for the second annual Williams Day, scheduled for April 28th.

The “little” changes that make the Williams experience brighter:

a. Purple Cow gelato: Dining Services introduced its Lickety Split-inspired creation! Yum.

b. Paddle tennis purchase: pick up the paddles and the ball from Security’s office in the basement of Hopkins and play at the courts behind Mission. A Great Idea submitted by Benjamin Allison ’14!

c. COLOR printing: we are working to make more options available to you in the libraries.

d. Final paper/exam return: After a productive conversation with the Committee on Educational Policy and a mention at the March faculty meeting, the Faculty Steering Committee followed Council’s recommendation to urge professors to return their final papers and exams.

M E N T A L H E A L T H

JA Resources through the Health Center

JAs, make sure you’re taking care of YOU before you can take care of your frosh. The counselors from Let’s Talk, Paresky’s walk-in hours, are now more fully versed in the role and responsibilities of Junior Advisors. Check Daily Messages for times and locations.

Grief Relief

Life Raft, a grief support group facilitated by Chaplain Rick Spalding, has been reinstated. It takes place on Thursdays at 9pm in Jenness.

Paresky Resource Board

The board, which will list information pertinent to mental health and wellbeing, sexual assault, academic resources, religious services, and more will serve to remind students of the resources available on campus.

F U N D I N G

ROLLOVER

Council painstakingly allocates almost every penny of its $400,000 budget each year, but student groups don’t always end up using their entire budgets. When we cleared out all of our groups’ accounts for the first time in 2009, we were left with $150,000 of rollover money. Since then, almost $30,000 of that initial $150,000 has been used toward the Great Ideas Campaign, the Capital Investment Fund, the Charity Fund, and the Nationals Fund. But what should we do with the rest of the rollover money, and the money that we’ll continue to collect at the end of each fiscal year? Should we create an endowment? Should we devise a plan to spend it responsibly? CC is committed to having this conversation. What a wonderful opportunity to send your thoughts to opinions@wso.williams.edu

Capital Investment Fund

We evaluated the potential of this fund, which is intended to aid clubs that necessitate long-term and larger investments for the continued existence of the organization, to serve student groups. We decided it makes “cents” to give the fund another year before we consider making any changes to it.

Funding Bylaws

At the request of group Treasurers across campus, we are continuing to clarify and slim down CC’s funding bylaws: they were long, wordy, and redundant, just like this sentence.

I N P R O G R E S S

Student Activities Resource Center

We are working alongside the Office of Student Life and OIT to determine how best to make the space serve your needs. The renovation will be completed during the summer.

Tracking Your Meal Points Online

We received word from Dining Services that they will work to make this option available to students beginning with the implementation of the Fall 2012 meal plan cycle.

Bulletin Boards in Paresky

Exploring the idea of buying large bulletin boards for use in the student center.

SophomOrientation

Planning for the fourth installment of the program, with a committee chaired by Class of 2015 Representative and D4 resident Ben Augenbraun (bla1), is under way.

BikeShare

After pumping the brakes on this initiative last year, Council is reaching out to the coordinators of successful programs at other colleges to determine how to make the system work at Williams.

Better Gym Hours

We are hoping to “work out” an arrangement that allows you to use the gym earlier on Sunday mornings.

A C C R E F R E S H E R

1.) We meet: on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9pm in Hopkins Classroom 001.

**All meetings are completely OPEN and we’d love to have you!**

2.) We post our meeting agenda and our minutes: on WSO, in the CC Updates section.

3.) CC is on Facebook. Search “Williams College Council.”

4.) We have a website with lots of helpful information: collegecouncil.williams.edu

5.) We want to know your thoughts: opinions@wso.williams.edu

6.) We walk around campus: stop us and tell us what’s on your mind.

Please help us to better advocate for you!

It is a privilege to represent you.

Krista and Peter

CC Presidents

P.S. Apply to be on a College committee! Each year, CC appoints students to over 20 student/faculty committees. Look for an e-mail from Peter next week with details about the committees and how to apply.

At this past Wednesday’s meeting, Council announced the committee assignments for all current members of CC. As per the College Council Constitution, self nominations were solicited and screened by the Appointments Committee, which is comprised of the Officers, the Community and Diversity Representative, and the 3 Class Representatives. View a complete list of Council Committees here.

Finance Committee (FinCom)
April Jenkins, Chair
Emily Calkins
Julia Hoch
Benjamin Fischberg
Emily Dzieciatko

Great Ideas Committee
Katy Carrigan, Chair
Stefan Lainovic
Benjamin Augenbraun
Wen Han
Rani Mukherjee
Henry Bergman

Students Organizations Committee (SOC)
Kate Flanagan, Chair
Nicole Chen
Ali Magruder
Caroline Miller
Ben Shuham
Brian McGrail

Communications Team
Adrian Castro, Chair
Max Heninger
Jackie Milian

Mental Health Committee
Emily Calkins

Williams,

You know what they say: time flies when you have this much homework. Luckily, College Council has more than enough on its to-do list to keep us busy and sufficiently procrastinated!

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve as your Co-Presidents. We believe that College Council can make your Williams experience better, and we are committed to ensuring that the work Council does reflects your interests.

Most importantly, HOW does one get in touch with CC?! Let us count the ways:

1. Come to our meetings on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in Hopkins Classroom 001.
2. Come to CC Walk-In Hours in the CC Office (upstairs in Paresky) to ask us questions about student groups, funding, or anything else that’s on your mind. We practically live there and we already spend a lot of time together, so we want to talk to YOU. Stop by on Monday nights between 8 and 10pm.
3. Check out our website: it’s under construction! collegecouncil.williams.edu
4. Send your thoughts on what Council should be doing to opinions@wso.williams.edu
5. Say hi when you see us around campus. We like it.

In our first Council meeting of the semester on Wednesday, we formed committees to start working on the projects that are important to you:

The Great Ideas Committee will work on implementing the ideas that improve the everyday student experience at Williams—more color printing options on campus, expanding SuperFan, and revitalizing the Student Activities Resource Center upstairs in Paresky.

The Student Organizations Committee (SOC) will work to support the over 180 clubs and organizations that CC funds and will also maintain an up-to-date list of active student groups online.

The CC Communications Team will update the CC website and advertise all of our meetings, events, and programs. We especially want to make our Facebook “likable,” so we’ll be sure to fill you in on the deets of what we’re doing throughout the semester.

CC will also continue its work on the Mental Health Committee, which examines areas on campus where students do not feel safe or supported. Mental Health Committee is currently working on getting JA walk-in hours in Paresky through Psychological Services and creating another “You Are Not Alone” event.

We are excited, we care about this place a lot, and we look forward to learning more about how we can help. We promise to do the (student) body good!

Much love and EPH-ection,

Krista and Peter
College Council Presidents

Fellow Ephs,

Happy Valentine’s Week! We hope your weekend was filled with fun and your week will be highly successful and productive, leading up to WINTER CARNIVAL. Sadly, this will be our last State of the College. However, we are currently super excited to be working on and presenting a booklet with everything that CC has done over the past year! We will be sending it out with our final address to you all as well as distributing them around campus early this week. This booklet and our final state of the college will not include our final meeting of College Council, though we still will be working hard to finish all of our projects. If you are interested, please come to our final meeting on Wednesday at 7:00 in Hopkins Basement. Everyone is welcome!

January and February have been highly productive months for CC. We completed our Great Ideas Campaign, split into a number of committees, and worked on large and small issues that affect you on a day to day basis. One of the highlights of February was the effortless perfection forum, which MinCo and CC co-sponsored and co-led. We have attached the overarching themes and notes from that forum for those of you who are interested or may have missed the discussion. We hope you continue to wrestle with ideas of where stress resides on campus and how to dispel the myth of effortless perfection.

Finally, we are about to start the College Council Elections for CC 2012-2013. Make sure to keep an eye out for your email and to VOTE! Voting opens on Tuesday at 8 PM and closes on Thursday at 8 PM.

And now, without further ado, the State of the College! Please email us with any questions or if you would like any more information.

With huge amounts of love,
Nick and Francesca
CC Co Presidents

Read more…

Fellow Ephs,

In our excitement about election season, we forgot a few more important updates with regards to changes in the elections.

Firstly, Campaigning can begin immediately after the nomination period, specifically on Saturday, February 4th.

Secondly, there is a new postering policy…

-Presidental tickets can spend no more than $50 on printing with a print card.
-Year Long Representatives can spend no more than $25 on printing with a print card
-Semester- Long Representatives can spend no more than $15 on printing with a print card.

ALL POSTERS MUST BE STAMPED BY ELECTIONS COMMITTEE FOR AUTHETICITY AND PRINT CARD LIMIT CHECK (Visit Schuyler Hall in Campus Life for this stamp of approval).

There can be 2 posters in Paresky and none in Goodrich this year, no including banners, but feel free to go WILD everywhere else and think creatively about how to get your message out to the student body.

Lastly…
Candidates are locked into these spending limits by the bylaws and must turn in all receipts in the Office of Student Life 2 days prior to the election (Sunday, February 12th)

Travel safely and have an amazing dead week,

Nick and Francesca
CC Presidents

Fellow Ephs,

Happy Dead Week! We hope that you all had a wonderful and restful January and are ready to begin the Spring Semester. With the new semester comes everyone’s favorite time of year… IT’S TIME FOR SPRING COLLEGE COUNCIL ELECTIONS!! (So many exclamation points! SO MUCH EXCITEMENT!)

College Council, the student government of Williams College, is charged with allocating the student activities tax, working with administrators to shape policy, launching campus improvement projects, discussing campus issues, and serving as the voice of the student body.

Elections will open at 8 pm on Tuesday February 14th and close at 8 pm on Thursday February 16th. Additionally, there will be TWO debates this year instead of one. The first College Council Debate will occur on Thursday February 9th and will include speeches from all candidates running for year-long positions as well as a Record-moderated Presidential Debate. THEN, we will have a second Question/Answer session on Sunday February 12 in which students will be able to ask candidates or positions specific questions. Look out for more information on these two sessions as we progress along election season!

All current students are eligible and encouraged to run for CC.

Each of the elected 18 positions on the council is open. They are as follows:
Read more…

Dear Fellow Ephs,

We hope you are all enjoying winter study and surviving the cold!

Entering the third week of winter study, the long days of TV watching, movie marathons, and sleeping until noon have lost some of their luster. As we prepare for our final ten days of January in Williamstown, College Council is offering a number of events to encourage you to brave the cold, maybe change out of sweat pants, and meet new people. Over the next week and a half we will be working with peer health, JAAB, Minco, and Storytime to put on events ranging from a forum on entry life to a movie screening of Good Will Hunting.

The Conversation Campaign, as we’re calling it, is designed to offer you a chance to engage in conversations and build connections with people you may not know or who you may wish to know more about. At Williams we see each other all the time whether in the classroom, the dining hall, or the library, but, despite this constant contact, it is hard to slow down and take the time to truly get to know each other.

We hope you can attend the various events of the Conversation Campaign, but whether you do or not, we hope you use the remainder of winter study and the rest of your precious time at Williams to meet new people, to talk to people completely different from yourself, to learn about your friends.

As Bobby Kennedy said, “that those who live with us are our brothers and our sisters, that they share with us the same short moment of life.” We are blessed to share four years of our lives together, just 2,000 passionate, thoughtful 18-22 year olds hanging out in the best town in the world. We are given the opportunity to get to know each other and learn from each other. Let’s take advantage of it.

All the best,

Nick and Francesca
CC Co-Presidents

Schedule of Events:
Read more…

Dear Fellow Ephs,

Happy New Year! We hope you’re all enjoying winter break and are taking this time off to relax and catch up with friends and family! Like many of you, we are counting down the days to the start of winter study! With the stress of finals behind us, we can look forward to broomball games, movie marathons, and lots of good times with friends.

It has been a busy semester for College Council. We began by organizing a number of events to support relief efforts at The Spruces. In October, we formed the mental health committee to raise awareness and support for those who struggle with mental health issues on campus. The culminating event, You Are Not Alone, gave students an opportunity to share their experiences and drew several hundred students. In November, CC supported efforts to address the culture of silence that surrounds issues of hatred and discrimination at Williams. In coordination with other student organizations, CC is working on launching a conversation campaign to provide opportunities for more meaningful dialogue on campus. Along the way, we have spent a great deal of time talking about alcohol, the entry system, and CC transparency. These discussions will continue into the New Year. We are planning two all-campus discussions on the role of JAs and the pressures surrounding the idea of “effortless perfection.”

The Great Ideas Campaign has officially ended, but if you have an idea for a project around campus please send in a proposal. We will be working on the various projects over winter study.

As always, we welcome any and all feedback. We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas for ways we can work together to improve Williams!

We wish you safe travels back to Williams and look forward to seeing you soon!

All the best,

Nick and Francesca
CC Co-Presidents
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Fellow Ephs,

There has been a lot of confusion surrounding funding on College Council and its transparency. Through this message and the following video, we would like to explain the history of College Council Funding through SAT tax funding and Rollover to clarify any misunderstandings regarding how CC has acted through funding. Read more…