CANDIDATENAME:       Alfred Davis

SCHOOL/YEAR:     General Studies 2010

EMAIL/CONTACT#:         ad2472@columbia.edu +1 917455 7791

WHAT CAN & DOES AN ABC REP DO?

ABC Reps help groups navigate the Columbiabureaucracy, aid groups in event & financial planning and support thedevelopment of student life on campus. Reps are advocates for the groups theyoversee and are crucial in identifying areas in which ABC, the administration,and other student leaders can help improve students' experiences at Columbia.

The Rep sits on the Activities Board, whichconsists of 20 members. Throughout the year, the ABC votes on the allocation offunds, recognition of student groups, the granting of appeals and has a vitalrole in determining the agenda for the Activities Board. We are seeking 13highly motivated and passionate individuals to apply for these positions. Thisis a great place to learn more about student groups and funding, to gainleadership experience and to make an impact on campus.

1.     ABC Website: http://cuactivitiesboard.org

2.     ABC Funding Guidelines: http://www.cuactivitiesboard.org/FundingGuidelines.doc

3.     ABC Clubs: http://www.cuactivitiesboard.org/Public/ourclubs.php

CandidateStatement:

Allcandidate statements will be put up on the ABC website in the order they arereceived.It is to your advantage to submit early as your candidate statement willappear before the others are up. In your candidate statement, please explainyour interest/qualifications/ideas for the position of ABC rep, making sure toanswer the questions below. You may either give separate responses to each orjust address them all in one statement. Please also attach a photo with your application.

EachABC rep represents one of the following 13 general groups:

CulturalGroups (4)

SpecialInterest (i.e. Culinary Society) (2)

Competition(1)

Publications(1)

Scienceand Engineering (1)

Academicor Pre-Professional (1)

Performance:Dance (1)

Performance:Instrumental/Vocal (1)

Performance:Theater (1)

1)Why do you want to be an ABC rep?

I am running for ABCbecause I have been looking for a bigger challenge and a setting where I canserve students and seek solutions to our collective concerns. As an ABCrepresentative I will, firstly, work to best fulfill my tasks of advising andapproving the events of student groups. I am on my computer at all hours ofthe day, but more than that I am going to be a personable and easyrepresentative to work with. I will sit down with groups throughout the yearand take in their concerns and ideas—using these meetings as a way tostart thinking about ABC policy and how the board can best accommodate groups’needs. I like to work with student groups and see if I can’t find a solutionthat is within ABC guidelines, but also achieves the goals of the group. During board meetings I will bring a GS voice and make sure that parity existsin funding and that events are catered to all undergraduates. Finally, duringthe budget process I will fight for more money for my groups so they can expandtheir budges and increase their presence on campus.

Theprimary reason I would like to be an ABC representative is because of thesebigger issues of community and offering up solutions that help support studentlife at large. I think that sometimes it is too hard to put on an event, orfind support from the administration, and I think that a good representativecan do this. But I also want to try and work to find new space for studentgroups, see if we can’t lower the cost for catering, find cheaper ways to flyerand market events so that even groups with the smallest budgets can reach thelargest audiences. I think that my fresh outlook on things, my ability to seethe big picture, but also my strong interpersonal and organizational skillswill make me a great ABC representative.

I’vealso served on the ABC board this year and have the experience.

2)As an ABC Rep, which groups would you be most interested in representing?Explain your interest in those groups as well as any prior experience withthose groups or other related qualifications.

Ihave been the ABC Rep for the East Asian Culture groups this year. I haveworked well with these groups and would like to be involved with anothercollection of groups for next year because I would like to see another side ofcampus organizations. I would like to represent the Academic andPre-Professional groups because their activities involve a different group ofstudents. I have worked with the Academic and Pre-Professional representativeon the NGR committee this year and feel that I have a sound understanding oftheir needs. My experience on ABC qualifies me to represent them because I amalready familiar with their budgets and events – and will be a goodadvocate for their initiatives.

3)Name some changes that you believe would positively impact ABC?

Oneof the things I would like to do is to be involved with my groups more so thatI can be a better advocate for their needs but also so they can understand theABC processes better. One problem I have encountered with my groups this yearis confusion to ABC guidelines, constitutional languages, and general fundingrules set by the administration. I believe that by working closely with thegroup’s Treasurer, things will be more efficient and less of a hassle.

Interms of internal ABC changes, I support our new executive board’s initiativesto streamline our constitution, guidelines and policies in general. I thinkthis will make the entire board more transparent and easier to understand andwill contribute to more productive results.

Asa GS student, I would like to compile as best as I can an estimate of GeneralStudies student involvement with ABC groups. I would like to do this so thatmy school’s council has better figures and hard data to work with whendetermining policies for student life and student activities in general. Ialso hope that this information will encourage more GS students to be involvedwith student activities.

4)Name 1-3 policy initiatives that you think ABC should pursue next year.

Ithink ABC should pursue policies that will bring duplicitous groups together,instead of allowing for many groups to exist. This year on NGR, many groupsapplied for recognition and were denied because their missions overlapped withexisting groups. I would like to look into these groups a bit more, andperhaps encourage alliances and higher allocations to those groups who would be“taking then in.”

Ialso think that ABC should solidify a policy on large-scale events for culturalgroups because the budget for these shows burgeoned and have proven to be toomuch of a strain on the student life fees available to everyone. By allocatingmore for shows that generate revenue, we are essentially pulling funds fromother groups who don’t traditionally generate revenue.

Ialso think that ABC should find a way to learn what GS participation is becauseit will greatly contribute to the progress of GS and its council.

Past& Current Activities at Columbia:
Pleasedetail your involvement at Columbia (you may attach a resume).

TheActivities Board at Columbia (ABC): (2008-2009) I am currently the ABCrepresentative to East Asian Culture groups and the head of the NGR Committeefor the spring semester. I have also been the President and Provost Fundrepresentative for ABC. Working with the East Asian culture groups, I havelearned about the relationship between clubs and the governing board –and have a better understanding of larger institutional relationships (such asgoverning board and councils, and student groups to administration).

TheAlpha Delta Phi Society (ADP): (Spring 2007-Present) I am currently the SocialChair and Inter-Greek Council Rep for ADP. Being on the social committeeallowed me to organize alumni events – most notably “Ski Lodge,” areincarnation of our traditional Hot Jazz & Cold Champagne event. I havealso begun laying the structure for ADP to have a concert series where we willhost small concerts featuring student musicians.

ColumbiaQueer Alliance: (Fall2008): Assistant Treasurer to Learned Foote.

GS Peer Mentor: (Spring 2007-Present)Mentoring multiple 1^st year GS students, to assist them innavigating through Columbia bureaucracy and acclimating to campus life. Thisentailed a detailed understanding of administrative policies, availableresources and student activities.

SYMPOSIUM: (Spring 2008) Partner a local highschool student for a day at Columbia, assisting and guiding them throughworkshops and a Lit-Hum discussion to help decrease the achievement gap byshowcasing collegiate life.

GS Orientation Leader: (Fall 2007) Thisposition was essentially crowd control and direction because events had to runon time. In addition to this, I had to be familiar with Columbia and all ofits rules and bureaucracy just in case some first year decided to ask mequestions. I also ran my own tour of the school and got to know many of theindividuals in my group. It is a great way to meet new students and interactwith the administrators of the school.

GS Universities Studies Speaker: (2008-2009) UniversityStudies is a first semester course that meets once a week for GS students whohave been away from an academic environment for more than one year. The courseis designed to familiarize the new student with Columbia’s academicenvironment, bureaucracy, and student life through workshops and open forums. I was asked to speak on my experience, socially and academically, and to offeradvice to students who struggled with the rigorous undergraduate program.

“ExclusionSuite” Artistic Director: (Spring 2008) Consulted with the director and the producerof the show about wardrobe for the six main characters featured in this series. I was asked to work on this because of my background in film and fashion.

Commitmentsfor 2009-2010:
Pleasedetail your commitment to other club positions, jobs, internships,responsibilities (i.e. RA) for 09-10.

The AlphaDelta Phi Society

Deadline:Sunday, April 26, 2009 by 11:59pm to abc@columbia.edu.