Student Reflextion: Suki Bourquin June 13, 2008
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Springfest 2008: Water Lab 101
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Springfest 2008 Dunk Tank: Pete Lortz
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Earth Day Event: Meet “Keep America Beautiful Man!”
Earth Day Event: Meet “Keep America Beautiful Man!”
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National Poetry Month Event: “Fridge Words”
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2008-2009 Student Representatives Needed - Apply Today!
The Department of Student Leadership and Multicultural Programs is now accepting applications for 2008-2009 Student Representatives, who will be piloting a new model.
The new model, which was built by the 2007-2008 student leaders, will create and maintain strong communication systems that facilitate the flow of information from the student body to student leaders and then on to the college, district and legislative decision makers. The model also addresses the common challenges faced by student governments everywhere (i.e. attrition, low levels of commitment, and a lack of necessary skills).
An organization is only as strong as the people who make it up. In the new model Student Representatives will be leaders among leaders. This small group of eight students will organize and support other student leaders to represent students’ interests and to foster broader student engagement.
If you are committed to your own personal and professional growth and are prepared for a challenging yet rewarding experience that will strengthen your resume with real world experience then complete and submit your application today!
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Sumo Funk - Video
Sumo suited students breakdancing and elbow dropping!
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The Roxanne Game
In this event, every time the songs says “Roxanne” the students have to eat a marshmallow and take a drink of their soda.
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Constitution
Following is a summary of the ‘07’08 student government (The Student Administrative Council) efforts to rewrite the constitution:
The Student Administrative Council (student government) of 2007-2008 was charged with writing a new constitution for the 2008-2009 Associated Student Body’s governing association. In pursuit of that objective, we have studied the goals of student government, the structures used to support those goals, and the efficacy of student organizations. Now, as we enter the final quarter of our offices, we are drafting the constitution that will guide the Student Representatives of next year’s Student Administrative Council. Below are some links to texts we have used for research purposes, and some links to other documents that explain our thinking. Please explore the links, and type your comments in the blog.
Links:
If you would like to assist in drafting language for the new constitution please contact Liz Kendall at: lkendall@sccd.ctc.edu
Alternatives to Traditional Student Governments
by Don Creamer
This is an article written in the 1970’s in which the author describes common challenges Community College’s still face today. The author argues that most student governments are outdated and do very little, if anything, to affect decisions that really matter to the larger student body. He asks us to consider how Community College’s might better engage and represent students when nearly half our student body are evening students; yet opportunities for involvement are geared mostly toward day students. Don Creamer served the last 28 years of his career at Virginia Tech as a professor and program leader of higher education and student affairs in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. He also served as the co-director of Educational Policy Institute at Virginia Tech and was a past president of the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education.
Read his article by clicking on the following link:
U.S. Constitution
(an excellent model which we have used for reference as we consider our rewrite)
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Toward Creating a New Student Government…
This year, you may have heard that last year’s student government lost its quorum, and its constitution was suspended. North Seattle’s leadership took these circumstances and turned them into an opportunity to redefine student leadership at NSCC. This year, the Student Administrative Council’s charge has been to create a new model to address some of the issues that commonly plague all student governments such as a too-broadly defined mission, attrition, and unqualified representatives.
We believe a student government (The Student Administrative Council) should focus on activities that support and benefit all students in meaningful ways. Traditional student governments tend to focus on activities that engage students socially (i.e. movie nights, dances, parties, etc) and in doing this end up doing little to affect meaningful change to things that matter most to and that impact all students (i.e. deciding what and how student learn, what happens to complaints, where resources are allocated, campus climate, etc). Meaningful change occurs in places where decisions are made and ideas are brought forth for consideration. These places tend to be committees, task force groups, the state legislature and campus activities that seek to gather student feedback through focus groups, surveys etc. We believe a student government should focus on these important issues while encouraging and supporting social events and activates to occur through funding programs and groups that already do these activities such as the Arts and Lectures program, Stage One, Wellness Center and Clubs.
Therefore we propose to develop a student government model that focuses its efforts on the following priorities:
- Allocation of student funds that support programs and activities.
- Places students on campus committees where policies and procedures are created and approved.
- Improving communication systems to ensure that the student body knows what changes are being considered at the college and state level and also have the opportunity to provide input and give feedback.
- Monitor, track and advocate at the state legislature on bills and decisions that affect students.
We believe the following are keys to creating a successful student government:
- Quality leaders who have the skills, abilities, commitment and accountability to do the work.
- Clear, realistic and measurable objectives and work tasks.
- Effective communication systems (internal & external).
- Flexibility – plan for attrition and scheduling challenges.
Questions for Blog Feedback:
- What do you think of the proposed priorities for the student government?
- What do you think of the proposed keys to creating a successful student government?
- How can we get you interested in becoming a student government representative?
- What do you think about replacing the title “Student Government” with “Student Administrative Council,” now that you know what the organization’s currently envisioned priorities will be?
- What have we not considered?
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