REPRESENTATIVEAPPLICATION Õ09-Õ10
CANDIDATE NAME: SarahDion
SCHOOL/YEAR: College 2012
EMAIL/CONTACT #: sjd2123@columbia.edu (216)906-7216
***Youmust be able to commit to weekly ABC meetings starting at 8:30pm on Wednesdays,as well as additional weekly hour-long committee meetings for the entire2008-2009 academic year.
WHAT CAN & DOES AN ABC REP DO?
ABC Repshelp groups navigate the Columbia bureaucracy, aid groups in event &financial planning and support the development of student life on campus. Repsare advocates for the groups they oversee and are crucial in identifying areasin which ABC, the administration, and other student leaders can help improvestudents' experiences at Columbia.
The Repsits on the Activities Board, which consists of 20 members. Throughout theyear, the ABC votes on the allocation of funds, recognition of student groups,the granting of appeals and has a vital role in determining the agenda for theActivities Board. We are seeking 13 highly motivated and passionate individualsto apply for these positions. This is a great place to learn more about studentgroups and funding, to gain leadership experience and to make an impact oncampus.
1. ABC Website: http://cuactivitiesboard.org
2. ABC FundingGuidelines: http://www.cuactivitiesboard.org/FundingGuidelines.doc
3. ABC Clubs: http://www.cuactivitiesboard.org/Public/ourclubs.php
CandidateStatement:
All candidatestatements will be put up on the ABC website in the order they are received. It is to your advantage to submitearly as your candidate statement will appear before the others are up. In your candidate statement, pleaseexplain your interest/qualifications/ideas for the position of ABC rep, makingsure to answer the questions below. You may either give separate responses toeach or just address them all in one statement. Please also attach aphoto with yourapplication.
Each ABC rep representsone of the following 13 general groups:
1) Why do youwant to be an ABC rep?
I am:
á Fascinated by theallocation process at Columbia- Having come from a high school where every clubhad the same abysmal budget, the resources available blow my mind. The factthat these resources allow students to express their talents and passions in somany different ways is even more amazing. I am interested in the behind thescenes aspect of the budgeting process because it powerfully affects studentlife for everyone and because I am a behind the scenes kind of person.
á Interested in way toomany clubs- ABC provides an outlet through which I can positively contribute tomany different organizations at once.
á Intrigued by thechallenge of being an ABC rep- One must walk a fine line in ensuring thesuccess of clubs while also maintaining and encouraging fiscal responsibility.As someone who prefers compromise, but is not afraid of tough negotiations, thechallenge presented by the position is exciting.
2) As an ABC Rep, whichgroups would you be most interested in representing? Explain your interest inthose groups as well as any prior experience with those groups or other relatedqualifications.
Disclaimer: I aminterested in representing any category of clubs, since my goal in being an ABCrepresentative is to become more involved in any part of the campus communitythat I am currently removed from.
á Performance: Theater- Aside from the big, annual productions,a lot of student theater is unrecognized by the larger student body. There is aconsiderable amount of talent amongst our peers that deserves appreciation. Ihave experience working with the full production process, as I was a member ofStage Crew for all four years of high school.
á Science andEngineering- As apotential science major, many of these clubs are organizations that I wish Icould spend more time with. Since these clubs are primarily academic in nature,they have different needs and aspirations than clubs that revolve aroundperformances. My interest in the sciences would serve me well in helpingaddress issues related to these clubs.
á Special Interest- A conglomeration of clubs that are allso different, but also all so interesting, it would be fun to help representthis category. I have no current affiliation with any of these clubs, but amhappy to learn about what they need and how they contribute to Columbia.
3) Name somechanges that you believe would positively impact ABC?
ABC is generallyan unknown entity on campus. While being behind the scenes to some degreepromotes equality in fund distribution, I believe that ABC should have a morevisible presence in the campus community.
By informingmore of the student body about the role and impact of ABC:
á more people would beaware of the procedure to propose a club for recognition.
á students would becomemore aware of their individual roles in funding the events offered to all ofthe Columbia community.
á the student body atlarge would recognize that there is indeed a body that can hear and addressconcerns regarding club funding.
á clubs would bereminded and encouraged to use their major funding resource, their ABCrepresentative.
4) Name 1-3 policyinitiatives that you think ABC should pursue next year.
Having a limitedunderstanding of the dynamics of current policy, I am not yet aware of theextent of systematic policy issues within ABC. However, I believe that there isa distinct absence of formal procedure by which clubs can evaluate and reformABC policy. As the constituents of ABC, clubs should have a constitutionallysupported means of proposing policy changes and/or improvements. ABC mustretain a good deal of autonomy in order to continue distributing funds asimpartially as possible, but the board owes its members the right to contributeto its evolution because the clubs are most aware of when and where ABCroutinely falls short.
Past &Current Activities at Columbia:
Please detail yourinvolvement at Columbia (you may attach a resume).
CO…P- biking leader
CIRCA- active member
General Assistant at Avery Library- 9hours per week
Commitments for 2009-2010:
Please detail yourcommitment to other club positions, jobs, internships, responsibilities (i.e.RA) for 09-10.
CO…P- fall trip leader. Commitment isprimarily during freshman orientation and late spring.
CIRCA- maintain active membership, helpstaff Columbia Model United Nations New York (college conference in fall)
Work- position to be determined, intendto work approximately 9 hours per week
CAVA- currently enrolled in EMT-Bclasses, plan to apply to become an active member of CAVA in the fall