Students at the University have no shortage of committees that claim to represent their interests. The most obvious among these groups is Student Council, but the list does not stop there: class councils, Greek councils and school councils are all part of the civic landscape.
Of these committees, the school councils - like the Arts & Sciences Council, Engineering Student Council, Commerce Council, and so forth - seem uniquely well-positioned to tackle the more focused issues that each community faces internally. Perhaps none of these issues is more important than academic affairs. Nevertheless, the majority of school councils, though claiming to represent student interests to the administration and to the University at large, seem to place a higher premium on social events and promoting community development. Seeking to foster more tight-knit communities within the University is a worthwhile goal, but it should not come at the expense of the school councils' role as liaisons for students to administrators and faculty.
As the committee representing the largest school on Grounds, the Arts & Sciences Council is a particularly striking example to consider. Its most recognizable function may be that of an appropriations body, directing its funding toward projects and events on Grounds that are congruent with its mission. For example, the council provides some financial support to the College Readership Program and makes decisions about the program in conjunction with Student Council. The council also sponsors the "Take your professor to lunch" program, reimbursing students who wish to take faculty members out for a meal. The most visible undertaking that Arts & Sciences Council spearheads each year is College Week, a four-day long event with multiple activities for College students to take part in. For the most part, other school councils appear to operate similarly.
These councils do not overlook the liaison role - at least in theory. According to the Arts & Sciences Council's constitution, "The Council shall represent the interests, ambitions, and academic needs specific to the students in the College of Arts and Sciences ... to the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, but also to the University's central administration." Likewise, the Engineering Student Council's Web site explains that one of the core goals of that body is to represent Engineering student concerns to administrators and faculty members. Both councils seem to prioritize other objectives, however. Like the Arts & Sciences Council, Engineering Student Council seems to dedicate most of its resources to community events: E-Week, the F(date) formal, and so on. The Engineering Student Council's Web site notes that one key way the committee fulfills its representative role is by having members serve on administrative and faculty boards. That is certainly a start, but all school councils arguably could be more proactive.
Naturally, acting as a liaison hinges on sound, regular communication with students. Many school committees have done an unsatisfactory job in this regard. The Arts & Sciences Council has no apparent Web presence; its old Web site now redirects to a golf instruction blog. The Commerce Council also lacks a clear Web presence. Others, like the Engineering Student Council and Nursing Student Council, fare better in this regard. At the very least, e-mail communication should occur at semi-regular intervals. Through these e-mails, the various councils could provide students with more information about how to voice concerns.
An inherent conflict would arise if school councils took a more active role in addressing academic concerns. Each school's Student Council representatives often use that body as a vehicle to address substantive student concerns about academics and the curriculum. Council may have established routes and credibility with administrators in dealing with such issues, but the school councils should explore working with administrators more directly. Whereas Council may have more sway in the University community as a whole, school-centric issues might gain more momentum if engaged by the individual school councils. Such a system at least seems more efficient. Council as a whole has less motivation to keep up with a concern that only affects, for example, Education or Architecture students. The Arts & Sciences Council, meanwhile, could take up issues like the Spanish Department's temporarily discontinuing its minor.
The school councils should explore ways to become more active in representing student academic concerns to administrators. Furthermore, they must optimize their use of communication outlets to better serve their respective communities. Fostering school identity is one part of these councils' missions - that role, however, is by no means comprehensive.
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