ABC Board Meeting

REPRESENTATIVEAPPLICATION ’09-’10

CANDIDATENAME: Adam S. Sieff

SCHOOL/YEAR: CC ‘11

EMAIL/CONTACT#: ass2140@columbia.edu/818-489-4204

***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 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, which consistsof 20 members. Throughout the year, the ABC votes on the allocation of funds,recognition of student groups, the granting of appeals and has a vital role indetermining the agenda for the Activities Board. We are seeking 13 highlymotivated and passionate individuals to apply for these positions. This is agreat place to learn more about student groups and funding, to gain leadershipexperience 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:

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

Havingworked on the other end of budgeting, I’m familiar with the frustrations offund-hunting and Columbia bureaucracy. I think it sometimes is forgotten thanthe relationship between student groups and the ABC is not adversarial. We allbenefit when student groups can grow, host awesome events, and bring top of theline speakers to campus. As an ABC rep, I will work with student leaders andstudent groups to put together budgets and fundraising strategies that reachgoals, not just shift numbers around on a spreadsheet. I will push the ABC toget more involved with this sort of creative consultation because funding doesn’thave to be a zero-sum competition. Dealing with Columbia administration can bepainful, but I have the personality, the ability, and the experience todeliver. Ultimately, student initiatives stemming from campus organizations areat the heart of Columbia’s student life. As an ABC rep I will ensure that theycontinue to thrive.

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 the most experience working for student journals and publications, but Iam also a member of a couple academic/pre-professional groups. Because Iunderstand the business structure of publications and journals, as well as thegeneral needs of academic/professional organizations seeking space/speakers, Ifeel I’d be well suited to advocate and on behalf of these groups.

3) Namesome changes that you believe would positively impact ABC?

ABCoften has the image of a greedy student bureaucracy out to stiff student groupson funding. This needs to change. The ABC should take up more consultation andwork more with student groups to be more creative with its funding. As I’vesaid, this is not an adversarial relationship. The ABC is about advocacy andproblem solving, not merely allocating funds. Analyzing and amending budgetrequests should yield more solutions that don’t take the easy way out bycutting programming.

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

Bybeing creative in its support of student organizations, the ABC will both beable to afford, and justify, capping certain types of funding. This past April,the ABC set precedent by establishing a cap on Culture Show spending. This is aprecedent that, when combined with stronger consultative advocacy andcreativity, will enrich the variety and quantity of overall campus programmingand support the development of new student groups. Setting reasonable caps forcommon group events is a policy that should continue to be explored. Secondly,the ABC should do more to publicize its funding opportunities. Students areoften discouraged from innovative organization because they don’t know where togo for resources. As part of a renewed commitment to consulting, the ABC shouldmake itself publicly available as a source of funding and group formationplanning.

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

Pleasesee attached resume. Non-listed affiliations include: Columbia Hillel,Columbia Transfer Alliance, Political Science Students Association, ColumbiaPolitical Union.

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

I may have aresearch commitment of 4-5 hours a week, as well as intermittent writingassignments for the Spectator. I tutor part time (1 hour/wk.) during weekends.There will be no problems committing my full energies not only to weeklymeetings and beyond.

A D A M ST A N L E Y S I E F F

(818) 489-4294

Education

Columbia University B.A exp. 2011

PoliticalScience Major, concentrations in Political Theory and International Relations

HistoryMinor, concentrations in U.S. and Intellectual History

· 3.98 GPA, 4.00 GPA in major

· Freshman Honors Thesis: TheRise of Modern Liberty: An Historical Analysis of Liberal Democracy

Honors Received:

2009 Ivy Council Leadership Summit 2009Edwin Robbins Summer Fellowship

Selected Delegate to represent Columbia University ColumbiaUniversity, Department of Political Science

2008 Outstanding Achievement Scholar 2008Washington Presidential Scholar

Awarded to the top 1% of undergraduates Meritscholarship for academic achievement

The College Board NationalScholastic Press Assoc.

2007 AP National Scholar 2007National Story of the Year, Diversity Category

2006 National Merit Commended Scholar 2006National Commentary of the Year

Senator Sheila James Kuehl Harvard-WestlakeSchool

2007 Certificate of Commendation for 2007Neumeyer Prize for Excellence in Journalism

“Outstanding Public Service” 2007Warren M. Christopher Policy Panelist

Experience:

Cityof Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA. 2009

EdwinRobbins Fellow: Federal Policy Analyst

· Analyzed fiscal stimuluslegislation for potential projects in the City’s interest, specifically withregard to green-sector business development, rail transportation, and minoritysmall business development.

· Wrote briefings andrecommendations to the Mayor and City Council describing and advocating federallegislation based on these analyses.

· Drafted memos to Congressmen andSenators on behalf of the City regarding select legislation and legislativelanguage, reporting directly to the Mayor and his senior staff.

Obama for America Variouslocations 2007-8

OrganizingFellowship: Field Organizer

· Introduced and operated asuccessful cross-registration initiative to register college students to votein key swing states. Registered over 100 students to vote in VA, PA and MI.

· Organized over 40 new volunteersin northern VA and western PA

· Registered more than 90politically discouraged and disillusioned families to rekindle their interestin civic duty and their trust in the political process.

IvyInsiders Variouslocations 2008-

BranchManager and Academic Tutor

· Guided and worked individuallywith high school seniors during the college application process

· Raised students’ SAT scores by anaverage of 200 points

· Developed, managed and led thefirst-ever Los Angeles branch with record revenue earned

· Served as a role model for at-riskhigh school juniors and seniors as part of a pro-bono project

CongressmanBrad Sherman Washington, D.C. 2007-8

LegislativeIntern

· Aided staff research on the SCHIPpackage that became part of the congressman’s’ policy

· Prepared the congressman’s leadvisual presentation for HR106 delivered before the Foreign Affairs Committeeregarding genocide.

Vector Marketing Corporation Los Angeles, CA 2007

SeniorField Sales Leader

· Assisted in the development andexpansion of a new corporate branch in Northridge, CA

· Trained new representatives,managed supply chain, and personally distributed the most products in all ofLos Angeles for 2Q FY2007.

Senator Sheila James Kuehl Santa Monica, CA 2006

CaseWorker/Constituent Servant

· Resolved constituent problemsspecifically related to zoning and licensing agreements.

· Presented a briefing addressingdistrict problems with liquor licenses that became part of the Senator’s policyvis-à-vis commercial expansion in the Beverlywood area of Los Angeles.

· Conducted extensive legislativeresearch for SB 840 (universal healthcare)

Campus Experience:

Ivy Council New York, NY 2008-

At-LargeDelegate, Co-Chair Conferences Committee

· Collaborated with othercouncilors to research solutions to common policy issues facing undergraduatesin the Ivy League, such as affirmative action in admissions, fair-tradeuniversity contracts and encouraging green campus design and development.

· Coordinator for upcoming publicpolicy conference to be held in Washington, D.C.

· Selected to represent Columbia atthe 2009 Ivy Leadership Summit

The Columbia University Spectator New York, NY 2008-

EditorialWriter, Columnist

· Columns comment on current eventsand seek to inspire public service and political activism

· Urged the editorial message ofthe newspaper to project mature, constructive criticism

· Guided and supported new staff intransmitting their ideas into a publishable format.

Studentsfor Barack Obama New York, NY 2007-8

Co-Coordinator,Columbia University Chapter

· Served as a liaison to inform andadvise over 500 active members on official campaign initiatives

· Organized local fundraisers tosupport group events and initiatives.

· Trained volunteers to communicateand register voters.

PiKappa Phi Fraternity Various 2007-

PhilanthropyCo-Chair (Push America Foundation), Theta-Zeta Chapter

ScholarshipChair, Theta-Zeta Chapter

· Organized events to fundraise,increase awareness, promote activism, and generally support people withdisabilities.

· Enforced standards and scholasticprograms that produced the highest chapter GPA in history

Skills/Miscellaneous:

Editorials published in the NewYork Times andthe Los Angeles Daily News; Author of a small anthology of poetry and shortstories, as well as a political blog; Co-Captain of Lacrosse team and Editor ofnewspaper in high-school; avid intramural athlete; research competence inSpanish.