MCSG/2004/Reform Outline

from the Macalester Public Knowledge Base

Macalester College Student Government Reform; Outline:

Draft 1 October 28, 2004 David Boehnke, dboehnke@macalester.edu

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Area I: Access 3 Area II: Communication 4 Area III: Organization 5 Conclusion

[edit] Introduction

There are many ways to improve a given institution, most of which require little to no additional funding. However to do this, one must foster criticism, promote an atmosphere of innovation and experimentation and involve everyone who lives in relation to the process in rethinking and improving the process. It seems apparent to me that student government and the student body at large have a massive untapped potential for creating new ways to improve Macalester. I believe that this should be done. This is my proposal for doing so.

Suggestions for Reform:

1. Access
2. Communication
3. Organization

[edit] Area I: Access

1. Double the number of student reps on all non-MCSG committees, though retain the current number of student votes; these new reps (observers) should serve on the related LB committees and should be selected from among the student body (as student trustees currently are), it should be encouraged that these reps be underclassmen, but this should be non-binding
2. Require that the various administrative wings send at least three briefs to student government per year (President, Provost, Admissions, Financial Aid, Campus Programs, EPAG, Registrar, etc). These briefs should include:
   1. A summary of the issues they will be working on this year
   2. Contact people who are organizing the improvement process
   3. Documents online that can be accessed to get more informed on the issue (major reports from previous years, agendas, minutes, etc)
   4. Suggested ways students can become involved with the understanding that students may find other ways to become involved
3. MSCG should receive periodic updates, in addition to thrice-yearly briefs on any new initiative by any office on campus. MCSG should also receive requests for student involvement, new work-study positions, etc, which should be then posted on MCSG message boards, and online off the MCSG website
4. Have all members of MCSG, all student reps on MCSG or administrative committees, student trustees, etc, sign confidentiality forms that explicate what is and what is not confidential and promises that confidential information will not be shared with the student body unless approved by the committee or some administrative superior. Breaking of this rule should result in a review/possible elimination of student from the committee, and perhaps a year long ban on committee service; *this form needs to be drafted, submitted to, and approved by President Rosenberg
5. Give all student government committees and all Executive board members power to request information relevant to their task; this power should be delegated to student government by the President of the college; (recommended then implemented)
6. Student government should be given access to the email lists to send bulletins to all students, or all faculty, or all staff, etc, this should also be mandated by President
7. Have the President mandate the creation of a chart to be published in the Mac Weekly that explains how the overall Mac Administrative system works, who is the head of what committees (both LB and otherwise) and to be put online (via the MCSG website)

[edit] Area II: Communication

1. RAs and LB reps should team up to provide a once monthly strongly encouraged, fun info session with your LB reps, with food provided by RAs. This should include an LB update, list of ways students can become further involved, a session where students can provide input to their representatives
2. Utilize MCSG work-study peoples to receive input, send it to the appropriate people, summarize student rep briefs, send info (via an Exec's recommendation) to Mac Weekly, etc
3. All student reps (students on trustee committees, faculty committees, staff committees, or in work study positions in administrative offices) should send periodic briefings to the people holding MCSG work-study positions they should then consolidate/summarize this information and send it out to members of the LB once monthly and to the members of the Executive Board a day prior to their weekly meeting anything relevant from this information should be shared with LB members at LB meetings (if it is before their monthly send-out) and should be sent to the Mac Weekly/posted on MCSG message boards/discussed in LB information sessions
4. SSC Chair should receive club briefs on any campus policy action or permanent campus improvement projects this should be announced to the LB. If a member of the LB is willing this group should be set up with an LB rep as an Ad Hoc Committee, and this should be publicized to expand those involved including students, LB members, staff, and faculty
5. Have all elected LB Members (Execs plus all non-1st year reps *see section 1 below) arrive at school 1 week prior to classes starting.
   1. Have various preparatory activities that include for all members)
      1. Learn Robert's Rules, everyone's name, get to know each other, figure out how meetings work, etc
      2. Read first set of administrative briefs
      3. Figure out what people have ideas on/are interested in working on
      4. Select Standing Committee Chairs (if they are not already selected, as in the AAC), and standing committee members
      5. Create email list of relevant contacts students who might become involved, faculty, staff, etc
      6. Meet with faculty, staff, collect ideas relating to standing committee issues, select faculty/staff committee reps
      7. Update web page
      8. Set preliminary meeting times
      9. Hold a few meetings
   2. Executive Board functions in addition to those listed:
      1. Set up process for the selection of various student reps (once the year begins)
      2. Create preliminary agenda for what issues to be dealt with addressed by LB
      3. Set up the first (once a semester) town meeting, to include:
         1. LB report to student body/campus as a whole
         2. Update based on administrative briefs
         3. Time to receive student input
         4. List of ways for students to get involved
         5. Organizing of 1st year LB elections

[edit] Area III: Organization

1. It is recommended that Student Government and the campus as a whole go through a strategic planning period where they ask questions like: what is the purpose of student government? How can we achieve this purpose? Where do we wish to be in five years? How can we get there?
2. Have LB and Exec Position elections take place in the Spring (after room draw has been completed, move room draw to an earlier time if there is a conflict/time shortage)
3. Mandate that committees create policy in their related areas, have their policies put forth to LB for vote, if passed sent to relevant offices as recommendation from the entire student body; have response from offices, create subcommittees to enact changes if necessary, get mandated ability from President to request update on the enactment of policy recommendations; also use committees to send agenda items to relevant committees (faculty, staff, and trustee)
4. Have a once yearly trustee session for student proposals/reports on what students would like to see changed on campus (when trustees are here)
5. Have standing committees corresponding to all trustee committees as well as a committee that receives, garners general student input (with MCSG work study people on it) and acts on this input (campus excellence committee?); include student trustees, LB members, Executive Board members, interested students (process for inclusion detailed in section 5 below), and faculty/staff reps
6. Create a procedure to create Ad Hoc committees, by SSC recommendation, Executive Board Recommendation, student recommendations, etc, must have at least one LB rep; all members must sign confidentiality form if they wish to gain access to 'confidential materials' through student gov. information requests; encourage faculty/staff members
7. All LB committees (excepting the executive board) should be open with times/dates online (as well as agenda and minutes via a link)
8. Those who attend committee meetings twice in a row may join the committee (requires committee nomination, Executive Board approval, signing of confidentiality form) in which case they would have a vote. Otherwise they are free to be involved with the conversation, discussion, setting of next week's agenda but must be excused if confidential information is discussed (this will likely never or almost never happen), or they may be asked to leave if by a 2/3 committee vote if they are being disruptive.
9. FAC Issues:
   1. The FAC should be the key body in encouraging student government to use its funding to promote its ability as a policy based body, to limit wasteful funding, and should be required to submit a concise yearly report to the student body, faculty and the President of the college on how student government money has been spent and why, the goals facilitated by the spending, etc. (to be published in Mac Weekly)
   2. Broaden the FAC committee with more LB reps (if this is not currently done) to keep most funding discussions (semester and additional allocations) within the FAC framework
   3. Have preliminary charter approval happen in FAC meetings
   4. Have club representative present their cases at FAC meetings
   5. Have their recommendations sent to the LB prior to the LB meetings and approved at LB meetings (this should happen quickly as relevant discussion should take place at FAC meetings, discussion should only generally be accepted at LB meetings if there was not a consensus at FAC meetings: have FAC note where there was not consensus)
   6. Set aside half of the non-committed MCSG Operating Budget for non-club related spending

[edit] Conclusion

Above I suggest an MCSG strategic planning session (III 1): this is what I would envision after that session. This structure provides many benefits. It sets about the creation of student government to be a vital functioning part of the Macalester structure. Such a student government would be a real and innovative way to differentiate ourselves from competitors, and encourage the best students to enroll here.

Further this proposal creates basically no increase in costs: an initial investment for students and staff, (principally time) with basically no repeating expense (perhaps an increase in supply costs), which can likely come out of current MSCG funds. Furthermore the problems of integrating new students into the structures is reduced with all interested students having the opportunity to be involved and informed through the committee structure, their ability to be observers, the increased flow and ability to receive meaningful information. Moreover, student government would be more organized, and thus better able to involve the rest of the student body by better utilizing the student work-study positions, by electing new LB members in the spring, and by meeting a week before classes start.

A student government that is involved in the process of creating policy can greatly reduce the frustration and counteraction to proposals created by the faculty or staff. I think the current Need-Blind Admissions situation is a case in point. While there were students on the RPC committee, neither they nor the members of the committee communicated the progress, findings, and general problems to the student body (and likely faculty as well) prior to the creation of a plan. Or rather students were asked to say "yes" or "no" to a finished plan instead of being instituted in the process itself. If there is consistent communication from committees to MCSG to students there would be no such uproar. Tyranny of perspective demands dissent, inclusion in the creation of perspective fosters innovation, community, and shared action for the common welfare.

This is a serious rethinking of what student government is and its relation to all parts of the Macalester community. It is an ambitious push for excellence in an area that is consistently mediocre at best as an institution, despite of the hard work of many generations of excellent students. This mediocre history demands improvements that empower student government to be a real player in the improvement of Macalester College. It has been said that education is the development of the whole person. What is a more effective way of educating students at Macalester and preparing them for life as active and involved citizens then fundamentally involving them in the improvement of the very institution charged with educating them?