Greetings Williams!
- Why You Should Run for College Council
- A Description of each Position
- Ask Us Questions!
- Elections Timeline
College Council is the student government at Williams. Since its inception, the Council has worked diligently as the campus-wide student representative body to represent all student interests and bring about positive change to our beloved community. This rich history of student activism and engagement is what allows Williams students, through the Council, to remain deeply entrenched in dialogue surrounding campus issues, to improve the campus through student-led initiatives, to create a vibrant community comprised of student organizations representing the many different interests on campus, and to look critically at Williams for a sole purpose: to improve the campus for everyone. The College Council also manages the Student Activities Tax and oversees the allocation of over $400k to fund campus wide entertainment, student organizations, lectures, and whatever else comes to mind to any student on campus!
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 as Student Chair of 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 CollegeCouncil academic policy, representing the College Council in campus dialogue regarding the curriculum and academic 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, sits on the Finance Committee, and 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 CollegeCouncil 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 CollegeCouncil policy and programming initiatives in the area of student life. S/he serves as Student Chair of the Committee on Undergraduate Life and provides oversight and guidance for the student members of allCollege 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 supportCollege 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, 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, 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 theCouncil’s books. S/he chairs the Finance Committee and sits as a member of the Student Organizations Committee. The Treasurer, along with the Vice President for Student Organizations, is the CollegeCouncil liaison to the Office of Student Life and is the primary manager of the Student Activities Fee. 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.
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 performs such duties as the Treasurer, Executive Committee or Co-Presidents may assign.2014 Class Representatives (4): Class Representatives for the Class of 2014 shall represent the interests of the Senior Class and the student body at-large, keep their constituents informed of Councilproceedings, and serve and actively contribute on at least one committee.
2015 Class Representatives (4): Class Representatives for the Class of 2015 shall represent the interests of the Junior Class and the student body at-large, keep their constituents informed of Councilproceedings, and serve and actively contribute on at least one committee.
2016 Class Representatives (4): Class Representatives for the Class of 2016 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.
2017 Class Representatives (4): Class Representatives for the Class of 2017 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
Elections Timeline
Feb 8: Self-nominations deadline is at 11:59PM TODAY!
Feb 9: Self-nominations distributed to the student body
Feb 12: Meet the Candidates (all-campus, Baxter Hall, Time 5PM)
Feb 16: CC/Record Debate (year-long representatives, Baxter Hall, 7PM)
Feb 20: Voting Begins at 4pm (ballot will be sent via email)
Feb 22: Voting Closes at 8pm and results will be submitted to student body soon thereafter
Feb 26: Joint Session of the 2013-14/2014-15 Councils (Hopkins 001, 7PM)